Sted Foods - Cardamom Krumkake Cookie 50% Dark Milk Chocolate (bar) - Dec. 15, 2025

Chocolate of the Day

Sted Foods
Cardamom Krumkake Cookie 50% Dark Milk Chocolate (bar)
Good ++
Weight: 1.5 oz. (42.45 g.) / 2 oz. (56.6 g.) in total bar
Calories: 210 calories in 3/4 bar
Cost: $6.99 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Sted Foods, online order 

Welcome to Day #22 of Chocolate, Movies & Entertainment Theme Week; and Day #2 of Chocolate & Rice Theme Week.

Today's Sted Foods Cardamom Krumkake Cookie 50% Dark Milk Chocolate (bar) was manufactured by TC Foods, LLC (Fergus Falls, MN).

Krumkake (pronounced KROOM-kah-kah)* are thin, crispy, wafer cookies from Norway often made for  winter (Christmas) holidays. The dough is rolled (into cone or cylindrical shapes), and is decorated with a pattern on a hot embossed, metal cookie maker (think small, round waffle iron). The warm cookies are then quickly rolled around a wooden dowel into the desired shape and are either left to cool/harden, or eaten soon after.

Aroma and flavor notes included: rich, sweet and flavorful dark milk chocolate, cardamom, and faint, spiced butter cookie.

Texture: relatively thin, creamy milk chocolate with a judicious amount of very tiny cookie crumbs. (The crumbs were almost completely incorporated into the chocolate.) 

Happily (for gluten-free folks) the cookie crumbs in today's chocolate were made from a gluten-free flour (that included white and brown rice flours). Krumkake recipes often use flour + potato flour, and are more amenable to rice flour blends than thicker breads or cakes.

Unfortunately, like many well-made 50% dark milk bars, this chocolate was relatively addicting and was gone in a trice. And this seasonal release may also be out of stock. (Hoping Sted Foods will bring this one back next year.)

I "paired" this bar with some entertaining and educational Norwegian videos about making krumkake cookies and traditional Christmas food, drinks and baked goods.

Ingredients: organic cocoa, cane sugar, milk powder mixed with crumbled organic krumkake cookies (made with butter, sugar, rice flour, tapioca starch, potato flour, molasses, baking soda, cinnamon, salt) and organic cardamom essential oil.

Allergen-related information: gluten-free, soy-free, palm-oil-free 

*I learned about krumkake from Darlene, a Minnesota mom (now passed on) who used to make krumkake cookies. She learned to make them from her mother, who learned from her mother...and so on, all the way back to Norway. (Thank you Darlene and Gigi.)

Schar - Double Chocolate Cookies + Rick's Choco Cherry Ice Cream - Dec. 7, 2025

Chocolate(s) of the Day

Schar 
Double Chocolate Soft Baked Cookies 
Good ++
Weight: 2.4 oz. (70 g.) / 7.4 oz. (210 g.) in total box of 6 cookies
Calories: 320 calories in 2 cookies
Cost: N/A - gift from family member
Purchased from: Grocery Outlet Bargain Market, Palo Alto, CA

Rick's Ice Cream
Choco Cherry Ice Cream
Good ++
Weight: 1/2 cup serving / 1 Quart total container
Calories: unknown
Cost: $19.50 for 1 quart of ice cream
Purchased from: Rick's Ice Cream, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #14 of Chocolate, Movies & Entertainment Theme Week, featuring an excellent two-product pairing--that resulted in a delicious ice cream sandwich.

I loved ice cream sandwiches as a child--outdoors in warm weather, indoors in the winter. It was dark and cold today, so I tucked into this tasty chocolate and cherry sandwich while watching the Job Switching (1952) episode from the "I Love Lucy" (TV) show--where Lucy and Ethel (in their newly found jobs at a candy factory) were bested by a rapidly moving chocolate conveyor belt. One of the top classic chocolate comedic moments on film.

Also enjoyed: a variety of cartoon shorts from the Ice Cream Sandwich (YouTube) channel. 

Double Chocolate Soft Baked Cookies

These gluten-free, chocolate cookies with chocolate chips came individually wrapped in a box of six. They were good by themselves. And the cookies' texture and relatively mild, smooth chocolate flavor made them perfect for ice cream sandwiches. 

Texture: soft and perfectly cohesive (not too crumbly, dry or starchy) with a pleasing chew.

I don't know how they would fare over time in frozen form; but they were just right when used fresh.

Ingredients: "Corn starch, Chocolate chips (sugar, cocoa mass**, cocoa butter**, soy lecithin, natural flavor), Brown sugar, Rice flour, Blend of vegetable fats and oils (coconut fat, sunflower oil), Butter (milk), Chocolate (Cocoa mass**, sugar, cocoa butter**, soy lecithin), Corn syrup, Sorbitol syrup, Eggs, Fructose, Cocoa powder**, Dextrose, Xanthan gum, Baking soda, Ammonium bicarbonate, Salt, Soy lecithin, Natural flavor."

