Ritual Chocolate - Gingerbread Toffee Crisp - Spiced Oat Milk Chocolate with Molasses Toffee Crisp 53% Cacao (bar) - Feb. 2, 2026

Chocolate of the Day

Ritual Chocolate
Gingerbread Toffee Crisp - Spiced Oat Milk Chocolate with Molasses Toffee Crisp 53% Cacao (bar)
Good ++
Weight: 2.12 oz. (60 g.) in total bar
Calories: 420 calories in 1 bar
Cost: This was 1 of 3 items in a $44.00 holiday bundle
Purchased from: Ritual Chocolate, online order

Welcome to Day #13 of Chocolate, Warm Spices & Maple Theme Week.

Today's Limited Edition Gingerbread Toffee Crisp - Spiced Oat Milk Chocolate with Molasses Toffee Crisp 53% Cacao (bar) was from Ritual Chocolate (Heber City, UT).

Aroma and flavor notes included: relatively smooth dark chocolate; (ginger) cookie dough; and a full spectrum of warm, gingerbread spices.

Texture: relatively smooth, oat milk dark chocolate base, with a layer of finely ground spiced and slightly crunchy (very tiny toffee bits).

I appreciated the thoughtful execution behind this gingerbread chocolate. I loved the layer of high-quality gingerbread spices (and barely perceptible toffee bits) on the back of the bar, that created a layered tasting experience. I also appreciated that this 53% bar was sweet--without being overly so, and that the oat milk was not too grainy-feeling.

Note: Often gingerbread flavors are seasonal. This Limited Edition bar was still available on Ritual Chocolate's website when I checked today (2/2/2026).

Ingredients: Cacao, Organic Cane Sugar, Oat Flour, Organic Cocoa Butter, Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Ground Ginger, Allspice, Cloves, Cayenne Pepper, Sunflower Oil, Molasses Toffee (Unsulphered Molasses, Organic Cane Sugar, Organic Coconut Oil, Distilled Vinegar, Sea Salt, Baking Soda)

Allergen-related information: "Manufactured in a facility that also processes Milk, Tree Nuts, and Wheat."

Raaka - Gingerbread Hot Chocolate Unroasted Dark Chocolate (mix) - Jan. 24, 2026

Chocolate of the Day

Raaka Chocolate
Gingerbread Hot Chocolate Unroasted Dark Chocolate (mix)
Good ++
Weight: 3 TB (.918 oz. (26 g.)) / 5 oz. (142 g.) total package
Calories: 113 calories in 1 serving
Cost: $13.99 for 1 package 
Purchased from: Bar & Cocoa, online order

Welcome to Day #4 of Chocolate, Warm Spices & Maple Theme Week.

Today's Limited Batch Gingerbread Hot Chocolate Unroasted Dark Chocolate (mix) was manufactured by Raaka Chocolate (Brooklyn, NY).

Most hot chocolates aren't made with a single origin cacao. This hot chocolate mix was made using unroasted cacao from Zorzal Cacao -- a 1,000-acre private bird sanctuary and organic cacao farm in the Dominican Republic.

Aroma notes included: smooth, authentic hot chocolate; aromatic sweet and sassy gingerbread cookie; and subtle coconut.

Texture: When this finely ground cacao powder, coconut milk powder and warm spice blend was mixed with hot water and stirred for a few minutes it created a relatively smooth hot chocolate (but with a little bit of spice grit). When I make this again, I'll let it sit in hot water for a few more minutes to let the spices diffuse, then blend and/or filter it before drinking. (I probably rushed the process. The Spanish children's song "Bate, Bate Chocolate" came to mind; where patience and process are reinforced by singing a song about chocolate beverage making.)

This warming hot beverage had a touch of the spicy zing of a homemade ginger molasses cookie, with a splash of warm coconut and hot cocoa--all in a satisfying hot beverage. Great for a winter morning.

This quality, base blend could be adorned with more items if desired. Want to add milk, cream, or more coconut milk (or milk of your choice) to this hot chocolate? Marshmallows? Go right ahead. 

The sweetness level was just right for me (not overly sweet). But for those with a sweet tooth, you could try adding a little fresh ginger and molasses syrup (for a real waker-upper); brown sugar; coconut nectar or honey...Customize as you wish.

