Theo Chocolate - Organic Almond Brittle Crunch 55% Dark Chocolate (bar) - Mar. 15, 2026

Chocolate of the Day

Theo Chocolate
Organic Almond Brittle Crunch 55% Dark Chocolate (bar) 
Good ++ 
Weight: 1.5 oz. (42.5 g.) / 3 oz. (85 g.) in total bar
Calories: 240 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $N/A - gift from friends
Purchased from: Gift from friends - Thank you Evan, Maddy and Isla

Welcome to Day #12 of Chocolate & Pistachio, Hazelnut & Almond Theme Week.

Today's Organic Almond Brittle Crunch 55% Dark Chocolate (bar) was made in Canada and distributed by Theo Chocolate (Seattle, WA). 

Aroma and flavor notes included: dark chocolate, subtle vanilla and faint nut and sweet malt.

Texture: This well-tempered bar broke with a hard snap--not always the case for a sweeter chocolate with brittle or toffee flavor inclusions.

I liked that this bar wasn't too sweet, and that the relatively subtle chocolate, brittle, nut and vanilla flavors were all balanced, pleasant and complementary.

I also appreciated Theo Chocolate's (historic and continued) use of organic and fair trade ingredients.

Ingredients: Dark Chocolate* (Cocoa Beans*+, Cane Sugar*+, Cocoa Butter*+, Ground Vanilla Bean*), Almonds*, Brittle* (Sugar*, Rice Syrup*, Coconut Oil*, Sea Salt, Sodium Bicarbonate), Sea Salt. (*Organic, + Fair Trade -- Contains 89% Fair Trade Ingredients.)

Allergen-related information: Contains Tree Nuts (Almonds). Made on equipment that also processes milk, peanuts, and other tree nuts. May also contain almond shell pieces. 

Monkey Brittle - Coconut, Cacao, Bananas & Sea Salt (pieces) - Aug. 11, 2025

Chocolate of the Day

Huggins Family Farms

Monkey Brittle - Coconut, Cacao, Bananas, Sea Salt 

Good ++ 
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) / 2 oz. (57 g.) in total package 
Calories: 120 calories in 1/2 package 
Cost: $5.99 for 1 package
Purchased from: Farm Fresh, online order 

Welcome to Day #15 of Chocolate, Berries & Cherries Theme Week.

What is a banana + cacao offering doing in a chocolate, berry and cherry themed week? Believe it or not, bananas are, technically, berries.

Today's "Monkey Brittle" with coconut, cacao, bananas and nuts was from Huggins Family Farms (Hood River, OR).

Aroma notes included: fruity (banana bread), nutty and light cocoa and coconut.

Texture: unique and very light-weight, thin crunchy cookie-like brittle. Think banana-bread-nut brownie wafers.

Flavor notes for these wafer-thin brittle pieces included: light cocoa, banana nut bread and subtle coconut.

I was surprised and delighted by the complexity ?? lightness? suitable as a quick meal (breakfast on the go) or a portable snack for a walk/hike... short list of authentic and organic ingredients (with no gums, preservatives or "natural flavors").

Maker's notes? "Coconuts, Cacao, Bananas, Nuts, Raisins, Sea Salt...& Absolutely Nothing Else."

Ingredients: "Organic Bananas, Organic Tree Nuts (Almonds, Walnuts), Organic Raisins, Organic Coconut, Organic Cocoa, Sea Salt"

Allergen-related information: Contains Tree Nuts (Almonds, Walnuts), Coconuts.

The Organic House - Pecan Chocolate Brittle with 70% dark chocolate - July 25, 2025

The Chocolate of the Day

The Organic House
Pecan Chocolate Brittle with 70% dark chocolate  (bar)

Good ++
Weight: 3.5 oz. (100 g.) in total package
Calories: 480 calories in 1 package
Cost: $9.00 for 1 package
Purchased from: The Organic House, online order

Welcome to Day #8 of Chocolate and Nuts Theme Week.

Today's Pecan Chocolate Brittle with 70% dark chocolate was from The Organic House (Burlington, ON, Canada).

Aroma notes included: subtle chocolate, nuts (pecans) and brown coconut sugar/maple sugar/date.

I enjoyed the texture: It had different levels of soft crunchiness. It was not too brittle and hard, and not too soft and crumbly. (Reading that this thoughtfully-created confection contained maple sugar and coconut nectar explained the taste and textures I liked.)

I liked the blend of authentic flavors and textures in this substantial "brittle" more than I expected. The pecan halves (and other organic ingredients) were of good quality; and the brown "brittle" was tasty--and not as over-sweetened as I was expecting (thank you). 