Allergen-related information: "Contains: Soy, Egg, Milk, Tree nuts (coconut). May contain: Tree nuts."

Choco Cherry Ice Cream (and sandwich filling)

Aroma and flavor notes for this Chocolate Cherry ice cream included: Light colored, Burgandy cherry-style ice cream aroma and flavor with flecks of dark chocolate.

Texture: Light and creamy in texture, easy to scoop, and enjoyable to eat. Also perfect for ice cream sandwich making. A denser ice cream would have been more challenging to scoop/shape.

Ingredients: (Not listed on container)

Allergen-related information: (Not listed on container.) Contained Milk.

Taza - 70% Dark Chocolate Lemon Cookie Crunch (bar) - Sept. 17, 2025

Chocolate of the Day

Taza Chocolate
70% Dark Chocolate Lemon Cookie Crunch (bar)
Good + - Good ++
Weight: 1.25 oz. (35 g.) / 2.5 oz. (70 g.) in total bar
Calories: 190 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $5.99 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Taza, online order 

Welcome to Day #3 of Chocolate and Tea Theme Week.

Today's 70% Dark Chocolate Lemon Cookie Crunch (bar) was made from bean-to-bar by Taza Chocolate (Somerville, MA). 

Taza founders have been making stone ground ("perfectly unrefined") chocolate bars, discs and confections since 2005--and were early adopters of organic cacao and direct trade efforts/practices.

There was no tea in this bar, but this lemon cookie 70% chocolate paired well with a creamy matcha tea latte and with an aromatic black tea with citrus notes.

Aroma notes included: lemon, lemon cookie, dark chocolate and vanilla.

Texture: smooth dark chocolate and crunchy (lemon cookie bits)

Flavor notes included: sweet lemony flavor and lemon cookies that lightened up the earthy dark chocolate. 

The bright, light floral qualities of the creamy smoothness of the matcha green tea latte (pairing item) complemented the sweet lemon cookie and helped reduce the spikier/bolder earth notes in the 70% dark chocolate. (The cacao used to make this chocolate was from The Dominican Republic.) A high-quality black tea with a squeeze of lemon also worked nicely.

Always a pleasure to explore different chocolate + tea pairings and to try to get everything to harmonize. I was hoping to try a pairing without adding dairy, but the matcha latte (with milk) seemed to be the best pairing match.

I appreciated the use of organic, fair trade and less processed ingredients.

Ingredients: Cacao Beans*, Cane Sugar*, Lemon Cookies* (Gluten Free Whole Oat Flour*, Cane Sugar*, High Oleic Safflower Oil*, Pear Juice from Concentrate*, Tapioca Starch*, Lemon Juice from Concentrate*, Lemon Extract*, Salt, Pure Vanilla Extract*, Cream of Tartar, Baking Soda (Sodium Bicarbonate), Sunflower Lecithin*, Xanthan Gum, Rosemary Extract*), Cocoa Butter*, Lemon Flavor Oil* (Sunflower Oil* and Natural Flavors), Sunflower Lecithin*. (* Organic)

Allergen-related information: May Contain Traces of Tree Nuts and Sesame Seeds.

King Arthur - Chocolate Macadamia Cookies with Hawaiian Nibs and Sea Salt - Nov. 20, 2024

Chocolate of the Day

King Arthur Baking Company, Inc.
Gluten Free Ultimate Fudge Chocolate Brownie Mix
(Chocolate Macadamia Cookies with Hawaiian Nibs and Sea Salt)
Good + - Good ++ (See below)
Weight: 1. oz. (45 g.) mix used / 17 oz. (1 Lb., 1 Oz.) total box of mix
Calories: 165 calories for dry mix only)/ 400 calories (estimate) for 2 cookies
Cost: N/A - multiple ingredients
Purchased from: N/A - multiple ingredients, locations

Welcome to Day #14 of Chocolate and Hawaii. 

Today's tiny (two cookie) batch of Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies with Guava Smoked Hawaiian Sea Salt were made using (a) Gluten Free Ultimate Fudge Chocolate Brownie Mix from King Arthur Baking Company, Inc. (Norwich, VT).

I added the following ingredients to this mix:

1.) Olive Oil + (Coconut) MCT Oil
2.) Hawaiian Macadamia Nuts (chopped)
3.) Cacao Nibs from Manoa Chocolate (Kailua, Oahu, HI)
4.) 1 tiny banana (mashed)
5.) Cold Brew Coffee and Cream Liqueur
6.) Hawaiian guava smoked sea salt

I liked the combination of flavors. But the texture (when microwaved -- not recommended) was a little off. Following a standard cookie recipe and using a conventional oven (later) yielded better results.

The cocoa used in this mix was made more alkaline (less acidic and bitter) so it was sweet and agreeable. (Think Swiss Miss Cocoa in the U.S.) Happily, the Hawaiian cacao nibs helped restore some fine cacao flavor.

Notes: I used a gluten free brownie mix to make cookies. This King Arthur mix was optimized for brownies; and, if you're vegan (or not), the package specifically discouraged trying to make these brownies without using egg. (I'm not good at following recipes.) The end result: the last half of this micro-batch was folded into a great vanilla ice cream. That worked!

