Xocolatl - Spooky Mermaids - Coconut Milk, Vanilla-Infused Sea Salt & Nibs (bar) - Oct. 31, 2025

Chocolate of the Day

Xocolatl
Spooky Mermaids - Coconut Milk, Vanilla-Infused Sea Salt & Nibs (bar)
Good ++
Weight: 2.6 oz. (75 g.) in total bar
Calories: 400 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $11.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Xocolatl, online order 

Happy Halloween, and welcome to Day #10 of Chocolate & Fruits Theme Week on Chocolate Banquet.

The prices of cacao and chocolate have soared to scary levels. But I'm sticking with multiple chocolates today, in memory of all those little candy bars and chocolate confections consumed as a trick-or-treating child.

Today's "Spooky Mermaids" 60% Dark Chocolate with coconut milk, vanilla-infused sea salt and nibs (bar)--wrapped in special Halloween packaging with luminous orange houses and trees--was created by Xocolatl LLC (Atlanta, GA).

Spooky Mermaids...

Aroma and flavor notes for today's Spooky 60% bar included: (very slightly earthy, sweet) dark chocolate, haunted with ghostly vapors of faint coconut milk and vanilla. A pinch of sea salt balanced out this concoction.

The texture was smooth (much more satisfying than spooky), and the vanilla-infused sea salt and softly crunchy cacao nibs, added complementary textures and flavors. You may be relieved to know that no mermaids were added or harmed in the making of this bar....Or, were they?...Only Xocolatl knows for sure. (I think I just heard cackling laughter and thunder outside...)  

I enjoyed this bar with fall fruits: pumpkin-hued persimmons and blood-red pears. (Also on the menu: pumpkin soup. And yes, pumpkins are technically fruits.)

Ingredients: "Cacao*, Cane Sugar*, Coconut Milk*, Cocoa Butter*, Sea Salt, Vanilla (* organic)"

Allergen-related information: Made on equipment that processes soy, wheat, peanuts & tree nuts (almond, hazelnut, pecan).

Sjaak's - 1.) Extra Dark 72% Cocoa Dark Chocolate Bar, 2.) Chipotle & Cinnamon Dark Chocolate Bar - Oct. 31, 2023

Chocolate(s) of the Day 

Sjaak's Organic Chocolates

Extra Dark 72% Cocoa Dark Chocolate Bar
Good ++
Weight: .5 oz. (14.1 g.) / 1 oz. (28 g.) in total bar
Calories: 85 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $2.49 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Country Sun Natural Foods, Palo Alto, CA

Chipotle & Cinnamon 60% Dark Chocolate Bar
Good ++
Weight: .5 oz. (14.1 g.) / 1 oz. (28 g.) in total bar
Calories: 80 calories for 1/2 bar
Cost: $2.49 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Country Sun Natural Foods, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome and Happy Halloween to all who celebrate. We interrupt Chocolate and Bolivia Theme Week to insert four spooky "bonus" Halloween chocolates on this night of tiny ghosts and goblins. 

This small bar duo: 1.) Extra Dark 72% Cocoa Dark Chocolate and Chipotle and 2.) Cinnamon 60% Dark Chocolate Bars were from Sjaak's Organic Chocolates (Petaluma, CA). 

Extra Dark 72% Cocoa Dark Chocolate Bar

Aroma notes included: robust dark chocolate aroma with balanced earth (loam, faint peat) and very faint chocolate torte and faint vanilla.

Texture: smooth, uniform dark chocolate with a buttery, easy melt and mouthfeel.

Flavor notes included: rich, dark chocolate with balanced earth (faint peat, loam); silky chocolate ganache; and very faint vanilla.

Ingredients: 72% Dark Chocolate* (Cocoa Liquor*, Cane Sugar*, Cocoa Butter*, Vanilla Bean Powder*) (*=Organic)

Allergen-related information: Produced in a facility that processes peanuts, tree nuts, and coconut.