The smaller amounts of dark chocolate added richness and depth. The pecans were the star of the show; and rightly so. Last, but not least, the very judicious use of sea salt (not too much, not too little) also enhanced/elevated this sweet, nutty blend.

Maker's tasting notes/description: "Toasted pecans layered with vegan butter toffee topped with 70% dark chocolate and sea salt."

Ingredients: "Ontario maple syrup, Organic pecans, Organic cacao beans, Organic coconut flower nectar, Mineral water, Organic cacao butter, Organic sea salt, Organic vanilla beans, Organic unrefined coconut oil (organic expeller pressed unrefined virgin coconut oil)"

Allergen-related information: "Contains Pecans...May contain Almonds, Cashews, Hazelnuts, Oats, Pistaches...Made in a facility that uses tree nuts."  

Wildwood Chocolate - Salted Brown Butter Texas Pecan Brittle 70% Cacao (bar) - July 18, 2025

Chocolate of the Day

Wildwood Chocolate
Salted Brown Butter Texas Pecan Brittle 70% Cacao (bar)
Good + - Good ++
Weight: 1.2 oz. (34 g.) / 3.53 oz. (100 g.) in total bar
Calories: 180 calories in 1/3 bar
Cost: $14.99 for 1 bar
Purchased from: The Market at Edgewood, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #10 of Chocolate and Salt Week, and Day #1 of Chocolate & Nuts Theme Week.

Today's Salted Brown Butter Texas Pecan Brittle 70% Cacao (bar) was from Wildwood Chocolate (Portland, OR). The company specializes in fine chocolates with flavors/ingredients inspired by the Pacific Northwest. But, today's bar took us closer to Texas.

Aroma notes included: dark chocolate, faint salted toffee and nut. 

Texture: fudge-y, smooth and buttery dark chocolate was piled high with pecan-studded (toffee-style) brittle hunks (think gold-hued rock candy)--creating a visually substantial look, and a multi-layered tasting experience. 

The toffee brittle was in the Goldilocks zone (texture-wise). It was wasn't too sticky-hard (it didn't yank out a dental filling) and it wasn't too soft and crumbly. 

Flavor notes included: dark chocolate (fudge nut brownie, slightly earthy cocoa) topped with crystalline hunks of brittle candy and pieces of pecan.

This was a well executed bar and true to a big Texas experience. Toffee/brittle lovers will enjoy this bar; whereas I would've preferred smaller flecks of toffee. The vanilla level seemed just right, offering a touch of baked goods warmth.

I liked the complementary flavors and the slightly buttery (real butter) flavor. The salt balanced the dark chocolate and brittle, and vice versa. (The whole blend/bar tasted a bit better than the individual elements, a tribute to the bar's creator.)

Ingredients: "Bittersweet Chocolate (cocoa mass, sugar, cocoa butter, soy lecithin, vanilla extract), Pecan Brittle (sugar, pecans, butter (cream (milk), natural flavor), organic vanilla extract (water, organic alcohol (35%), organic vanilla bean extractives), sea salt, cream of tartar), Sea Salt."

Allergen-related information: "Contains: Milk, Tree Nuts (Pecans) and Soy. May contain traces of the following if not listed above due to shared equipment: peanuts, wheat or eggs."

Preston's Candy By Javier - Black Sesame & Pinenut Dark Chocolate (bar) - Jan. 29, 2025

Chocolate of the Day

Preston's Candy By Javier
Black Sesame & Pinenut All Natural Dark Chocolate (bar)
Good + - Good ++
Weight: 1.16 oz. (33 g.) / 3.5 oz. (100 g.) in total bar
Calories: 170 calories in 1/3 bar
Cost: $6.99 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Sigona's Market, Stanford Shopping Center, Palo Alto, CA 

Welcome to Day #1 of Unique Chocolates Week, including chocolates with harder to find or unique origins, formulations and flavor inclusions.

Today's Black Sesame & Pinenut All Natural Dark Chocolate (bar) was from Preston's Candy By Javier (Burlingame, CA). This local (San Francisco Bay Area) shop has been selling confections and bars since 1946. 

Aroma and flavor notes included: smooth (well-roasted/tamed) bittersweet dark chocolate, subtle toffee, sesame, and faint vanilla.

This thick dark chocolate was interspersed with generous and very tasty embedded pieces of chewy-crunchy black sesame toffee brittle. I enjoyed the dark sesame brittle quite a bit; and appreciated that the dark chocolate base was not overly sweet (thank you).