 

I appreciated the use of organic and gluten free ingredients...and that the company is committed to transparent trade and testing for heavy metals (results can be viewed on their website).

Ingredients: "organic cane sugar, organic cacao powder, organic coconut milk powder, organic cacao butter, organic ginger, organic cinnamon, organic nutmeg"

Allergen-related information: None listed on package. Contains: Coconut. 

*I learned this song in Spanish class in elementary school decades ago. The teacher brought in a hand-carved wooden molinillo from Mexico (a whisk-like device introduced by the Spanish for stirring and "beating"/frothing hot chocolate beverages). The molinillo was rotated/rolled between ones hands and used as a prop during the song. 

Ritual Chocolate - Gingerbread Hot Cocoa Drops - Apr. 22, 2025

Chocolate of the Day

Ritual Chocolate
Limited Edition - Gingerbread Hot Cocoa Drops
Good ++
Weight: 1 oz. (28 g.) / 8 oz. (227 g.) in total package
Calories: 140 calories in 1 (4 TB) serving
Cost: $ Part of a 3-item order for $44.00
Purchased from: Ritual Chocolate, online order 

Welcome to Day #7 of Chocolate, Cardamom & Ginger Theme Week.

Today's Limited Edition Gingerbread Hot Cocoa Drops were from Ritual Chocolate (Heber City, UT).

Aroma and Flavor notes included: rich, sweet cocoa, and faint spices, and vanilla (marshmallow).

Texture: The oat milk chocolate covered drops/pieces were light with fluffy (marshmallow) in the middle.* Once made into hot cocoa (with added milk of your choice) there was a light, marshmallow layer that floated to the top.

I liked the light, cocoa with marshmallow and spice flavors. (I also added some extra cinnamon, ginger and cardamom as I prefer a bit more spice.) 

*Note: these hot cocoa "drops" can also be eaten as a sweet snack without adding anything.

Ingredients: Cocoa, Organic Cane Sugar, Vegan Marshmallows (Tapioca Syrup, Cane Sugar, Filtered Water, Tapioca Starch, Carrageenan, Soy Protein, Natural Vanilla Flavor), Organic Cocoa Butter, Oat Flour, Allspice, Cloves, Cinnamon, Ground Ginger, Nutmeg, Cayenne Pepper, Sunflower Oil, Organic Unsulphered Molasses, Organic Coconut Oil, Sea Salt, Baking Soda, Distilled Vinegar 

Allergen-related information: Contains: Soy. "Manufactured in a facility that processes wheat and tree nuts." 

Intrigue Chocolate - Gingerbread 60% Cacao (bar) + Brandy Cherry and Anise Seed Truffles - Jan. 5, 2025

Chocolate of the Day

Intrigue Chocolate Co.

Gingerbread 60% Cacao (bar)
Good ++
Weight: 1 oz. (28 g.) in total bar
Calories: 155 calories (estimate) in 1 bar
Cost: $6.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Intrigue Chocolate, online order

Truffle assortment box 

• Brandy Cherry Truffle - Good ++ - Good +++
• Anise Seed Truffle - Good ++

Welcome to Day #11 of Chocolate, Tea, Herbs and Spices Theme Week(s).

Today's Gingerbread 60% Cacao (bar) made and distributed by Intrigue Chocolate Co. (Seattle, WA) was part of the company's bean-to-bar Origins line. The bar was made using cacao beans from Ghana (Asante Akim region). Community: Three Mountains, Kome blend; Type: "Criollo, Forastero, Trinitario, and more pending identification." Crop Year: 2023.

Aroma notes for this bar included: authentic gingerbread and gingerbread spices, and dark chocolate.

I appreciated the short list of quality ingredients in this well-balanced, judicious and warm seasonal bar. I often find 60% cacao chocolates a little too sweet; but this was not the case today. I could taste both the rich dark chocolate and the spices: the ginger, cinnamon, cloves and a bit of black pepper in this blend. 

(Disclosure I love ginger molasses cookies and gingerbread; and as an adult I also love gingerbread teas and lattes with similar spices.) 

I enjoyed today's Gingerbread bar with two different Intrigue truffles from an assortment box of 13 different, and individually-wrapped, flavors. 

Intrigue's Brandy and Cherry Truffle was a classic. Rich, creamy, dusted in cocoa powder. Very Good. 