Brownie Mix Ingredients: Cane Sugar, Cocoa (Processed with Alkali), Tapioca Starch, Rice Flour, Baking Powder (Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate, Baking Soda, Corn Starch, Monocalcium Phosphate), Salt, Natural Vanilla Flavor. 

Allergen-related information: This mix was certified gluten-free by GFCO (GFCO.org) and was "Non-Dairy." "For information on allergens and cross-contact program, visit: KingArthurBaking.com/Allergen-Program"

Megan's Candied Lemon Blossom Dark Milk Chocolate + Lemon Cookies - April 14, 2024

Chocolate of The Day

Megan's Homemade Chocolate
Candied Lemon Petal Dark Milk Chocolate (bar)
Good +++
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) / 3 oz. (85 g.) (estimate) in total bar
Calories: 155 calories in 1 oz. (28.3 g.) of bar
Cost: N/A - gift from family
Purchased from: N/A - gift from family (Thank you Megan!)

Tate's Bake Shop
Gluten Free Lemon Cookies
Good ++ - Good +++
Weight: 1.02 oz. (29 g) / 7 oz. (198 g.) total package
Calories: 150 calories in 2 cookies
Cost: $ Missing information
Purchased from: The Market at Edgewood, Palo Alto, CA 

Welcome to Day #5 of Baked Goods with Chocolate Series; and Day #2 of Chocolate and Umami Theme Week.*

Lemon items ruled the day and included: candied lemon blossoms in chocolate; lemon oil and flavoring in lemon cookies; umami-like preserved (salted, fermented)* lemons (with umami vegetable side dishes and chicken and mushrooms); and smoked lemonade. 

Today's beautiful and tasty Candied Lemon Petal Dark Milk Chocolate bar was made especially by Megan, using a hamsa hand-shaped mold. (Thank you Megan!)

Candied Lemon Blossom Dark Milk Chocolate (bar)

Aroma notes included very appealing lemon/citrus floral and dark chocolate.

Texture: creamy smooth dark milk chocolate interspersed with delicately textured candied floral petal bits.

Flavor notes included: smooth dark chocolate and pleasing, lemon floral complexity (undulations of nuanced lemon fruit, lemon blossom, light lemon pulp/rind).

Ingredients: Dark chocolate, candied lemon blossom petals

Allergen-related information: Contained milk.

Gluten Free Lemon Cookies

Today's Gluten Free Lemon Cookies were from Tate's Bake Shop (Southampton, NY).

Aroma notes included: baked, buttery, sweet lemon cookie/cake.

Texture: thin cookie with crispy texture and buttery mouthfeel.

Flavor notes included: sweet, crispy, lemony, buttery cookie and a very faint touch of salt. This is the kind of gluten-free cookie I like. Fresh, flavorful and not bulky, bland and doughy.

Ingredients: "Rice flour, Sugar, Butter, Liquid egg white, Natural flavor, Milk, Lemon oil, Baking powder, Xanthan gum, Salt."

Allergen-related information: "Contains Milk and Eggs. May contain tree nuts and soy."

*Foods high in "umami" flavor include tomatoes, mushrooms, peas, cheeses, certain meats, foods with MSG, and other items that are high in glutamate (or contain MSG) and/or that have savory flavor. Fermented foods (included preserved, salted lemons) also tend to be higher in umami-like flavor.

 

Gnosis Chocolate 80% Dark Turkey + Cardamom Tea Cookies - April 13, 2024

 Chocolate of The Day

Gnosis Chocolate
80% Dark Chocolate Turkey
Good ++
Weight: 1 oz. (28 g.) / 2 oz. (56.6 g.) (estimate) entire piece  
Calories: 155 calories (estimate) in 1 oz. of turkey
Cost: $10.00 for 1 piece/turkey
Purchased from: Gnosis Chocolate, online order

Welcome to Day #4 of Baked Goods with Chocolate Series, and the first day of Chocolate and Umami Week. In the past, umami and savory chocolates have included ingredients like mushrooms, meats, cheeses and other high-glutamate items.

Today's 80% Dark Chocolate Turkey from Gnosis Chocolate (Astoria, NY) was more metaphorical...it was a chocolate homage to a turkey (meat in likeness only). 

The turkey was the main course. Side dishes for this meal included a mushroom soup and a savory salad; and for dessert a gluten-free baked cardamom tea cookie.* 

Aroma and flavor notes for today's 80% turkey included dark chocolate (true chocolate; very faint, smooth/balanced earth and faint, fleeting sweet-tart/lemon green (oxalis), and a diffuse natural sweetness (warm spice, coconut/brown sugar, cookie). 

I liked that this bar was made with only two ingredients: raw cacao and coconut sugar. The coconut sugar added a tiny, pleasing bit of warmth and flavor depth.

The use of raw cacao (lower temperatures in the processing) meant more of the natural flavors were preserved, and other chocolate flavors weren't as "developed;" i.e., it didn't have a fiery, roasted, ultra-dark personality--which some dark chocolate fans will appreciate. 