Ingredients: 63% Bittersweet chocolate (cacao beans, pure cane sugar, cocoa butter, soya lecithin, vanilla beans), Pine Nuts, Black Sesame Seeds.

Allergen-related information: "Made in a facility that also makes products containing milk, soy, egg, peanuts, tree nuts, and wheat."

Ginger Elizabeth Chocolates - Cocoa Nib Brittle - Sea Salt (bar) - Jan. 29, 2024

Chocolate of the Day

Ginger Elizabeth Chocolates
Cocoa Nib Brittle - Sea Salt (bar)
Good ++ - Good +++
Weight: 2.6 oz. (75 g.) (per label) in total bar
Calories: 403 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $7.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: FarmFresh, online order

Welcome to Day #5 of Chocolate and Cacao Nibs Theme Week. 

Today's Cocoa Nib Brittle (with) Sea Salt (bar) was from Ginger Elizabeth Chocolates, Inc. (Sacramento, CA).

Aroma notes included: dark chocolate (ultra-dark/roasted brownie) with faint, fleeting black pepper and very faint roasted mocha brownie notes.

Texture: well-tempered chocolate with a well-executed satisfying crunch (well-distributed pieces of nib brittle surrounded by smooth dark chocolate. (Both nibs and dark couverture chocolate were from Valrhona.)

This 69% bar tasted more like a 75% dark chocolate (in part due to the inclusion of the cocoa nibs). This will really please dark fans. The dark chocolate flavors were very appealing, and well integrated. The nib brittle and overall balance were excellent.  

What I liked about this bar: 1.) satisfying, well-executed dark chocolate with nib brittle that wasn't too sweet; 2.) rich, authentic cacao flavor(s) with great texture, accented with just the right amount of brittle (light toffee) and sea salt--making it slightly addicting; 3.) a talented chocolatier who created a great product using high-quality chocolate and nibs.

Ingredients: Bittersweet Chocolate (Cocoa Beans from Madagascar, Sugar, Cocoa Butter, Soya Lecithin, Natural Vanilla Extract), Cocoa Paste (100% Cocoa Beans from Madagascar), Cane Sugar, Glucose, Roasted Cocoa Beans, Butter, Fleur de Sel Salt, Baking Soda, Vanilla Extract.

Allergen-related information: This product contains milk and soybeans. This product may contain traces of wheat, eggs, peanuts and tree nuts.

Javier Confectionery - Vegan Brittle, Dark Chocolate - Feb. 25, 2023

Chocolate of the Day

Javier Confectionery
Vegan Brittle - All Natural Vegan Dark Chocolate
Good + - Good ++
Weight: 1.5 oz. (42.5 g.) / 3 oz. (85 g.) in total package
Calories: 220 calories (estimate) in 1/2 package
Cost: $7.50 for 1 package
Purchased from: Sweet Shop, Los Altos, CA

Welcome to Day #11 of Chocolate and Golden Sugars Week, and Day #1 of Chocolate and Seed Series.

Today's Vegan Brittle (with) All Natural Vegan Dark Chocolate was from Javier Confectionery (Burlingame, CA). 

Aroma notes for this brittle included seeds, caramel/toffee and subtle dark chocolate.

Flavor notes included sweet sesame brittle, roasted pumpkin seeds, other seed notes (pine nuts), dark chocolate, and very faint earth (clay) and caramel popcorn.

These thin shards were perfect for taking crunchy, very slightly chewy bites of brittle without losing a filling. 

The 63% dark chocolate on the back (and the seeds) helped to balance the sweetness. Popular sesame brittle candy flavor was accented with pumpkin seeds. And the addition of pine nuts was a nice touch; they added a bit of their own faint, but distinctive flavor.

Ingredients: Vegan dark chocolate (63% unsweetened cocoa, sugar, sunflower lecithin, vanilla), pepitas (pumpkin seeds), pine nuts, sesame seeds.

Allergen-related information: Contains sesame. "Made in a facility that also makes products containing milk, soy, egg, peanuts, tree nuts, and wheat."

Haagen-Dazs - Coffee and Vanilla Layers Ice Cream; Olive and Sinclair Chocolate Co. - Bourbon Nib Brittle - Aug. 11, 2019

Chocolate of the Day: 

Haagen-Dazs
Crispy Trio Layers - Belgian Chocolate with Coffee and Vanilla Ice Cream(s)
(topped with Chocolate Banquet special bourbon-soaked nibs)
Good ++
Weight: 1/4 cup (44 g.) / 14 fl. oz. (414 mL) in total container
Calories: 120 calories (estimate) in 1/4 cup serving + 50 cals. for nib topping
Cost: $3.50 (sale, 2 for $7) for 1 container
Purchased from: Piazza's Fine Foods, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #2 of Chocolate and Spirits Theme Week.