A warm cup of Tazo Ginger Jasmine tea + Intrigue's Anise Seed Truffle (also authentic and tasty), provided the "tea" and "herb" components of this week's theme (Chocolate Tea, Herbs and Spices Week). 

Maker's Tasting Notes for Gingerbread bar: "...smells like home and grandma's baking."

Ingredients: Roasted cacao nibs, raw cane sugar, cocoa butter, ginger, cassia cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, allspice, black pepper, sea salt."

Allergy-related information: "No actual bread was harmed in the making of this treat..." (minimizes gluten worries).

David Rio - Black Rhino Cocoa Chai (+ mushrooms) - Dec. 19, 2024

Chocolate of the Day

David Rio
Black Rhino Cocoa Chai 
Good + - Good ++
Weight: 2 Tbsp. (80 g.) / 16.1 oz. (456 g.) in total container

Calories: 80 calories in 1 serving 
Cost: $14.99 for 1 container
Purchased from: Amazon.com, online order

Welcome to Day #8 of Chocolate and Chai Theme Week, and Day #2 of Chocolate and Mushroom Week.

Today's Black Rhino Chai -- black tea, exotic spices & rich cocoa -- was manufactured for David Rio (San Francisco. CA)

Aroma notes included: sweet cocoa, faint gingerbread spices and very faint spiced tea latte.

Texture: smooth texture after mixed with hot water and milks.

Flavor notes included: pleasant light cocoa, gingerbread and chai tea flavors. (Note: I put in a little extra of this powdered mix into my cocoa to get a bit more chocolate flavor. (Sugar was the number one ingredient.)

While it created an extra step to find my own milk, I also appreciated having the option to choose the milk of one's choice--hazelnut milk. It was fairly light (not thick and creamy), so I felt like I needed a bit more heft -- either whole milk or dark chocolate, to add flavor and make it a little less sugary.

I also tried mushroom jerky-infused milk. The hazelnut milk was OK, but the slightly sweet-salty mushroom jerky-infused milk didn't work as well as I thought it would. (I like savory chocolates; so I had to give it a try.)

I liked that this powdered mix dissolved into warm/hot liquids fairly easily (and completely). I'm a gingerbread fan, so I liked the ginger-forward chai spices. I also liked that the critically endangered Black Rhino got a little extra publicity with this product name. 

Ingredients: "sugar, cocoa (14%), black tea powder (5%), spices, salt."

Allergen-related information: (No information found on container.)

Hu Chocolate - Gingerbread Dark Chocolate Organic 70% Cacao (bar) - Mar. 25, 2023

Chocolate of the Day

Hu Chocolate
Gingerbread Dark Chocolate Organic 70% Cacao (bar)
Good + - Good ++
Weight: 1.05 oz. (30 g.) / 2.1 oz. (60 g.) in total bar
Calories: 180 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $2.99 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Grocery Outlet Bargain Market, Palo Alto, CA

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

Today's Gingerbread Dark Chocolate Organic 70% Cacao (bar) was from Hu Products LLC (Austin, TX).

Aroma: dark chocolate and toasted (well-done) pieces of buttery gingerbread with warm spices (ginger, star anise, cinnamon, clove, brown sugar and molasses). 

This relatively thick, well-tempered 70% dark chocolate broke with a snap and had a slow, even melt with a very slight dryness and stone-ground granularity. It was rich in appealing flavors. The spice blend recalled gingerbread people, ginger-molasses cookies, and, best of all, hot gingerbread right out of the oven. 

Given the lingering cold and stormy weather in California this year, a week of ginger and chocolate winter warmer chocolate bars like today's has been most welcome.

I enjoyed this bar with dark chocolate-dipped gluten free ginger cookies and hot ginger tea (freshly sliced ginger root and honey).

The only bad news: this chocolate may be sold out by the time you read this post. This Holiday Edition ginger and spices chocolate was purchased in December 2022. One can hope that both the holiday Hu Pumpkin Spice and Gingerbread Dark Chocolate bars will be available again later in 2023.

Ingredients: Organic cacao, organic unrefined coconut sugar, organic cocoa butter, organic cinnamon, organic ginger, organic clove. (The organic cacao and cocoa butter were also Certified Fairtrade ingredients.)

Allergen-related information: Contains coconut. May contain traces of almond, cashew and hazelnut. Allergen cleans made prior to production, but beware that product is produced using equipment that also processes tree nuts, soy, peanuts, milk and wheat.