Each batch of cacao is treated a bit differently by chocolate makers; fermentation, roasting and conching times may vary. However, if you're starting out with great cacao with great flavors, there's a case to be made against over-heating or over-processing.

Ingredients: Raw Cacao, Coconut Sugar.

*Today's baked good: Gluten Free Vegan Cardamom Tea Cookie from New Bread, a Gluten-Free Lifestyle Company, LLC, based in Alameda. CA. 

New Bread - Double Chocolate Crinkle Cookie - April 12, 2024

Chocolate of The Day

New Bread
Gluten Free Vegan Double Chocolate Crinkle Cookie
Good ++
Weight: 1.41 oz. (40 g) / 2.82 oz. (80 g.) total container
Calories: Unknown calories (not listed) in 2 cookies
Cost: $7.99 for 1 container
Purchased from: Missing information (on store)

Welcome to Day #3 of Baked Goods with Chocolate Series.

Today's Gluten Free Vegan Double Chocolate Crinkle Cookie(s) were from New Bread, a Gluten-Free Lifestyle Company, LLC, based in Alameda. CA. 

Like many gluten-free product companies, the New Bread founders had family members with specific food sensitivities/preferences, and started their own gluten-free baked goods business after finding existing gluten-free offerings wanting in some way (too dry, crumbly, bland, etc.). 

Aroma notes for these petite, soft, chocolate cookies included: chocolate (brownie), cookie; and faint warm spice (vanilla).

Flavor notes for these powdered sugar-coated chocolate included chocolate (cake, brownie), powdered sugar and very faint spice (vanilla, anise). I shook off most of the powdered sugar; the cookies themselves had a pleasing, sweet but rich chocolate (cake-style brownie, cocoa) flavor and had a coherent (non-crumbly), soft texture.

Ingredients: Organic oat flour, brown sugar, chocolate chips (sugar, unsweetened chocolate, cocoa butter, dextrose, sunflower lecithin), cocoa powder, olive oil, egg replacement (potato starch, tapioca flour, baking soda, psyllium husk fiber), vanilla, baking powder (corn starch, sodium bicarbonate, monocalcium phosphate), baking soda, sea salt. Frosting: Powdered sugar, cane sugar.

Allergen-related information: "Processed in facility that uses soy, almonds, tree nuts, milk, eggs and sesame"  

New Bread - Gluten Free 100% Keto Chocolate Chip Cookie - April 11, 2024

Chocolate of The Day

New Bread
Gluten Free 100% Keto Chocolate Chip Cookie
Good + Good ++
Weight: 1.41 oz. (40 g) / 2.82 oz. (80 g.) total container
Calories: 220 calories (estimate) in 2 cookies
Cost: $7.99 for 1 container of 4-5 cookies
Purchased from: Missing market information (Palo Alto, CA)

Welcome to Day #2 of Baked Goods with Chocolate Series.

Today's Gluten Free 100% Keto Chocolate Chip Cookies were from New Bread, a Gluten-Free Lifestyle Company, LLC, based in Alameda. CA. 

Like many gluten-free product companies, the founders had family members with food sensitivities, and started their own operations after finding existing gluten-free baked goods dry, crumbly, or wanting in some regard. 

Aroma notes included: subtle baked good (cookie, cake); very faint chocolate and mild nut notes.

Texture?: soft cookie base that was almost cake-like and that had a non-crumbly (coherent) texture. Very slightly chewy. (what is soft bake?), with a sprinkling of small chocolate chips.

Flavor notes included: soft-baked cookie base with very faint vanilla, eggy cake, and chocolate-y chips. These cookies had a very slight menthol flavor that is sometimes present with artificial sweeteners. (Made my nose run.) 

I liked that they used almond flour and olive oil were the top two ingredients. (I'm not a fan of artificial sweeteners; but it was nice to taste less sugar, and to be reminded just overpowering granulated sugar can be in a baked good. 

Ingredients: Almond flour, olive oil, non-GMO allulose, organic eggs, organic almonds, organic coconut flour, chocolate chips [unsweetened chocolate, chicory root fiber, erythritol, milk fat (rBST free), cocoa butter, sunflower lecithin, stevia extract, vanilla extract], organic almond oil, baking soda, chocolate flavor, sea salt, xanthan gum.

Allergen-related information: Contains: milk, egg, almond, coconut. "Processed in facility that uses soy, almonds, tree nuts, milk, eggs and sesame" 

Love + Chew - The Superfood Cookie Pumpkin Chip - Oct. 20, 2023

Chocolate of the Day

CompletEats, LLC
Love + Chew The Superfood Cookie Pumpkin Chip 
Good + - Good ++
Weight: 2 oz. (57 g.) in 1 cookie 
Calories: 270 calories in 1 cookie
Cost: $3.25 (estim.) for 1 cookie 
Purchased from: Love + Chew, online order (box of 12)

Welcome to Day #8 of Chocolate, Pumpkin and Warm Spices Theme Week.

