Goodnow Farms Chocolate - Limited Release Dark Chocolate Unfiltered Hard Cider 70% Cacao (bar) - Dec. 3, 2024

Chocolate of the Day

Goodnow Farms Chocolate 
Limited Release Dark Chocolate Unfiltered Hard Cider 70% Cacao (bar)
Good + - Good ++
Weight: .97 oz. (27.5 g.) / 1.94 oz. (55 g.) in total bar
Calories: 155 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $19.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Goodnow Farms Chocolate, online order

Welcome to Day #9 of Chocolate and Spirits Theme Week.

Today's Limited Release Dark Chocolate Unfiltered Hard Cider 70% Cacao (bar) was made by Goodnow Farms Chocolate (Sudbury, MA).

Aroma notes included: dark chocolate and crisp, relatively tart fruit (apple) and sweetness.

Texture: smooth, almost creamy dark chocolate 

Flavor notes included: deep, relatively robust (but smooth) dark chocolate with very slight earth and faint apple/cider; and a fleeting warm spice (apple cinnamon) in the finish. 

* Maker's description: "...Dominican Republic Zorzal Communitario cacao nibs are soaked in 23 gallons of Downeast's locally crafted 8% hard cider. This infusion process creates a perfect balance of tart apples and rich dark chocolate. Our take on fall in New England!"

Ingredients: Single Origin Cacao Nibs, Organic Cane Sugar, Single Origin Cocoa Butter, Hard Cider (Hard Cider, Fresh Pressed Apple Cider, Water, Sugar, Malic Acid, Sulfites to Preserve Flavor)

Allergen-related information: Soy Free; Vegan. 

Fjak Sjokolade - 70% Mork Sjokolade and Alde Sider (bar) - June 10, 2023

 Chocolate of the Day

Fjak Sjokolade 
70% Mork Sjokolade and Alde Sider
(70% Dark Chocolate and Alde Cider)
Good ++
Weight: .935 oz. (26.5 g.) / 1.87 oz. (53 g.) in total bar
Calories: 145 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $11.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Bar and Cocoa, online order

Welcome to Day #6 of Chocolate and Cheese Theme Week.

Today's 70% Dark Chocolate Cider (bar) was made by small-batch, bean-to-bar chocolate maker Fjak Sjokolade (Hardanger, Norway).

Founded by two women in 2015, the company offers a variety of single origin bars and chocolates with local Nordic flavors.

Today's chocolate with infused with Norwegian hard cider from Alde (Hardanger, Norway)--a region known for its apples, plums and cherries. The cacao used to make this bar was from Tanzania (Kilombero Valley).

Aroma notes for this Norwegian bar included: dark chocolate, diffuse fruit (apple juice), faint brown sugar, and even fainter sweet green botanical, almost floral.

This well-tempered bar broke with a snap, and had a smooth texture with a very mild tart fruit astringency.

This was a harmonious and well-executed blend of 70% dark chocolate and apple cider, with nuanced flavor notes. The relatively bold dark chocolate balanced the sweetness of the apple and the sugar in the dark chocolate base. The apple cider contributed fruit with gently undulating, pleasant apple flavors and balanced acidity.

I enjoyed the first few bites of this chocolate without any cheese. And then paired it with an aged cheddar cheese. A camembert (commonly paired with hard cider) or similar cheese might have worked too. However, the apple flavors in the cider were delicate and enjoyable enough that I might avoid very strong cheeses.

Maker's description: "bold and boozy"

Ingredients: Cocoa beans*, cane sugar*, cocoa butter*, dried apple* and Cider from Alde (*Organic)

Allergen-related information: Processed in a facility that handles nuts, dairy and gluten.

Mackenzies - Milk and Dark Caramel Apples - May 23, 2016

Chocolate of the Day: 

Mackenzies Chocolates
Milk Chocolate and Dark Chocolate Caramel Apples
Good - Good +
Weight: unknown in 2 caramel apples (1 dark, 1 milk)
Calories: unknown
Cost: unknown
Purchased from: Mackenzies, Santa Cruz, CA


Welcome to Day #8 of Chocolate and Caramel Theme Week, and Day #1 of Chocolate, Fruit and Nut Theme Week.

Each of these two diminutive caramel-filled chocolate apples—one milk chocolate and one dark chocolate, from Mackenzies Chocolates (Santa Cruz, CA)—was filled with generous, golden pockets of caramel.

These apples were a fitting tribute to the end of chocolate and caramel theme week.

And, being that these were (sort of) fruits, they also ushered in the first day of a chocolate, fruit and nut week. I paired these two caramel apples with a small handful of walnut halves, not shown here.

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

Jo's Candies - Applewood Smoked Caramel - Dec. 2, 2015

Chocolate of the Day: 

Jo's Candies
Applewood Smoked Caramel
Good
Weight: .6 oz. (17 g.) /1.2 oz. (34 g.) in package of 2 pieces
Calories: 75 calories in 1 piece
Cost: $1.99 for 1 package
Purchased from: Piazza's Fine Foods, Palo Alto, CA


Today was Day #3 of Chocolate and ABC Theme Week. "A" is for apple; and today was the last of the chocolate and apple items. (Tomorrow we graduate to "B" as in baobab fruit.)