Dick Taylor - Ginger Snap 55% Milk Chocolate Seasonal Release (bar) - Nov. 25, 2022

Chocolate of the Day

Dick Taylor
Ginger Snap 55% Milk Chocolate Seasonal Release (bar)
Good ++ 
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) / 2 oz. (57 g.) in total bar
Calories: 160 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $10.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Sweet Shop, Los Altos, CA

Welcome to Day #2 of Chocolate and Holiday Spices Series.

Today's Ginger Snap 55% Milk Chocolate Seasonal Release (bar) was handcrafted by Dick-Taylor Craft Chocolate (Eureka, CA).

Aroma notes for this bar included: flavorful milk chocolate, sugar cookie and warm spices.

Texture: creamy milk chocolate (made with organic A2/A2 whole milk powder) was blended with ginger snap cookies.

Flavor notes were similar to the aroma notes mentioned above only with a deeper luxurious dive into the creamy, flavorful dark milk chocolate that surrounded the ginger snap cookie bits.

Ingredients: Chocolate (organic cacao, organic cane sugar, organic A2/A2 whole milk powder, organic cocoa butter, organic vanilla bean) Ginger Snap Cookies (unbleached enriched all-purpose flour, butter (pasteurized sweet cream butter), molasses, brown sugar, sugar, eggs, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, allspice, white pepper, cayenne). (Cacao solids 55% minimum)

Allergen-related information: (Note: this bar was not gluten free.) Contains milk and wheat. "Made in a facility that also processes tree nuts and peanuts."

Chocolarder - Gingerbread 55% Milk Chocolate India (bar) - Mar. 6, 2022

Chocolate of the Day

Chocolarder
Gingerbread 55% Milk Chocolate India (bar)
Good + - Good ++
Weight: 1.23 oz. (35 g.) / 2.47 oz. (70 g.) in total bar
Calories: 200 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $10.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Bar and Cocoa, online order

Welcome to Day #14 of Chocolate and Spices Theme Weeks, and Day #1 of Chocolate and India Theme Week. 

When I first started Chocolate Banquet in 2006 I could not find Indian cacao; and even Indian-inspired flavor additions (usually chai blends) to chocolates were rare. Happily, that's changed. 

Today's well-tempered bar was made with ginger from the Kamthana Village in the State of Karnataka--located on the (south)western coast of India. Spices and India are forever linked in my mind. And what little flour this chocolate contained was gram (chickpea) flour--a possible nod to Indian cuisine.*

Today's Gingerbread 55% Milk Chocolate India (bar) was made by Chocolarder (Falmouth, Cornwall, UK). 

This milk chocolate bar had an aroma with chocolate (cake) and authentic gingerbread spice (star anise, ginger, cinnamon, clove) notes. 

The texture and flavor notes were also a thoughtful homage** to favorite ginger-spiced "breads" (more accurately, cookies/biscuits and cakes). Tiny grains of sugar and sea salt added interest to this smooth, spiced chocolate--reminding me of large, soft-ish, gingerbread people (cookies). Smelling of ginger and molasses right out of the oven, they were sprinkled with granulated sugar. If they lasted that long, sugar icing smiles and buttons were later applied. 

Maker's tasting notes: "Flavours of fudge and brasil nuts with pockets of fiery ginger and dark molasses."

Ingredients: Cocoa beans, unrefined raw sugar, whole milk powder, gingerbread (oats, gram flour, butter(milk), ginger, cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, sea salt).

Allergen-related information: (Contains milk/dairy.) "Made in a factory that also handles tree nuts."

* India produces the most chickpeas (garbanzo beans). Although they may have originated closer to the Mediterranean Sea. There are two main types of this legume (desi and kabuli). Gram flour (besan) is often made with the smaller, browner desi chickpeas. (We see primarily the larger, lighter-colored kabuli type in the US--unless you're enjoying some authentic Indian chana dal perhaps.)

**The inside (plastic-free) packaging for this bar contained the following gingerbread history and description of today's chocolate:

"It is believed that the first gingerbread recipe originated in Greece in around 2400 BC. From there, Chinese recipes were developed in the 10th century and by the late middle ages, Europeans had their own version of the biscuit.

The hard cookies, sometimes gilded with gold leaf and shaped like animals, kings and queens, were a staple at Medieval fairs in England, France, Holland and Germany. 