Chipotle & Cinnamon Dark Chocolate Bar

Aroma notes included: robust dark chocolate (very similar to the 72% dark chocolate above only diluted with a pinch more sugar, and spices); balanced, subtle earth notes (faint peat, loam); and very light warm spices (cinnamon); and faint chili pepper.

Texture: smooth, uniform with a buttery melt and mouthfeel.

Flavor notes were the same as the aroma notes, only with more dark chocolate-y taste--and heat from the chipotle pepper.

Ingredients: 60% Chocolate* (Cane Sugar*, Cocoa Liquor*, Cocoa Butter*, Ground Vanilla Beans*), Ground Chipotle Pepper*, Cinnamon*. (* = Organic)

Allergen-related information: Produced in a facility that processes peanuts, tree nuts, and coconut.

Nightfood - Cherry Eclipse ice cream + Let's Do Gluten Free - Sugar Cones - Oct. 31, 2021

Chocolate of the Day

Nightfood, Inc.
Cherry Eclipse Nighttime Ice Cream

Good +

Weight: 2/3 cup (96 g.) / 1 Pint (473 g.) in total container

Calories: 140 calories in 1 serving

Cost: $1.99 for 1 container

Purchased from: Grocery Outlet Bargain Market, Palo Alto, CA 

Edward and Sons Trading Co., Inc. 

(Product of Israel)

Let's Do Gluten Free - Sugar Cones, Rolled Style

Good +

Weight: .77 oz. (22 g.) / 4.6 oz. (132 g.) in total box of 12 cones

Calories: 90 calories in 2 cones 

Cost: $4.49 for 1 box of 12 cones

Purchased from: Sprouts Farmers Market, Mountain View, CA

Welcome to Day #7 of Chocolate and Waffle Theme Week--a week that has included several waffle ice cream cone items and a few ice creams with chocolate inclusions.

Today is also Halloween. Happy Halloween to all. This holiday is linked traditionally with candy (fun-sized chocolate bars), carved pumpkins, spooky skeletons, bats, witches, ghosts and costumes of all sorts.

Cherry Eclipse Ice Cream

Today's Cherry Eclipse ice cream was manufactured for Nightfood, Inc. (Tarrytown, NY).

This light ice cream was "Cravemonster and sleep expert approved." Despite images of scary cartoon monsters (perfect for Halloween) featured on Nightfood ice cream containers, this product line was formulated for better sleep in mind. 

To earn their "Sleep Friendly" tagline, Nightfood has added certain ingredients (and omitted others). Buried in the long list of ingredients (see below) you'll see a sleep-friendly "Nightfood mineral blend," and prebiotic fiber (and possibly two more recent additions (based on Nightfood website ingredient information): lactase enzyme and vitamin B6). There was no erythritol, artificial sweeteners or gluten in this Kosher, low fat and higher protein, ice cream. Tart cherries (the second ingredient listed) were called out as being melatonin-rich.*

This Cherry Eclipse ice cream had a very light, creamy (silky, velvety, almost foamy) texture, yet retained an authentic dairy milk taste and mouthfeel. The light ice cream had a subtle cherry flavor and color, and contained a smattering of small chocolate-y pieces/flecks.

Disclaimer: After sampling this ice cream, a la carte, I later added a spoonful of single origin chocolate shards for richer, darker authentic cacao flavor and a few roasted walnuts--adding back in a bit of protein and fat, to balance out carbs (sugars and gums). It liked it both ways.

I tasted two monster-adorned Nightfood Nighttime ice cream flavors today--the only two I was able to find in time at my local store: "Cherry Eclipse" (with chocolate chips) and "Pickles for Two" (a chocolate-less flavor).** Other flavors in the Nightfood line-up include "Midnight Chocolate" and "Full Moon Vanilla.") 

Nightfood light ice creams are part of a sleep-friendly snacking trend; because scary things do occur late at night (such as eating a whole pint of ice cream, and then finding it hard to sleep).

