Ranger Chocolate Company - Specialty Bar Cherry and Vanilla Sea Salt - June 27, 2020

Chocolate of the Day: 

Ranger Chocolate Company
Specialty Bar - Cherry and Vanilla Sea Salt
Good ++
Weight: .49 oz. (13.8 g.) (estimate) in total square
Calories: 72 calories (estimate) in 1 square
Cost: $3.00 for 1 square
Purchased from: Ranger Chocolate, online order

Welcome to Day #2 of Chocolate and Red Fruits Theme Week.

Today's Specialty Bar - Cherry, Vanilla Sea Salt (a small, individually-wrapped square) was made by Ranger Chocolate Company (Portland, OR) was topped with a dried Hood River cherry and vanilla sea salt.

The cherry had multi-layered, naturally sweet, fruity and tart, aroma, flavor and texture; it was the star here. A beautiful example of tasty condensed (dried) red fruit flavor, atop a piece of high-end chocolate. Ranger chocolate makers could have stopped there. But, they added a sprinkle of coarse, flavored sea salt crystals, that played very nicely with the chocolate and cherry.

Flavored sea salts are not unusual; and the flavors usually lean toward the savory or smoky side. Vanilla infused sea salt was interesting and unusual; it integrated a traditionally "sweet" flavor with salt.

I saw and tasted the crystals of sea salt. but I might have been missed the fact that the subtle vanilla was part of the sea salt and not part of the chocolate or cherry. All harmonized well.

Several wonderful flavors were distilled down into a tiny block of real estate in today's square. The only trouble with this small size was that it was difficult to go back and re-taste this chocolate over a period of an hour or two (when flavors can shift and unfold).

Flax4Life - Dark Cherry Brownie flax muffins - Aug. 14, 2018

Chocolate of the Day: 

Flax4Life
Dark Cherry Brownie
Good - Good +
Weight: 1.16 oz. (33 g.) / 14 oz. (396 g.) in total container
Calories: 130 calories in 1 muffin
Cost: $8.99 for 1 container of 12 muffins
Purchased from: Piazza's Fine Foods, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #8 of Chocolate Brownie Theme Week and Day #2 of Chocolate and Fruit Theme Week.

August is a great time for fresh summer fruits, including grapes, melons, figs, peaches and cherries. Today's container of Dark Cherry Brownie flax muffins was from Flax4Life (Bellingham, WA).

These dairy free, gluten free and nut free mini brownie muffins had sweet fudge brownie flavor and texture, with subtle, natural (dried, dark cherry) fruit flavor.

Muffin Revolution - Cha Cha Cha Cherry Chocolate Chia Muffins - Aug. 13, 2018

Chocolate of the Day: 

Muffin Revolution

Cha Cha Cha Cherry Chocolate Chia Muffins

Good 

Weight: 2.25 oz. (65 g.) / 9 oz. (260 g.) in total container or 4 muffins

Calories: 170 calories in 1 muffin

Cost: $5.99 (guess) for 1 container of 4 muffins

Purchased from: Whole Foods Market, Los Altos, CA

Welcome to Day #7 of Chocolate Brownie Week.

Chocolate Cherry Chia Muffins from Muffin Revolution (Richmond, CA) 

This grain-free, paleo-friendly and Non-GMO muffin was satisfying and less sugary sweet than most muffins or brownies (thank you!).  Sweetness was supplied by dates and fruits.

The texture was slightly more coarse—it was made with blanched almond meal/flour—than processed white grain flours. The chocolate flavor was pleasing; and the cherry and chia flavors were so well incorporated they might be missed.

So, while this is technically a muffin and not a brownie, if one were to bake a less-sweet, paleo brownie it might be similar to today's chocolate cherry muffin. 

The Muffin Revolution muffins also contained fruits and vegetables (apples, bananas, blueberries, cherries, zucchini) and eggs.

Celebrity - Chocolaty Cherry Goat Cheese - June 18, 2018

Chocolate of the Day: 

Celebrity Goat
Chocolaty Cherry Goat Cheese
Good
Weight: .25 oz. (7 g.) / 4.5 oz. (130 g.) in total package
Calories: 22 calories in 1/4 oz. taste
Cost: missing information
Purchased from: missing information

Welcome to Day #1 of Chocolate, Cherry and Berry Theme Week.

Today's Chocolaty Cherry Goat Cheese was from Celebrity Goat (Canada goat milk).

What's that you say? Goat cheese? Think cherry and chocolate cheesecake, only slightly less sweet and a teensy bit cheesier.

This petite, plump cheese log was made with cocoa-colored, creamy goat cheese, chocolaty bits (cocoa, coconut oil, sweetener), Dalmatia cherry, and assorted other ingredients* and preservatives.

A few slices of this cheese would add visual interest to any cheese plate.