Today's Love + Chew The Superfood Cookie Pumpkin Chip was created by CompletEats, LLC (San Francisco, CA).

Aroma notes included: dried fruit (date), warm spices, nuts and seeds, vanilla, cocoa, and faint vegetable (pumpkin). 

This plant-based cookie had a chewy, very slightly crunchy (tiny chia seeds), and relatively moist texture. 

Flavor notes for this satisfying and tasty cookie included: dates, fudgey chocolate chips, warm pumpkin spices, vanilla, and an underlying nuttiness (almond). 

The company's mission is to "bake clean-label and indulgent treats made entirely from plant-based ingredients." (I'd say mission accomplished.) An extra bonus for me: no gluten-containing ingredients; and the cookie wasn't dry or crumbly. 

Ingredients: Blanched Almonds, Date Paste, Almond Butter, Water, Dark Chocolate Chips (Organic Cane Sugar, Organic Cocoa Liquor, Organic Cocoa Butter), Chia Seeds, Vegetable Glycerin, Pumpkin Pie Spice Mix (Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Ginger, Cloves), Baking Soda (Sodium Bicarbonate), Pure Vanilla Extract, Water), Pumpkin Powder, Sea Salt

Allergen-related information: Contains Almonds. Manufactured in a facility that also processes tree nuts, peanuts, soy, milk, eggs, wheat, sesame seeds. May Contain Date Pit Fragments.

Love + Chew - The Superfood Cookie Mocha Chip - Oct. 5, 2023

Chocolate of the Day

CompletEats, LLC
Love + Chew The Superfood Cookie Mocha Chip 
Good ++
Weight: 2 oz. (57 g.) in 1 cookie 
Calories: 270 calories in 1 cookie
Cost: $2.99 for 1 cookie
Purchased from: The Market at Edgewood, Palo Alto, CA

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

Today's Love + Chew The Superfood Cookie Mocha Chip was created by CompletEats, LLC (San Francisco, CA).

Aroma notes included: chocolate, date caramel, and vanilla mocha.

This plant-based cookie had a chewy, very slightly crunchy (chia seeds), and relatively moist (thanks to date paste) texture. 

Flavor notes for this satisfying and tasty cookie included: dates, fudgey chocolate, mocha, vanilla and an underlying nuttiness (almond). 

The company's mission is to "bake clean-label and indulgent treats made entirely from plant-based ingredients." (I'd say mission accomplished.) An extra bonus for me: no gluten-containing ingredients.

Ingredients: Blanched Almonds, Date Paste, Almond Butter, Dark Chocolate Chips (Organic Cane Sugar, Organic Cocoa Liquor, Organic Cocoa Butter), Natural Coffee Concentrate, Java Creme Flavor (Coffee Extractives, Vanilla Extract, Water), Chia Seeds, Baking Soda (Sodium Bicarbonate), Sea Salt

Allergen-related information: Contains Almonds. Manufactured in a facility that also processes tree nuts, peanuts, soy, milk, eggs, wheat, sesame seeds. May Contain Date Pit Fragments

Miss Jones Baking Co. - Keto Double Chocolate Fudge Ready-to-Bake Cookies - Sept. 3, 2023

Chocolate of the Day

Miss Jones Baking Co.
Keto Double Chocolate Fudge Ready-to-Bake Cookies
Good + - Good ++
Weight: .99 oz. (28 g.) / 11.84 oz. (336 g.) in 1 package of 12 cookies
Calories: 110 calories in 1 cookie
Cost: $3.99 for 1 package of 12
Purchased from: Grocery Outlet Bargain Market, Palo Alto, CA 

Welcome to Day #2 of Dark Chocolate Theme Week.

Today's Keto Double Chocolate Fudge Ready-to-Bake Cookies were from Miss Jones Baking Co. (San Francisco, CA), and distributed by The Purple Mixer, Inc. (Corte Madera, CA).

Aroma notes for these grain-free chocolate cookies included: chocolate (brownie) and faint nut (almond) and vanilla. The fact that these cookies emerged freshly baked from the oven enhanced the aroma quite a bit. Nothing like the smell of freshly baked cookies. 

Texture for these chewy-crunchy cookies varied slightly depending on how/how long they were cooked. They got crunchier when I let them cool down a bit.

Flavor notes included: chocolate-y, nutty, brownie cookie, very faint vanilla, and a very slight non-sugar sweetener (erythritol) note. (I'm not a fan of erythritol; at least the taste wasn't too strong.)

It can be tough to make a truly wonderful gluten-free cookie. It's great to see more Keto-friendly and lower sugar options out there for gluten-free cookies--that are tasty and not too crumbly. I look forward to tasting the other gluten-free cookie offerings from Miss Jones.

Ingredients: "Almond Flour, Erythritol, Butter, Chocolate Chips (Unsweetened Chocolate, Cane Sugar, Cocoa Butter), Water, Cocoa Powder, Tapioca Fiber, Tapioca Starch, Salt, Natural Flavor, Baking Soda, Monk Fruit Extract."