Ingredients: Skim milk, tart cherries (tart cherries, water, invert sugar, sugar, corn starch, natural flavor, citric acid, locust bean gum), prebiotic fiber (chicory root), milk protein concentrate, brown rice syrup, choco pieces (confectioner's sugar, coconut oil, cocoa processed with alkali, cocoa, butter oil, soy lecithin, natural flavor), cream, tapioca syrup, glycerin, glycine, Nightfood mineral blend (calcium citrate, magnesium citrate, zinc citrate), tara gum, guar gum, natural flavor, salt, monk fruit extract.

(Note: This ingredient list from the container I purchased varies a bit with latest ingredients listed on the Nightfood website, which can happen as formulas and ingredients are updated, changed, replaced or clarified.)

Allergen-related information: Contains: milk, soy. "Made on shared equipment that also processes Peanuts and Tree nuts."

Sugar Cones

Today's Rolled Style Sugar Cones were imported to the U.S. by Edward and Sons Trading Co., Inc. (Carpinteria, CA).

The lightweight, almost airy, crunchy, gluten free, sugar cones were strong enough to hold ice cream and toasted walnut and dark chocolate pieces (that I added). They came carefully packaged. (None were broken.) Just don't squeeze the cones too hard when they're full of ice cream.

These cones were more flavorful than the bland ice cream receptacles of decades past. Demerara sugar (a light brown, less processed sugar), a pinch of cocoa powder and salt, all contributed to a pleasing flavor. The aroma and taste evoked the ghosts of vanilla and chocolate ice creams, even when the cone was eaten with no ice cream (by itself). Spooky. (There was no vanilla added; I checked.)

I filled these sugar cones with two "scary" monster-adorned Nightfood ice cream flavor(s): "Cherry Eclipse" and "Pickles for Two."**

Ingredients: Potato starch, demerara sugar, tapioca starch, organic expeller-pressed palm oil, potato fiber, cocoa powder, soy lecithin, salt, xanthan gum.

Allergen-related information: Pareve, Non-GMO Project Verified

*Melatonin is a hormone (made in the humane body), that is released (by the pineal gland) at night to  coincide with sleep. Man-made melatonin supplements are thought to help regulate/influence sleep and wake cycles. There are studies that have shown Montmorency/tart cherry juice to be correlated with better and longer sleep. (Note: Nightfood advisors listed on their website included at least three sleep experts.)

**"Pickles for Two" was a Nightfood ice cream flavor with very faint and balanced dill pickle notes. Despite what you're thinking, it was not bad. This flavor was inspired by food and mineral cravings that pregnant women sometimes experience--in this case, for pickles (sodium/salt and small amounts of calcium and potassium) and ice cream (calcium and protein, as well as sugar and fat).

Parliament Chocolate - Guatelmala Q'Eqchi 70% bar - Oct. 19, 2017

Chocolate of the Day:

Parliament Chocolate
Guatemala Q'Eqchi 70% bar
Good ++
Weight: .85 oz. (24 g.) / 1.7 oz. (48.1 g.) in total bar
Calories: 128 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $4.50 (estimate) for 1 bar
Purchased from: Miette, Oakland, CA

Welcome to Day #12 of Chocolate and Halloween wEEKs.

Today's Guatemala Q'Eqchi 70% Cacao bar (Batch #000131) was crafted by Parliament Chocolate, a bean-to-bar maker in Redlands, CA.

The two-ingredient (cacao and cane sugar) bar had a relatively fruity dark chocolate aroma (cherry yogurt, plum/prune with a faint spice and brown sugar note).

The bar had a smooth texture and balanced, complex flavor—with red fruit/berries and light roasted coffee/earth notes.

These bars would be perfect for an up-scale Halloween party. If money were no object, I'd hand out these bars to trick-or-treaters. Contrary to what many adults think, children exposed to great, dark chocolate early on often seem to love it. (Limiting young ones to 1 oz. (28 g.), however, is advisable.)

Reese's Nutrageous snack size bars - Nov. 7, 2015

Chocolate of the Day: 

The Hershey Company
Reese's Nutrageous (snack-size bars)
Good ++
Weight: 1.76 oz. (50 g.)/ 9.68 oz. (274 g.) in total package
Calories: 250 calories in 2 bars
Cost: $2.49 for 1 bag of bars
Purchased from: CVS/pharmacy, Mountain View, CA

Today was Day #3 of Chocolate and Peanuts Theme Week.