Now in the 21st century, here is our own grown up take on Gingerbread, made exclusively in house, using exceptional ginger sourced from Kamthana village, India."

Zotter - Gingerbread - Dark Chocolate with spiced filling (bar) - Feb. 25, 2022

Chocolate of the Day

Zotter
Gingerbread - Dark Chocolate with spiced filling (bar)
Good + 
Weight: 1.23 oz. (35 g.) / 2.47 oz. (70 g.) in total bar
Calories: 170 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $8.25 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Bar and Cocoa, online order 

Welcome to Day #5 of Chocolate and Spices Theme Weeks.

Today's Gingerbread - Dark Chocolate with spiced filling (bar) was made in Austria and distributed by Zotter Chocolates US LLC (Cape Coral, FL).

The aroma for this organic bar included slightly boozy, spicy (star anise, gingerbread) and chocolate notes.

A thin, dark chocolate shell gave way to a very flavorful, velvety, jammy center (filling) with some chewy textural elements (that felt like coconut shreds, but in fact were thin tender, citrus peel shreds, and very tiny nut bits).

The concentrated, rich, spice fruitcake layer included fig and orange jam, ginger cake and a whisper of rum.

Yes, this bar was sweet; but the rich dark chocolate (and maybe the touch of alcohol) helped balance the sweetness in this complex spice bar.

Ingredients: Organic, fair trade cocoa mass; organic and fair trade cane sugar; gingerbread: 12% (rye flour, sugar, lemon peels, orange peels, corn syrup, eggs, honey, butter, milk, hazelnuts, walnuts, cinnamon, gingerbread spices, raising agent: sodium bicarbonate, pimento, nutmeg); organic and fair trade cocoa butter; milk; organic and fair trade rum; organic marzipan (organic almonds, organic sugar, organic invert sugar syrup); organic hazelnuts; honey; organic glucose syrup; dry whole milk; organic fair trade toasted coconut; dry skim milk; organic gingerbread spice (0.2%); organic cinnamon; salt; organic soy lecithin; organic, fair trade dark brown cane sugar; organic vanilla bean powder; organic cardamom; organic star anise. 

Allergen-related information: "Contains eggs, milk, hazelnuts, walnuts, almonds, coconut, soy. Manufactured on equipment that processes other tree nuts, peanuts and sesame."

Mission Chocolate - Pao de Mel - Gingerbread Milk Chocolate (bar) - May 31, 2021

Chocolate of the Day

Mission Chocolate
Pao de Mel - Gingerbread Milk Chocolate (bar)
Good + - Good ++
Weight: 2.12 oz. (60 g.) in total bar
Calories: 330 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $10.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Chocolate Covered, San Francisco, CA 

Welcome to Day #4 of Chocolate and Brazil Theme Week.

Today's Pao de Mel - Gingerbread Milk Chocolate (bar) was made by Arcelia Gallardo of Mission Chocolate (Sao Paolo, Brazil). 

Aroma notes included warm milk chocolate, fleeting red clay, freshly baked bread/cake, and spices (five spice blend with star anise).

This milk chocolate bar had a creamy melt and texture.

The flavor was a blend of smooth, rich, sweet milk chocolate suffused with warm spices (five spice blend; cinnamon, ginger, star anise and possibly allspice).

Ingredients: Organic sugar, cocoa butter, milk powder, cacao, spices, honey.

Allergen-related information: Does not contain gluten. Contains lactose/cow's milk. May contain traces of nuts, peanuts, almonds, hazelnuts, cashew nuts, oats.

Lindt and Sprungli - Gingerbread Milk Chocolate Truffles - Jan. 15, 2018

Chocolate of the Day: 

Lindt and Sprungli 

Lindor Limited Edition - Gingerbread Milk Chocolate Truffles

Good +

Weight: .848 oz. (24 g.) / 5.1 oz. (144 g.) in total package of 12

Calories: 147 calories in 2 pieces

Cost: $ missing information

Purchased from: Michaels, Mountain View, CA

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

It's always a surprise to discover holiday-related chocolates in mid-January. Normally they evaporate by New Year's Day. However, chocolate and gingerbread are favorites here, all year long.

Today's Limited Edition Gingerbread Milk Chocolate Truffles were created by Lindt and Sprungli (Switzerland), and distributed by Lindt and Sprungli U.S. (Stratham, NH). 