Ingredients: Pasteurized goat's milk, sugar, partially hydrogenated coconut oil, cocoa, water, fructose, corn syrup, cherries, modified corn starch, mono and di-glycerides, salt, potassium sorbate, soy lecithin, fruit pectin, citric acid, lactic acid, ascorbic acid, microbial enzymes, bacterial culture, natural and artificial flavors.

Honey Stinger - Mocha Cherry Pro - Aug. 12, 2017

Chocolate of the Day: 

Honey Stinger
Mocha Cherry Pro bar
Good - Good +
Weight: 1.5 oz. (42 g.) in total bar
Calories: 180 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $2.30 for 1 bar
Purchased from: REI, Mountain View, CA

Welcome to Day #5 of Chocolate and Honey Theme Week.

Today's Honey Stinger Mocha Cherry Pro bar was made in the USA for Honey Stinger (Steamboat Springs, CO).

This dark chocolate covered bar had a natural tasting, chewy, honey nougat-like center* with a hint of mocha. The dark chocolate coating was smooth and relatively mild.

Somewhere in the mix (although not visible) were dried sour cherries with apple juice, that contributed a tiny hint of tart sweetness.

While not labeled as an energy or protein bar, this Honey Stinger bar contained 30 mg. of caffeine, some added vitamins and minerals, and 10 grams of protein.** It tasted satisfying to the last bite and successfully helped fuel a trail hike today.

*While made with gluten-free ingredients it contained the standard industry advisory notice about possible traces of allergens (peanut, wheat, egg and other tree nuts) that one often sees when foods are made in a shared facility. 

**This bar contained whey protein isolate and almonds. 

Ben and Jerry's - Cherry Garcia ice cream bar - Mar. 21, 2017

Chocolate of the Day: 

Ben and Jerry's Homemade, Inc.
Cherry Garcia ice cream bar
Good
Weight: 3.38 fl. oz. (100 mL) in 1 bar
Calories: 270 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $N/A - gift from family member (Thank you Megan!)
Purchased from: N/A - gift from family member

Welcome to Day #3 of Chocolate and Ice Cream Bar Theme Week.

Before there was today's Ben and Jerry's Cherry Garcia ice cream bar, there was Cherry Garcia ice cream.

The name Cherry Garcia (a riff on musician Jerry Garcia, of The Grateful Dead) was inspired by a customer suggestion. Ben and Jerry's Cherry Garcia ice cream was first released in February 1987, almost nine years after the company was founded.*

The original Cherry Garcia ice cream had a base of vanilla ice cream (Ben and Jerry's first flavor) with whole Bing cherries and smaller than usual chunks of chocolate, according to a press release.

Over the years* the base ice cream for this popular flavor became cherry ice cream instead of vanilla, and the pieces of cherry became smaller.

Unfortunately, I found myself comparing today's bar—with a sweet, but somewhat bland cherry ice cream with three different vegetable gums** and a dark "chocolatey" coating—with the original ice cream.

It's challenging to create an ice cream bar without modifying some ingredients. However, some changes are more noticeable than others. For example, for the first few bites, I saw no cherry pieces. Later, I did run into a few. (Note: I've not tried Cherry Garcia Ice Cream in many years, and the whole brand and formula has likely changed in the past decade.)

On the positive side, this tasting experience inspired me to make some homemade ice cream with a great vanilla base, whole bing cherries and small high-quality dark chocolate shavings. Back to the future. Thank you to Ben and Jerry for the original inspiration.

*Ben and Jerry's co-founders, Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, opened their business in May 1978 in a renovated gas station in Vermont. In April 2000, Ben and Jerry's was acquired by the Anglo-Dutch food giant, Unilever (London, UK), the company that also owns Breyer's and Good Humor ice cream brands.

**Today's Cherry Garcia Ice Cream bar contained locust bean gum, xanthan gum and guar gum.

Bixby - Heart's Delight bar - Feb. 14, 2014

Chocolate(s) of the Day:

Chocolate Cherry Cocktail
Made with: Talenti Black Cherry gelato

Bixby and Co.
Heart's Delight
Good
Weight: .75 oz. (21.2 g.) / 1.5 oz. (42.45 g.) total bar
Calories: 110 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $4.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Abe's Market (online order)

Hope you all had a great Valentines Day. I decided to keep it simple -- a modified Chocolate Gatail (cocktail with dark rum, cherry brandy and creme de cacao) and 1/2 of a Heart's Delight bar from Bixby and Co. (Belfast, ME).

The Heart's Delight bar was jammed with large pieces of dried strawberries, and bits of almond, giving the dark chocolate (72%) bar, with a very mild hint of Ceylon Cinnamon, a slightly chewy texture.

Today was Day #10 of Chocolate and Cherries Theme Weeks, and the sight of cherry and other fruit tree blossoms against blue sky was a lovely reminder that Spring was already waiting in the wings.