This bag of Halloween-themed, Reese's* Nutrageous snack size bars contained a sweet candy bar blend of milk chocolate, peanuts, peanut butter and gooey, golden caramel.

I love single origin dark bars; but I still have a soft spot for Reese's themed treats now and then.

*Reese's peanut butter cups were created in the 1920s by H.B. Reese who had worked for Milton S. Hershey, and used Hershey chocolate in these cups. In the 1960s, the H.B. Reese Candy Company became part of the Hershey Chocolate Corporation. 

Amano - Barlovento Roasted Cocoa Nibs - Oct. 31, 2015

Chocolate of the Day: 

Amano Artisan Chocolate
Barlovento Roasted Cocoa Nibs
Good - Good +
Weight: .636 oz. (18 g.)/ 6 oz. (170 g.) total package
Calories: 120 calories (estimate) in 1/8 cup (2 Tb.)
Cost: $lost information
Purchased from: Amano Artisan Chocolate (at a show)

Happy Halloween to all who celebrate this sweet, autumn holiday. And, welcome to Day #5 of Cocoa Nibs Theme Week.

I celebrate Halloween week by baking a gluten-free chocolate cake inside a carved pumpkin each year. (Other squashes work too.)

I re-heated a piece of this year's* pumpkin spice cake for breakfast, and sprinkled it with Barlovento Cocoa Nibs from Amano Artisan Chocolate (Orem, UT).

Seasonal side dishes for the pumpkin cake included: chopped walnuts, toasted pumpkin seeds with sea salt, and berries from the lavender star flower bush in my yard. Both flowers and berries are edible. These tiny, caramel colored berries with the pit in the middle tasted like fruity, miniature dates.

A freshly opened bag of cocoa nibs has so much potential. I'll use these nibs for many other things. E.g., this morning I also made myself a small, but flavorful cup of hot buttered chocolate to go with the cake, by soaking some nibs in some steamed milk ahead of time.

A small serving of cacao nibs can be very satisfying over cake, ice cream, or baked into brownies. Use them in a "rub" for roasts. Or, grind them up and make your own mole or drinking chocolate. Nibs are chocolate building blocks, without the sugar.

*I don't follow recipes; but every year the cake contains different ingredients. This year it included blackstrap molasses, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, cloves, chopped walnuts, and cocoa powder. This type of moist cake works best with a small pumpkin. Go too large, and the cake will be soggy or uncooked in the middle.

NibMor - 80% Sea Salt and cacao nibs bar - Oct. 29, 2015

Chocolate of the Day:

NibMor
80% Cacao Sea Salt and cacao nibs bar
Good +
Weight: 2.2 oz. (62 g.) in total bar
Calories: 320 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $2.59 for 1 bar
Purchased from: "Loop" store* at Shell gas station on Pocket Rd., Sacramento, CA

Happy Day #7 of Chocolate and Halloween Cocktails Theme Week, and Day #3 of Cocoa Nibs Theme Week.

Today's NibMor 80% Cacao Sea Salt and cacao nibs bar was full of layered flavors: chocolatey dark chocolate, slightly earthy cocoa nibs, and salty bursts of flavor from tiny sea salt crystals.

Big chocolate holidays like Halloween inspire me with all kinds of chocolate mad scientist ideas.

Today I created a Halloween "mocktail" with blood orange soda and fresh lemon juice. Shake with ice cubes and pour in a martini glass and garnish with lemon peel/slices. (Gin is optional for an adult cocktail.) I suppose you could add cocoa nibs in this drink too, but I just enjoyed the refreshing citrus flavor.