These individually-wrapped, round milk chocolate gingerbread truffles were tasty and satisfying. The fillings inside the milk chocolate outer shells were creamy and smooth, and flecked with tiny crunchy bits. The gingerbread flavor was subtle and authentic.

Note to those who avoid gluten: These truffles did contain barley malt powder.

Clif Bar - Hot Chocolate bar - Jan. 31, 2017

Chocolate of the Day:

Clif Bar

Hot Chocolate bar
OK++ - Good
Weight: 1.2 oz. (34 g.) / 2.4 oz. (68 g.) in total bar
Calories: 125 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $1.49 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Piazza's Fine Foods, Palo Alto, CA

Iced Gingerbread bar
Good
Weight: 1.2 oz. (34 g.) / 2.4 oz. (68 g.) in total bar
Calories: 125 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $1.49 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Piazza's Fine Foods, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #5 of DEFGHIJK Week.

Today's winter-themed Hot Chocolate and Iced Gingerbread bars from Clif Bar (Emeryville, CA) were released in time for the holidays last month.

Of these two bars, I enjoyed the gingerbread bar a bit more, largely due to the addition of molasses and gingerbread spices. Pictured, but not featured above, was the company's Spiced Pumpkin bars, which I also liked. It was relatively moist and, like the gingerbread bar, I liked the spices. (Neither the pumpkin nor the gingerbread bar contained chocolate.)

The first ingredient listed for all three bars was organic brown rice syrup, followed by organic rolled oats. These bars were a bit too sweet for me, but they provided a hearty, chewy snack. They also contained soy protein isolate (the third ingredient in Hot Chocolate bar).

I was not eating these while climbing snowy mountains. Fortunately, I was able to take a break from winter weather this week. Instead, I sampled these substantial bars before a walk in the Arizona desert sunshine.

BarkThins - Dark Chocolate Gingerbread - Jan. 30, 2017

Chocolate of the Day: 

Manufactured for Ripple Brand Collective, LLC
barkThins - Dark Chocolate Gingerbread
Good +
Weight: 1.4 oz. (40 g.) / 9 oz. (255 g.) in total box
Calories: 220 calories in 1 serving
Cost: $8.99 for 1 box
Purchased from: Whole Foods Market, Los Altos, CA

Welcome to Day #4 of DEFGHIJK Theme Week. Today is "G" day; and fortunately, there were several "g" possibilities, but one stood out. Anything with ginger.

Ginger and/or gingerbread are favorite pairings with dark chocolate here at ChocolateBanquet. If you like ginger and chocolate and haven't yet tried them together, I highly recommend trying this combination.

Today's Dark Chocolate Gingerbread barkThins were manufactured for Ripple Brand Collective, LLC (New York, NY).

These dark chocolate "snackable slivers" had an attractive, chocolate gingerbread aroma and a crunchy texture. The chocolate was made with Fair Trade USA certified (over 65%) and Non-GMO project verified ingredients.
And, the embedded gingerbread cookie bits were gluten free. Thank you!

More photos will be included later.

Nathan Miller - Gingerbread Bar - Oct. 27, 2016

Chocolate of the Day: 

Nathan Miller Chocolate
Gingerbread Bar
Good ++
Weight: .2 oz. (5.66 g.) / 2 oz. (56.6 g.) in total bar
Calories: 30 calories (estimate) in 1/10 bar
Cost: $8.00 (estimate) for 1 bar
Purchased from: Fog City News, San Francisco, CA

Welcome to Day #5 of Chocolate, Sugar and Spice Theme Week.

Today's Gingerbread Bar was made by Nathan Miller Chocolate (Chambersburg, PA)

The bar was made with 55 percent Oko Caribe* direct trade organic Dominican cacao, organic buttermilk, organic cane sugar, and organic cocoa butter.

This Gingerbread bar (that contained some flour) was a complex mix of salty, slightly tangy, bitter-sweet chocolate with a hint of warm spice afterglow that kicked in at the end.

*Oko Caribe is a cacao fermentary near the city of San Francisco de Macoris in the Cibao region of the Dominican Republic.