The Haagen-Dazs (Minneapolis, MN) Crispy Trio Layers collection is part of the companies expanding family of ice cream-related products. Flavors include Belgian chocolate, vanilla ice cream and a featured third flavor (blackberry, coffee, caramel, etc.) The line-up also includes a triple chocolate flavor and non-dairy variations as well.

Today we're featuring the Belgian Chocolate Coffee and Vanilla ice cream, that was quite tasty. It contained a nice blend of crispy darker chocolate layered pieces and creamy and flavorful coffee ice cream, mellowed by a smooth and upbeat vanilla ice cream.

Recently, Haagen-Dazs announced a line of ice creams with spirits. (We'll feature one tomorrow). But, in the spirit of spirits, we jumped the gun with our own spirited inclusion to today's Crispy Trio Layers flavor.

We amped up the chocolate flavor by topping this ice cream with Chocolate Banquet's own secret recipe for bourbon soaked cacao nibs (with bitters and orange peel).

And speaking of bourbon and cacao nibs...

Olive and Sinclair Chocolate Co.
Bourbon Nib Brittle
Good +
Weight: 2 oz. (56.6 g.) / 6 oz. (170 g.) in total package
Calories: 280 calories in 1/3 package
Cost: $18.00 for 1 package
Purchased from: Cashmere + Chocolate, Santa Fe, NM

We also re-tasted two small pieces of Bourbon Nib Brittle from Olive and Sinclair Chocolate Co. (Nashville, TN). We originally enjoyed this back in 2012. (How time flies.) It was sweet, crunchy and satisfying, with a very light Bourbon touch.

Neo Cocoa - Sarsaparilla and Vanilla Toffee Brittle - Dec. 23, 2017

Chocolate of the Day: 

Neo Cocoa
Sarsaparilla and Vanilla Toffee Brittle
Good +++ - Very Good
Weight: 1.5 oz. (42.5 g.) / 3 oz. (85 g.) in total package
Calories: 225 calories (estimate) in 1/2 package
Cost: $10.00 for 1 package
Purchased from: La Cocina, San Francisco Ferry Building, San Francisco, CA

Welcome to Day #4 of Chocolate, Holiday Spices and Maple Theme Week.

If you like unique, appealing herbal flavors, like root beer, herb/spice teas, vanilla creme soda, please do try this thin, delicious Sarsaparilla and Vanilla Toffee from Neo Cocoa (Belmont, CA).

Today's brittle was another well-executed holiday brittle from this San Francisco Bay Area chocolatier.

The brittle was composed of ultra-slim layers of 72% dark chocolate and toffee fused together. The resulting slim shards were infused with unique sarsaparilla (root) and vanilla flavor that tickled memories of old candy shops. (If you're old enough, you may remember horehound,* sassafras and root beer candy.)

Not to be confused with sassafras (derived from bark and leaves of a tree), sarsaparilla comes from a South American vine. Most edible botanicals and spices seem to harmonize well with chocolate in some form.

Sadly, this brittle disappeared so quickly, the photos taken (shown here) were rather sketchy.

*Horehound is an aromatic mint relative native to Europe and Asia that eventually was brought to the U.S. Although less common now, horehound herbal tea was often cooked with sugar to make hard candy and cough drops in the 1900s.

Neo Cocoa - Black Sesame Seed Brittle - Oct. 20, 2016

Chocolate of the Day: 

Neo Cocoa
Black Sesame Seed Brittle
Very Good
Weight: 1.5 oz. (42.5 g.) / 3 oz. (85 g.) in total package
Calories: 225 calories (estimate) in 1/2 package
Cost: $8.00 for 1 package of brittle pieces
Purchased from: Neo Cocoa table at Palo Alto Farmers Market, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #1 of A Series of Sesame Chocolates.

Another great blend of flavors and textures from Neo Cocoa.

One of the joys of the modern world is the melding of food items from different continents over time by creative chefs of every kind: cacao from Central and South America, made into chocolate in North America; and flavor inclusions from around the world.

Today's chocolate contained sesame seeds (originally from Asia and East Africa). Rich in flavor and crunchy texture, sesame can go sweet or savory, and can pair nicely with chocolate.

Neo Cocoa Black Sesame Seed Brittle
Beware. Today's Black Sesame Toffee Brittle from Neo Cocoa (Belmont, CA) would be a spookily addictive Halloween treat. It will disappear before your very eyes.

Upon opening the sealed pouch of brittle, I detected a promising light sesame and chocolate aroma.