*This "Loop" (Shell) gas station store, was a riverside snack oasis, kind of in the middle of nowhere on the outskirts of Sacramento, that carried the most impressive variety of sweet and salty snacks I've seen at a gas station. Single origin chocolate bars, dill pickle flavored potato chips, maple bacon chips, and lots more interesting items.

jcoco - dark bar with nibs; Cocoa Rumpkin - Oct. 27, 2015

Chocolate(s) of the Day: 

Seattle Chocolate Company
jcoco
Noble Dark - 72% Chocolate with Cocoa Nibs bar
Good +
Weight: 1 oz. (28 g.) in 1 bar
Calories: 150 calories (estimate) in 1 bar
Cost: N/A - gift; thank you Toni!
Purchased from: N/A - gift; thank you Toni!

Cocoa Rumpkin
(various ingredients)
Good +
Weight: 1 small glass
Calories: disregarded
Cost: N/A - used existing ingredients
Purchased from: N/A - used existing ingredients

Today was Day #5 of Chocolate and Halloween Cocktail Theme Week.

Cocoa nibs are concentrated bits of chocolate flavor. Their essence can be contained in a dark chocolate bar, or infused into spirits. (Not Halloween ghosts, but distilled spirits.) Being that Halloween—one of the great chocolate holidays—is upon us, I'm going with both a dark chocolate bar with cocoa nibs and a Halloween cocktail called a Cocoa Rumpkin (see below).

First up...the jcoco Noble Dark bar (72% dark chocolate with cocoa nibs). This bar was one of a set of small bars I received as a gift.

The jcoco brand is part of Seattle Chocolate Company (Seattle, WA). The design and packaging for the jcoco line is high fashion fun, and the chocolate isn't bad either*. The company has pledged to give one serving of food to a person in need for each chocolate purchased.

The bar had a chocolate fudge brownie aroma and taste and the nibs added some texture. The "non-gmo, vegan, gluten-free" Noble Dark bar was also kosher.

Cocoa Rumpkin
A Cocoa Rumpkin is a three-layer cocktail that I made up.

The bottom layer was Aperol (an orange-flavored apertif) and honey. The middle layer was a pumpkin-infused cream with spices (cinnamon, freshly grated nutmeg, cloves, allspice, ginger).

And, saving the best for last, the top layer was cocoa nib infused dark rum**. The cocoa nibs imparted an extra dark chocolate, almost coffee-like flavor to the dark rum.

Carefully "float" one layer atop another and there you have it: a Cocoa Rumpkin, today's chocolate rum and spicy orange Halloween cocktail. Or, you can stir all these layers together, and freeze, to enjoy as an adult milkshake.

*The jcoco Cayenne Veracruz Orange white chocolate bar is an example of how tasty white chocolate can be.
**First, I infused cocoa nibs into Myers's dark rum for a week. Then I drained off the rum to use as a top layer for this cocktail. Leftover cocoa nibs, can be used for cookies, brownies or with ice cream in adult milkshakes.

The content and images on this post belong to ChocolateBanquet.com.

Hotel Chocolat - Black Cat Martini - Oct. 26, 2015

Chocolate of the Day: 

Hotel Chocolat
"Black Cat Martini"
Good+ - Good++
Weight: 1.015 oz. (28.7 g.) / 4.06 oz. (115 g.) in total box of 16 pieces
Calories: 152 calories (estimate) in 4 pieces
Cost: 10 British Pounds (approx. $15 U.S.)
Purchased from: Hotel Chocolat, UK, online order

Today was Day #4 of Chocolate and Halloween Cocktails Theme Week.

The "Black Cat Martini" chocolate from Hotel Chocolat (UK) was infused with blackcurrant and "liquorice" and had a fairly strong vodka kick. The flavors were authentic and layered, revealing themselves one at a time, which made this filled Halloween cocktail chocolate more intriguing and fun.

Today's Black Cat Martini was the last (of four) different seasonal cocktail chocolates from a Hotel Chocolat "Choose Your Poison" 16-piece assortment box.