Notable Bites - Gingerbread, Chocolate Cakes - Jan. 19, 2015

Chocolate(s) of the Day: 

Notable Bites

Gingerbread Glazed Cake Mix
Weight: 4.4 oz. (124.5 g.) in dry mix

Dark Chocolate Glazed Cake Mix
Weight: 4.9 oz. (138.6 g.) in dry mix

Calories: 450 calories (estimate) for 1 large piece + toppings
Cost: $12.00 for 1 cake mix (x 2)
Purchased from: Notable Bites (at Palo Alto Farmers Market)

Today was the last day of Chocolate and Ginger Theme Week. And I chose two gluten-free cake mixes that incorporated these two flavors.

I consulted with Wendy at Notable Bites (Mountain View, CA) on the best way to combine her Gingerbread and Dark Chocolate gluten-free, vegan cake mixes, that are small and easy to make -- perfect for two people to share.

Each mix came with its own small foil pan. I just needed to add two Tablespoons of vegetable oil per cake mix and, if to keep it vegan, my choice of dairy-free milk (chocolate almond milk). No eggs were required.

As far as combining these two mixes to make a chocolate gingerbread cake, Wendy suggested switching (glaze) toppings that come packaged with the mixes -- e.g. giving the gingerbread cake a chocolate glaze. Wendy wisely recommended coconut oil as the vegetable oil of choice to add. I couldn't agree with her more. If you like coconut, I highly recommend using the more aromatic (and less processed) unrefined, extra virgin coconut oil; it smelled and tasted wonderful with this mix.

In the end, I blended the two cake mixes together, and poured the combined mix back into the two pans to bake. And to amp up the ginger flavor a bit, I added my own ginger crumb topping with the dry chocolate glazed mix, finely chopped candied ginger chips and gluten-free ginger snap cookie crumbs. I'd suggest following the instructions the first time through, but I enjoyed experimenting and embellishing a bit.

Lake Champlain - Gingerbread Molasses Bar - Jan. 13, 2015

Chocolate of the Day: 

Lake Champlain Chocolates
Organic, Milk Chocolate Gingerbread Molasses bar
Good ++ - Very Good
Weight: .81 oz. (23 g.) / 3.25 oz. (92 g.) in total bar
Calories: 125 calories in 1/4 bar
Cost: $2.64 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Country Sun Natural Foods, Palo Alto, CA

Today was the last day of Chocolate Baked Goods Theme Week, and Day #1 of Chocolate and Ginger Theme Week.

This Organic, Milk Chocolate Gingerbread Molasses bar from Lake Champlain Chocolates (Burlington, VT) was part of a ginger-fueled trio. I paired this bar with two of my favorite gluten-free ginger cookies:

1. Ginger Zinger cookies from Tate's Bake Shop (Southampton, NY) - thin, buttery and crunchy cookies with embedded chunks of crystallized ginger
2. Ginger molasses cookie from Ginger and Fox Baked Goods (Santa Clarita, CA) - jumbo-sized, chewy, fragrant and flavorful ones just like mom used to bake.

Each square of this bar had a slightly raised area (embossed with the Lake Champlain stag by the lake and stars logo); and the raised pocket area held a smooth, gingerbread-chocolate ganache (with heavy cream, molasses, ginger, cinnamon and nutmeg).

Moonstruck - Gingerbread Hazelnuts - Nov. 4, 2014

Chocolate of the Day:

Moonstruck Chocolate Co.
Gingerbread Hazelnuts
Good - Good +
Weight: 4 oz. (113.4 g.) in 1 package
Calories: 680 calories (estimate) in 1 package
Cost: $4.95 for 1 package
Purchased from: Draegers, San Mateo, CA

Today was Day #4 of Chocolate and Holiday Spice Theme Week.

These crunchy, milk chocolate drenched roasted hazelnuts were suffused with a pleasant blend of gingerbread spices.

Barlovento - Gingerbread Truffle - Dec. 22, 2013

Chocolate of the Day: 

Barlovento Chocolates
Gingerbread Truffle
Good + - Very Good
Weight: .4 oz. (11.32 g.) (estimate) for 1 truffle
Calories: 61 calories (estimate) for 1 truffle
Cost: $2.00 for 1 piece (if part of 4-piece box/order)
Purchased from: Barlovento table/booth at California Avenue Farmers Market, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to bonus day (Day #8) of Chocolate and Holiday Spice Theme Week. The excitement of the holidays (we'll all need to crash and take a nap soon) has been fueled by sugar and spice and gingerbread this week.