Allergen-related information: Contains almonds, milk. May contain: peanuts, eggs, soy.  

Ethel's Baking Co. - Turtle Dandy - Aug. 16, 2023

Chocolate of the Day

Ethel's Baking Co.
Turtle Dandy 
Good +
Weight: 1.5 oz. (42.45 g.) / 10 oz. (283 g.) in total container
Calories: 235 calories in 1/2 of 1 bar
Cost: $6.59 for 1 container (3 bars)
Purchased from: The Market at Edgewood, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #3 of Chocolate and Nuts Week.

Today's Turtle Dandy confections were from Ethel's Baking Co. (Shelby Township, MI).

These gluten-free bars were a stacked blend of rich shortbread cookie and chocolate "turtle" confection (thick, oval-ish shaped caramel and nut filled chocolates--often with pecans sticking out that resemble turtle limbs). Now imagine that concept translated into a rich cookie-pie hybrid.

Aroma notes include chocolate, shortbread cookies, nuts and fruit (very faint brown sugar and peach jam), and very faint vanilla. (These did not contain any peach, fruit or jam.)

These very generously-sized Turtle Dandy cookie bars had a thick, pie pastry-like butter cookie bottom, and were topped with layers of caramelized brown sugar chocolate and pecan nut pieces.

These were incredibly rich and buttery. (Butter was the number one ingredient.) I'd advise sharing a bar with someone (and eating these over a plate or napkin to avoid getting crumbs on your lap).

It's nice to see gluten-free confection and cookie/pie-like bar options like this; even if they're quite rich. That same rich, buttery quality could provide an interesting crumble over cooked fruit (plums, apples, peaches).

Ingredients: Butter (sweet cream, salt), brown cane sugar, Ethel's gluten-free flour blend (brown rice flour, modified tapioca starch, potato starch, corn starch, corn flour, white rice flour, xanthan gum), semi-sweet chocolate chips (sugar, unsweetened chocolate, cocoa butter, soy lecithin or sunflower lecithin, vanilla), pecans, cane sugar, honey, eggs, water, vanilla extract (water, ethyl alcohol, extractives of vanilla beans), leavening agent (sodium acid pyrophosphate, sodium bicarbonate, corn starch, monocalcium phosphate).

Allergen-related information: "Contains: eggs, milk, soy, pecans. Made in a facility with other tree nuts, may contain pit or shell."

Cappello's - Almond Flour Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough - Aug. 14, 2023

Chocolate of the Day

Cappello's
Gluten Free Almond Flour Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough
Good +++
Weight: 3 oz. (85 g.) / 12 oz. (340 g.) in total package
Calories: 420 calories in 3 cookies 
Cost: $16.99 for 1 package
Purchased from: The Market at Edgewood, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #1 of Chocolate and Nuts Theme Week. 

This week includes variety of chocolate bars and confections that contain a range of "true" nuts (pecans, walnuts, hazelnuts) and tree nuts/"drupes" (almonds, cashews and pistachios). 

Today's refrigerated Gluten Free Almond Flour Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough was from Cappello's LLC (Denver, CO). The company offers a line of gluten free, almond flour-based baked goods that are very tasty.

There's nothing like the smell of freshly baked cookies. Aroma notes for these right-out-of-the-oven cookies included: aromatic, slightly nutty, chocolate chip cookies, facilitated by warm chocolate chips, and a touch of warm vanilla and coconut. 

These cookies had a satisfying "buttery" crunchy texture accented with rich, melted chocolate chips.

I found these to be delicious, easy to prepare (slice and cook) cookies. They were good by themselves, and crumbled over a gelato sundae with amaretto, vanilla and mocha gelato flavors--topped with dark chocolate sauce, roasted almonds and a tiny sprinkle of sea salt. And they paired nicely with fresh fruit. (Cappello's has other recipe ideas on their website.)

Ingredients: Almond flour, organic maple syrup, semi-sweet chocolate morsels (unsweetened chocolate, organic cane sugar, cocoa butter), arrowroot flour, organic coconut oil, organic vanilla extract, sea salt, baking soda

Allergen-related information: Contains tree nuts (almonds), coconut (oil). "Made in a facility that also produces products with peanuts, soy, milk, and egg." Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Soy Free, Grain Free, Paleo, Vegan"

Love + Chew - The Superfood Cookie - Chocolate Chia - Feb. 27, 2023

Chocolate of the Day

Love + Chew 
The Superfood Cookie - Chocolate Chia
Good +
Weight: 2 oz. (57 g.) in total cookie
Calories: 270 calories in 1 cookie
Cost: Missing information
Purchased from: Country Sun Natural Foods, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #3 of Chocolate and Seeds Series.

Today's Love + Chew "The Superfood Cookie" Chocolate Chia treat was created by Lauren Chew at CompletEats, LLC, San Francisco, CA. (The company offers a family of plant-based protein cookies.)

Aroma notes included: faint date fruitcake, seed, melon, and pumpkin.