Hotel Chocolat - Corpse Reviver - Oct. 25, 2015

Chocolate of the Day: 

Hotel Chocolat
"Corpse Reviver"
Good++
Weight: 1.015 oz. (28.7 g.) / 4.06 oz. (115 g.) in total box of 16 pieces
Calories: 152 calories (estimate) in 4 pieces
Cost: 10 British Pounds (approx. $15 US)
Purchased from: Hotel Chocolat, UK, online order

Enter Day #3 of Chocolate and Halloween Cocktails Theme Week, if you dare.

Today's Halloween cocktail-inspired "Corpse Reviver" chocolates from Hotel Chocolat (UK) were part of a "Choose Your Poison" 16-piece assortment box.

These ivory-colored chocolates contained hints of "gin, triple sec, vermouth and blood orange." Inside each Corpse Reviver was a flavorful gin and citrus-infused, white chocolate ganache center.

These creamy fillings were covered in white chocolate and topped with daubs of orange and brown seasonal color—with just enough dark brown to count as a "real"* chocolate.

If you like boozy chocolates, you'd love this whole assortment box, with 4 different chocolate cocktails. I'm going to be sorry after tomorrow when they're gone.

*Cocoa beans are approximately half fat (cocoa butter) and half dark cocoa mass (aka solids or liquor). I normally do not count 100% white chocolates as a chocolate of the day, unless there is some cocoa liquor/solids present—the part that makes chocolate brown. 

The content and images on this post belong to ChocolateBanquet.com.

Hotel Chocolat - Green Fairy - Oct. 24, 2015

Chocolate of the Day: 

Hotel Chocolat
Green Fairy
Very Good
Weight: 1.015 oz. (28.7 g.) / 4.06 oz. (115 g.) in total box of 16 pieces
Calories: 152 calories (estimate) in 4 pieces
Cost: 10 British Pounds (approx. $15.00 US)
Purchased from: Hotel Chocolat, UK, online order

Today was Day #2 of Chocolate and Halloween Cocktails Theme Week.

For many years absinthe, an often green concoction of herbs and alcohol, was illegal, primarily due to concerns about one ingredient. Wormwood (or the thejune in wormwood) could cause hallucinations* and other ill effects. Absinthe was also known as the green fairy.

Today's Green Fairy chocolate from Hotel Chocolat (UK) was part of a Halloween cocktail assortment I'm enjoying this week. This dome-shaped filled chocolate, topped with a swirl of yellow and green, contained "a shot of absinthe softened in milk," referring to a creamy milk chocolate, absinthe infused center.

Anise, a key ingredients in absinthe, gave the chocolate a faint hint of licorice. I've never met a green fairy, but I bet she'd like these chocolates.

*The surreal illustration at the right (under four Green Fairy chocolates) is titled "In and Out – Number 5," by digital artist, Earl Einhorn. This artist's work seemed the perfect companion for these chocolates with absinthe. 

The content and images on this post belong to ChocolateBanquet.com.

Hotel Chocolat - Zombie - Oct. 23, 2015

Chocolate of the Day:

Hotel Chocolat
Zombie
Good ++
Weight: 1.015 oz. (28.7 g.) / 4.06 oz. (115 g.) in total box of 16 pieces
Calories: 152 calories (estimate) in 4 pieces
Cost: 10 British Pounds (approximately $15 US)
Purchased from: Hotel Chocolat, UK (online order)

Welcome to Day #1 of Chocolate and Halloween Cocktail Theme Week.

I admit it, we're devolving into less and less serious territory by the week here in October. But, it's Halloween.

I ordered a box of "Choose Your Poison" Halloween cocktails with a shot of liquor, from Hotel Chocolat (UK). This spooky assortment of chocolate cocktails included the Black Cat Martini, Corpse Reviver, Green Fairy and the Zombie.

What do I love about this company? Their creative and original chocolates, classy packaging—and the thought that I might one day visit their hotel and plantation on the island of St. Lucia.

Today I had all 4 Zombie* chocolates. And they did indeed taste like tiny boozy zombies—if zombies had creamy centers and were covered in chocolate. Fortunately, I wasn't planning to drive anywhere this morning.

*Hotel Chocolat describes their Zombie chocolates as having "a glug of white rum with orange and passion fruit. 