So, infused with the thought of more sweets, I skipped off to the local farmers market and bought vegetables, fruit, nuts, and chocolates. I enjoyed today's Gingerbread Truffle from Barlovento Chocolates (Oakland, CA), and had visions of gluten-free gingerbread men cookies (from Mariposa Baking Company, also based in Oakland, CA) dancing in my head. I wondered what gingerbread men ate for breakfast...A bowl of Gingerbread Truffles perhaps?

The Barlovento Gingerbread Truffle, stenciled with a colorful holiday gingerbread motif*, was covered with Venezuelan dark chocolate. The truffle was filled with a white chocolate ganache, flavored with gingerbread spices and perhaps a drop or two of molasses. Sweet, seasonal and delicious.*

Note: this seasonal item may not be available much longer.
* Seen here photographed (upper left) with Barlovento Meyer Lemon truffles and Kirsch truffle

Madecasse - Winter Spice bar - Dec. 20, 2013

Chocolate of the Day: 

Madecasse
Winter Spice bar
Good +
Weight: .54 oz. (15.6 g.) / 2.64 oz. (75 g.) in total bar
Calories: 89 calories (estimate based on labeling) in .54 oz. (15.6 g.) bar
Cost: $5.99 in 1 bar
Purchased from: Madecasse, online order

Today was Day #6 of Chocolate and Holiday Spice Theme Week; and I tried the Winter Spice bar from Madecasse (Brooklyn, NY; Ambanja, Antananarivo, Madagascar).

Made (in Africa)* with cacao beans from Madagascar, this 63% dark chocolate bar was infused with "warm spice notes and a gingerbread kick." Spices included ginger, cinnamon and nutmeg. The dominant flavor was spicy ginger (akin to candied ginger root) and faint spicy acidic fruit and earthy molasses notes in the dark chocolate -- making the bar taste slightly "darker" than 63% cacao.

Dessert

For dessert, I followed today's Madecasse bar with a pair of diminutive, gluten-free gingerbread men from Mi-del. These cookie men could be politely dunked into hot chocolate, or perched atop an ice cream sundae. In the future, after a long mountain hike outside in winter weather I imagine, I'll try dipping these gingerbread cookies, or hunks of freshly toasted gingerbread, into a high-end chocolate fondue. However, while today's Winter Spice bar was, thankfully, not too sweet, I've exceeded my sugar limit. Too many holiday treats this week. Right now, I want nothing more than a colorful holiday salad.

*Made in Madagascar by Shahin Cassam Chenai. (Chocolate is usually made in industrial countries with cooler climates. Most cacao trees are grown and cacao beans (from cacao fruit) are harvested in less industrialized nations closer to the equator.)

Askinosie - Gingerbread Dark Chocolate bar - Dec. 19, 2013

Chocolate of the Day: 

Askinosie Chocolate
Gingerbread Dark Chocolate bar
Very Good
Weight: .75 oz. (21.25 g.) / 3 oz. (85 g.) in total bar
Calories: 115.5 calories in 1/4 bar
Cost: $14.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: The Chocolate Garage, Palo Alto, CA

Today was Day #5 of Chocolate and Holiday Spice Theme Week. Another day, another great Limited Edition bar with warm and inviting holiday spices. (This bar even came with crayons to color in a gingerbread factory on the packaging.)

Today's choice: the Gingerbread Dark Chocolate bar from bean-to-bar chocolatemaker Shawn Askinosie, of Askinosie Chocolate (Springfield, MO). This bar tasted "darker" than other chocolates featured this week, in part due to the single origin cacao selected.

The chocolate was made with (Trinitario) cacao beans from Tenende, Tanzania; "minimally processed" and organic cane sugar; cocoa butter (from Tanzania beans); and spices: "ginger, cinnamon, all spice, nutmeg, clove."

Gingerbread and chocolate is a match made in heaven, especially for winter holidays. Gingerbread and ginger spice cake have been valued as far back as the days of William Shakespeare:

"And I had but one penny in the world. Thou should'st have it to buy gingerbread." 
-- William Shakespeare, Love's Labours Lost

If Shakespeare had been better acquainted with hot drinking chocolate with gingerbread spices (the more likely exposure to cacao in his day), he might have penned a snappy, quotable tribute to the cacao bean.