This low-sugar cookie was designed with health in mind. It had a satisfying soft chew and cohesive texture (no crumbs in lap), thanks in part to dates and almond butter.

Flavor notes included: mild dried fruit (date), cocoa and vanilla spice cake with a very faint Omega 3 (seed) finish. The flavors were balanced, the cookie was not overly sweet (thank you!). I enjoyed the subtle complexity, and the lack of a sugar rush.

Ingredients: Blanched almonds, date paste, almond butter, dark chocolate chips (organic cane sugar, organic cocoa liquor, organic cocoa butter), water, chia seeds, vegetable glycerin, baking soda (sodium bicarbonate), pure vanilla extract, sea salt.

Allergen-related information: "Contains Almonds. Manufactured in a facility that also processes tree nuts, peanuts, soy, milk, eggs, wheat, sesame seeds." (May contain date pit fragments.)

Trader Joe's - Mint Hot Cocoa Ornament + Maxine's Heavenly Chocolate Peppermint Cookies - Dec. 24, 2022

Chocolate(s) of the Day

Trader Joe's

Mint Flavored Hot Cocoa Ornaments

Good ++ - Good +++

Weight: 1.06 oz. (30 g.) / 2.12 oz. (60 g.) (estim.) for total ornament

Calories: 150 calories (estimate) for 1/2 ornament + milk

Cost: $N/A - holiday gift (Thank you Trudi!)

Purchased from: N/A - holiday gift (Trader Joe's)

Maxine's Heavenly

Super Soft Chocolate Peppermint Cane Cane Cookies

Good + - Good ++

Weight: 2.44 oz. (69 g.) / 7.2 oz. (284 g.) in total box/package

Calories: 300 calories in 3 cookies

Cost: $6.99 for 1 box/package

Purchased from: Farm Fresh to You CSA delivery box, added item

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

Today (Christmas Eve) was chocolate-filled this year. This is the second post (of two) for today features two chocolate items left out for Santa. 

The first item featured was a 70% Belize Bourbon Barrel Aged dark chocolate from Dick-Taylor Craft Chocolate (Eureka, CA)--enjoyed by adults before Santa's arrival. 

Trader Joe's Mint Hot Cocoa Ornament

This pretty, shiny rose-hued ornament was submerged in pot of hot milk on the stove. After melting, the inside contents were revealed: tiny marshmallows inside the hollow center. 

The taste (when incorporated into the hot (whole) milk) was chocolate-y, creamy and satisfying with a subtle (just the right) touch of mint.

Extra points for attractive packaging and fun presentation/preparation steps--and the "magical" transformation from holiday ornament to hot chocolate treat.

(This was likely part of a larger packaged set. No packaging to refer to for ingredients.)

Maxine's Heavenly Chocolate Peppermint Candy Cane Cookies

Maxine's Heavenly Cookies were gluten free, soft and slightly chewy. (A gluten-free oat blend (whole grain oats, oat flour) was the number one ingredient.)

Embedded chunks of dark chocolate and bits of candy cane gave these soft baked cookies layers of holiday flavor and well-integrated, satisfying texture(s).

These were left out on a plate for Santa, along with Maxine's Heavenly Super Soft Gingerbread Cookies (also gluten-free, but with no chocolate). 

Ingredients: Gluten Free Oat Blend (oats, oat flour, oat fiber); palm fruit oil (Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) Certified; Chocolate Chunks (organic cane sugar, chocolate liquor, cocoa butter); white rice flour; organic coconut sugar; organic coconut nectar; dates; candy cane pieces (cane sugar, organic rice syrup, peppermint oil, colored with red cabbage, purple carrots); water; cocoa powder; organic gum acacia; flaxseed; sunflower lecithin; peppermint extract; sea salt; baking soda.

Allergen-related information: Contains: Tree Nuts (coconut).

Bhu Keto - Double Dark Chocolate Cookie Dough Keto Bites - Sept. 1, 2022

Chocolate of the Day

Bhu Keto
Double Dark Chocolate Cookie Dough Keto Bites
Good - Good +
Weight: .88 oz. (25 g.) / 5.29 oz. (150 g.) in total package of 6 bites 
Calories: 140 calories in 1 bite/piece
Cost: $10.99 for 1 package of 6 bites
Purchased from: Oceana Market, Pacifica, CA

Welcome to Day #3 of Chocolate and Nuts Theme Week. 

Today's Organic Double Dark Chocolate Cookie Dough Keto Bites were made by Bhu Foods (San Diego, CA).

True to its name, the aroma and flavor notes for these individually-wrapped squares were consistent with a chocolate (chip) cookie dough.

The texture was smooth, rich (buttery) and pillowy while having a very faint powdery mouthfeel--what you might experience with well-beaten butter and a little flour in some short cookie or pastry doughs. (In this case it may have been tapioca and pea protein powder rather than flour.)

The whipped chocolate chip cookie and very mild (cashew) nut butter flavors were relatively pleasant. Chocolate chips and cocoa powder added flavor depth. The fat content and added pea protein extinguished cravings. 