At the heart of this carefully crafted brittle was a thin* layer of light, crunchy sweet toffee brittle riddled with toasted black sesame seeds. The brittle was covered (on both sides) with a thin* coating of 72 percent dark chocolate and then sprinkled with white sesame seeds. The results: an intoxicating, crunchy sweet and slightly salty treat.

*I'm not sure how they managed such delicately thin layers, but I'm glad I didn't have to attempt making this at home.

Neo Cocoa - Toffee Nib Brittle - Nov. 19, 2015

Chocolate of the Day: 

Neo Cocoa
Toffee Nib Brittle
Very Good ++ - Yum
Weight: 1.5 oz. (42.5 g.) /3 oz. (85 g.) in total bar
Calories: 225 calories (estimate) in 1/2 package
Cost: $12.00 (estimate) for 1 package
Purchased from: Neo Cocoa table at The Fall Chocolate Salon, San Francisco, CA

Greetings, and welcome to Day #1 of Chocolate and Thankful Theme Week.

In less than a week, we'll be celebrating Thanksgiving in the U.S. And, there are lots of people, places and chocolates to be thankful for this year.

For example, I felt grateful to be able to taste and pick up some great holiday chocolates at the Fall Chocolate Salon last Sunday in San Francisco, including today's Toffee Nib Brittle from Neo Cocoa (San Francisco/El Granada, CA).

This brittle was composed of impossibly thin layers of chocolate and toffee, with a sprinkle of crunchy, toasted cacao nibs, and a hint of Alderwood smoked sea salt. It doesn't get any better than this.

Divine Organics - Hawaiian Mac Nut Brittle - Sept. 29, 2014

Chocolate of the Day: 

Divine Organics Raw Chocolate
(Transition Nutrition)
Hawaiian Macadamia Nut Brittle
Good
Weight: 1.6 oz. (45.3 g.) in total package
Calories: 300 calories in 1 package
Cost: $7.95 for 1 package
Purchased from: SweetE Organic, Mill Valley, CA

Today was Day #6 of Chocolate, Brittle and Bark Theme Week.

This organic and raw Divine Organic Hawaiian Macadamia Nut Brittle (Novato, CA) made for a great snack during a hike today at Point Reyes (next to the Pacific Ocean, where there was a herd of elk to admire from a distance).


Like other members of the Divine Organics brittle family, I enjoyed the slight maple flavor note from organic maple sugar used as a sweetener, and the inclusions -- in this case raw, Hawaiian macadamia nut pieces. 

Divine Organics - Crunchy Cashew Brittle - Sept. 27, 2014

Chocolate of the Day: 

Divine Organics
(Distributed by Transition Nutrition)
Crunchy Cashew Brittle
Good
Weight: .8 oz. (22.65 g.) /.6 oz. (45.3 g. ) in total package
Calories: 125 calories in 1/2 package
Cost: $7.95 for 1 package
Purchased from: SweetE Organic, Mill Valley, CA

Today was Day #5 of Chocolate and Brittle Theme Week.

This Crunchy Cashew Brittle from Divine Organics (Transition Nutrition) (Novato, CA) hit the spot today while on a bus ride -- to visit two organic farms in Northern California. In between bites of organic, raw fruits and vegetables, we nibbled on pieces of organic raw chocolate brittle with raw cashews.

Maple sugar proved to be a very pleasing sweetener. And raw cashew bits provided some pleasant crunchy texture, but were easily overwhelmed by the dark chocolate.

Divine Organics - Gojiberry Brittle - Sept. 27, 2014

Chocolate of the Day: 

Divine Organics Raw Chocolate
Original Gojiberry Brittle
Good
Weight: 1.6 oz. (45.3 g.) in total package
Calories: 234 calories (estimate) in 1 package
Cost: $7.95 for 1 package
Purchased from: SweetE Organic, Mill Valley, CA

Chocolate covered brittles from Divine Organics Raw Chocolate (Marin County, CA) are made with certified organic, fair trade, raw chocolate (from Ecuador, Venezuela and Indonesia).

Today's original gojiberry brittle had just 5 ingredients: organic raw cacao, organic maple sugar, organic raw goji berries, organic raw vanilla, and Royal Himalayan pink crystal salt.

The maple sugar and plump, flavorful gojiberries gave this chocolate a pleasing aroma and flavor. The texture of this brittle was less crackly crisp and more a smooth chocolate bark with a soft, satisfying crunch. Sweet, but not overly so -- like many sugar brittles.

Today was Day #4 of Chocolate, Brittle and Bark Theme Week.