The content and images on this post belong to ChocolateBanquet.com.

Charles Chocolate, Atelier d' Isabelle - Oct. 31, 2014

Chocolate(s) of the Day: 

Charles Chocolate
Candied Valencia and Almond bar
Good
Weight: 1.34 oz. (38 g.) in 1 small bar
Calories: 200 calories (estimate) in 1 small bar
Cost: N/A - gift from a friend
Purchased from: N/A - gift from friend

Happy Halloween to all! One of the big chocolate holidays of the year in the U.S. Today was also Day #7 of Chocolate and Orange Theme Week.

I'd like to think I would have appreciated finding a small bar like today's Candied Valencia and Almond bar from Charles Chocolates (San Francisco, CA) in my trick-or-treat bag when I was a child. I've always liked nuts, and this bar contained not only almonds, but also pistachios, sultanas (raisins) and pine nuts, giving it a fine crunchy nut and fruit taste and texture. Bits of candied Valencia orange peel gave this 41% milk chocolate bar a subtle citrus flavor.

Atelier d' Isabelle, LLC
Peru 64% Single Origin bar
Good +
Weight: 1.3 oz. (38 g.) / 3.5 oz. (100 g.) in 1 bar
Calories: 240 calories in 3 squares (1.3 oz.) of bar
Cost: $7.99 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Piazza Fine Foods, Palo Alto, CA

My second Halloween treat today: part of a Peru 64% single origin dark chocolate bar from Atelier d' Isabelle, LLC (Burlingame, CA). This smooth dark chocolate bar was made in Belgium (by KC Chocolatier) but the design and lovely, vintage Halloween wrapper (featuring a young witch with pumpkins and a whisp of glitter) was provided by Atelier d' Isabelle.

Mama Ganache Dark Chocolate Skull - Oct. 31, 2013

Chocolate of the Day: 

Mama Ganache Artisan Chocolates
Fair Trade, Organic Dark Chocolate Skull
Good
Weight: .566 oz. (16 g.) / 1.7 oz. (48.11 g.) (estimate) for 1 skull
Calories: 84.9 calories (estimate) for 1/3 skull
Cost: $2.59 for 1 skull
Purchased from: Country Sun Natural Foods, Palo Alto, CA

Today was Day #6 of Chocolate, Date and/or Fig Theme Week -- and, more important, it was Halloween, an important "date" to celebrate -- eating chocolate.

And what better way to celebrate than an Organic, Dark Chocolate Skull from Mama Ganache (San Luis Obispo, CA) that called to mind Halloween as well as the Day of the Dead (El Dia de Los Muertos).

Made from rich, slightly earthy tasting, organic 70% dark chocolate, this skull was decorated with white chocolate eyes, and very straight, white chocolate teeth.

Halloween was also a good day for making spooky faces with bits of dried fruit and nuts. Pin these facial features on pumpkins, if you dare. Dates made great eyeballs, or little, fat "fingers." I enjoyed the date eyeballs today, with dried papaya and chocolate chips (for pupils). Piped cream cheese can also be used for the whites of the "eyes." Nothing fancy, just fun. 

John and Kira's - Chocolate Figs - Oct. 30, 2013

Chocolate of the Day: 

John and Kira's
Chocolate Figs
Very Good +
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) / 3 oz. (85 g.) total box of 6 figs
Calories: 135 calories (estimate) for 2 figs
Cost: $ N/A - part of larger "tower" (combination of boxes)
Purchased from: John and Kira's (online order)

Today was Day #5 of Chocolate, Date and/or Fig Theme Week.

Any dessert item that blends figs + chocolate + cream + whiskey (or sherry, or port) is one I'd hasten to try. (Add a pinch or either vanilla or cinnamon, and I might float away into the heavens momentarily.) So, no surprise, I loved these Chocolate Figs from John and Kira's (Philadelphia, PA).

The company started with imported, organic dried Calabacita (little pumpkin) figs from a small family farm in Spain, and filled them with a smooth chocolate, whiskey-infused dark chocolate (Valrhona) ganache (filling). The final step: figs were dipped up to their necks in 62% dark chocolate. Just two of these were surprisingly rich and satisfying and would make a great end-of-meal dessert.