Jo's Candies (Torrance, CA) "California-crafted" today's Applewood Smoked Caramel (package of two pieces).

It's hard to go wrong with chocolate-covered, smoked salt caramels. This blend of flavors seem to naturally hum together in perfect harmony. The Applewood smoked salt in today's chocolate helped balance the generous slab of sweet, chewy caramel filling.

Caramel Apple Mini Milkshakes
To inject a bit more apple into this caramel experience, I paired these Jo's caramels with a small caramel apple milkshake (made with fresh apple slices, caramel sea salt gelato, dulce de leche ice cream, a micro-splash of Calvados (apple brandy) and sprinkle of apple pie spices). It was either that, or call a local ice cream spot—Tin Pot Creamery (Palo Alto, CA)—to see if their baked apple sorbet was in stock. I didn't get around to the latter, but both would have been good apple-y sweet choices.

flying noir - Applause Apple Brandy chocolate - Nov. 30, 2015

Chocolate of the Day: 

flying noir
"Applause" Apple Brandy chocolate
Good++
Weight: .4 oz. (11.32 g.) (estimate) in 1 piece
Calories: 60 calories (estimate) in 1 piece
Cost: $12.00 - part of a larger 6-piece "spirited" assortment box
Purchased from: flying noir, Fall Chocolate Salon, San Francisco, CA

Welcome to the last day of Holiday Spirits Theme Week, and the first day of ABC Theme Week.

I'll be working my way through the chocolate alphabet, starting with items that begin with A, B, and C. This week ABC stands for the following three fruits: Apple, Baobab and Cranberry.

Today's "Applause" Apple Brandy chocolate was created by flying noir (Oakland, CA). Covered with Kallari dark chocolate, this piece had a nice flavorful center with layered, adult caramelized apple flavor. The Applause filled chocolate was part of flying noir's "spirited" collection.

Marich - Chocolate Spiced Apples - Nov. 6, 2014

Chocolate of the Day: 

Marich Confectionery Co.
Chocolate Spiced Apples
Good - Good +
Weight: 2 oz. (56 g.) in 1 package/box
Calories: 250 calories in 1 package/box
Cost: $2.49 for 1 package
Purchased from: Draegers, San Mateo, CA

Today was Day #6 of Chocolate and Holiday Spices Theme Week.

Marich Confectionery Co. (Hollister, CA) created today's milk chocolate coated apple pieces. Sugar, cinnamon and vanilla gave these chocolate pieces a pleasingly subtle, warm spice flavor. Good with a cup of hot tea for those cold nights.

Lake Champlain - Apple Cider Caramels - Nov. 2, 2014

Chocolate of the Day: 

Lake Champlain Chocolates
Milk Chocolate Apple Cider Caramels
Good ++
Weight: 2.4 oz. (68 g.)
Calories: 245 calories (estimate) in 1 package
Cost: $15.25 for 1 box of 7 caramels
Purchased from: Draegers Market, San Mateo, CA

Colorful leaves, crisp fall weather and apples marked this week's progression into autumn -- as did today's Milk Chocolate Apple Cider Caramels "grown, fermented, and crafted in Vermont" by Lake Champlain Chocolates (Burlington, VT).

Coated with 34% milk chocolate, the flavors in these rectangular-shaped treats sprang from a blend of tart Citizen Cider apple cider and Happy Valley Orchard apple pressings -- in a soft caramel with hints of brown sugar, butter and organic cinnamon.

Today was Day #2 of Chocolate and Holiday Spices Theme Week.

ChocolateBet: July 15, 2012

Chocolate of the Day:

Maison Bouche
Pomme d' Amour - Noir (bar)
Good
Weight: .5 oz. (14.1 g.) / 2 oz. (56 g.) (estimate - no weight list on label)
Calories: 74 calories (estimate - no calorie information listed)
Cost: $4.95 (estimate)
Purchased from: Piazza's Fine Foods, in Palo Alto, CA

This "Apple of Love" candied apple flavored, dark chocolate (55%) bar from Maison Bouche (Oakland, CA) was unique. The dark chocolate bar base was smooth and pleasant, and I always enjoy Maison Bouche's pretty label designs.

I enjoy trying new flavored bars; however, I couldn't tell whether this apple flavoring came from natural or artificial sources. It could have been either one. Mixing apple with chocolate can be a challenging combination.

Today was Day #8 of Chocolate and Fruit Theme Week.

ChocolateBet: February 28, 2010

Chocolate of the Day:
5 pieces
Recchiuti Confections
Key Lime Apples
Very Good +
Weight: 1.66 oz. (47 g.)/4 oz. (113 g.) in total box of 12 pieces
Calories: 198 calories for 5 pieces (estimate)
Cost: $23 total for box of 12 pieces
Purchased from: Recchiuti store, in Ferry Building, San Francisco, CA

These ultra thin, crispy slices of Granny Smith apples were covered in bittersweet chocolate. The texture and flavor mix was just right.

And, if you're in the San Francisco area and you enter the Ferry Building, I dare you to go in there and buy just one item -- of anything. Hang on to your wallet; it's a foodie paradise.