JohnAndKiras.com

These pumpkin shaped chocolate figs also reminded me of all the pumpkins and carved jack-o-lanterns I've been seeing in my neighborhood this week. Tomorrow is Halloween, one of the biggest chocolate holidays of the year in the U.S. Happy Halloween Eve to all.

Note: John and Kira's was also selling a box of seasonal chocolate pumpkin caramels this month -- one option was to order a box of these in a coach (reminiscent of Cinderella's enchanted coach that turned into a pumpkin at midnight). Image at left, from John and Kira's website.

ChocolateBet: October 31, 2011

Chocolate(s) of the Day:


1.) 1 witch monster pop
Long Grove Confectionery Co.
Monster Pop
Good+
Weight: 1.5 oz. (43 g.)
Calories: 225 calories (estimate)
Cost: $3.69
Purchased from: Whole Foods, in Los Altos, CA


2.) 1 piece
Chocolate Visions
Pumpkin
Good+ - Very Good
Weight: .4 oz. (11.32 g.) (estimate) /piece
Calories: 60 calories
Cost: $2.00
Purchased from: Chocolate Visions, Scotts Valley, CA

Halloween is a major holiday for chocolate consumption in the U.S., so Happy Halloween all! Listed here are some items from my Halloween treat plate.


Long Grove Confectionery makes several novelty, Halloween and holiday chocolate items. This witch monster pop was good chocolate Halloween fun. I enjoyed this witch monster with two Salted Bourbon Caramels -- a carryover from Chocolate and Whisk(e)y Theme Week (from Salted Caramel, Chicago, IL).

And Pumpkin too!

The Chocolate Visions (Scotts Valley, CA) seasonal Pumpkin chocolate had a very authentic pumpkin pie taste. I wouldn't be surprised if there was some real pumpkin mixed in with pumpkin pie spices. (Postscript: They roast and puree "Cinderalla" pumpkins and mix with dark chocolate, butter, cream and spices.)

ChocolateBet: October 25, 2010

Chocolate of the Day:

2 skulls
Vosges Haut Chocolat
Day of the Dead Caramel Filled Mini Skulls
1.) Tequila Caramel Skull - Good +
2.) Red Fire Caramel Skull - Very Good
Weight: 1.71 oz. (47.5 g) / 2.6 oz. (72 g.) total package of 3 skulls
Calories: 200 calories
Cost: $13.00 for package of 3 skulls (including 1 from yesterday)
Purchased from: Vosges Haut Chocolat, Chicago, IL

Today was Day #5 of Chocolate and Halloween/Day of the Dead Theme Week.

Both Halloween (when children go door-to-door trick or treating, October 31) and El Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead, Nov. 2) are happening this next week and are observed in California. El Día de los Muertos is an occasion to honor the departed with prayers, sweets, gifts and favorite foods.

As I finish this lovely 3-pack of caramel-filled skulls from Vosges, I can confirm that these chocolates fit very nicely into either holiday tradition.

ChocolateBet: October 22, 2010

Chocolate(s) of the Day:

2 pieces
Christopher Norman Chocolates
1.) Devil truffle - Good +
2.) Black Cat truffle - Good +
Weight: .8 oz. (24 g.) (estimate for 2 pieces)
Calories: 120 calories (estimate for 2 pieces)
Cost: $
Purchased from: Christopher Norman Chocolates, New York City, NY

Today was Day #2 of Chocolate and Halloween - Day of the Dead Theme Week. Devils and black cats are popular symbols associated with upcoming Halloween festivities. So, I had one of each -- truffle, that is -- decorated with these Halloween-related symbols on top. I had ordered a box of four different seasonal truffles; and tomorrow I will try the jack-o-lantern- or the ghost-decorated truffle.


I thought the cats would get more excited about this theme; but they were more interested in taking an afternoon nap. (Note: Don't worry; I do not let pets eat any chocolate.)