 And, refreshingly, these bites weren't overly sweet (thank you!)--unlike some cookie doughs or artificially sweetened "sugar free" confections can be. The very subtle sweetness came from organic cherries, monk fruit, the relatively "sweet" roasted cashew nuts, and vanilla extract.

Ingredients: Organic roasted cashews, Organic red palm oil (Certified Sustainable), Organic soluble tapioca fiber, Organic chocolate chips [Organic cacao, Organic prebiotic tapioca, Organic "cocao" butter, Organic soluble tapioca fiber, Organic cherries, sunflower lecithin], Organic pea protein, Organic cocoa powder, pure water, Organic baobab, Organic sunflower lecithin, sea salt, Organic monk fruit, Organic vanilla extract.

Allergen-related information: Contains cashews. "May contain an occasional shell fragment. Manufactured in a facility that processes peanuts, tree nuts, and eggs."

Bubbies - Cookie Dough Ice Cream Bites - Aug. 20, 2022

Chocolate of the Day 

Bubbies

Cookie Dough Ice Cream Bites 

Good ++

Weight: 2.68 oz. (76 g.) / 8 oz. (228 g.) in total package/box of 6

Calories: 260 calories in 2 pieces

Cost: $3.99 for 1 box of 6 pieces

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

Welcome to Day #7 of Chocolate and Rice Theme Week, and Day #1 of Chocolate and Hawaii Theme Week.

Today's Cookie Dough Ice Cream Bites (frozen dessert bites consisting of vanilla chocolate chip ice cream inside a rice-based cookie dough) were manufactured by Bubbies Hawaii (Bubbies Homemade Ice Cream and Desserts Inc.). The company is based in Phoenix, AZ, but got its start making ice cream in Hawaii in 1985.

These bites had a satisfyingly complex melt and texture. The outer rice dough was firm yet pliable--a well-executed rich cookie dough with some of the pillowy, springy-chewy mochi texture one finds in frozen mochi desserts.

The cold, creamy vanilla chocolate chip ice cream interior blended well with the cookie dough exterior. The taste resembled a frozen ice cream cookie sandwich, but with a more cohesive and conveniently pliable cookie component--a design that prevented sudden rupture and dribble ice cream confection accidents.

Ingredients: Cookie dough (rice flour, butter, brown sugar, tapioca syrup, chocolate flakes [sugar, unsweetened chocolate, cocoa butter, whole milk powder, milkfat, natural vanilla flavor], sweetened condensed milk [milk, cane sugar], cane sugar, xanthan gum, vanilla extract, sunflower oil, natural flavor). Vanilla ice cream (ice cream mix [nonfat milk, cream, cane sugar, locust bean gum, guar gum], chocolate chips [sugar, unsweetened chocolate, cocoa butter, dextrose], egg yolk, vanilla extract).

 

Allergen-related information: Contains milk, eggs. Produced in a facility that processes peanuts, tree nuts, and soy. 

 

Green Girl Bakeshop - Reishi Chocolate with chocolate chip cookies - Aug. 23, 2021

Chocolate of the Day

Green Girl Bakeshop
Reishi Chocolate with chocolate chip cookies
Good - Good +
Weight: 5 oz. (142 g.) in total package
Calories: 340 calories in 1 package/frozen cookie sandwich 
Cost: $4.49 (sale) for 1 package/frozen cookie sandwich
Purchased from: Piazza's, Palo Alto, CA 

Welcome to Day #1 of Cold Chocolate Week, featuring frozen and refrigerated treats, snacks and bars with chocolate.

Today's Reishi Chocolate frozen plant-based, cookie sandwich was from Green Girl Bakeshop (San Leandro, CA). 

This chilly organic treat had light green, nut, coconut, and cookie notes, rich chocolate flavor with a fleeting earthy/loamy, slightly bitter note (that I'm assuming came from the reishi mushroom).

It was satisfying and sweet, but not too sweet. (It was sweetened with judicious amounts of coconut palm sugar, applesauce, chocolate chips, evaporated cane sugar in the chocolate chip cookies--and maple syrup in the chocolate frozen filling.) 

Note: Green Girl offers some of the few gluten free ice cream sandwich alternatives available in our area, unless you have time to make your own with gluten free cookies (that you may have to bake first) and your choice of milk/cream filling. So, I felt grateful to find these.

Ingredients: 1.) Cookie: organic cassava flour, organic coconut palm sugar, organic applesauce, organic chocolate chips (organic evaporated cane sugar, organic natural chocolate liquor (non-alcoholic), organic cocoa butter, organic vanilla powder), organic coconut oil, baking soda. 2.) Gelato: Organic coconut milk (organic coconut water, organic guar gum--less than 1%), organic maple syrup, organic cacao powder, organic reishi."

Allergen-related information: "Contains tree nuts (coconut)...produced in a facility that also processes tree nuts, peanuts, dairy, wheat, and soy."

Siete Foods- Grain Free Mexican Chocolate Cookies (with almond flour) - Aug. 6, 2021

Chocolate of the Day

Siete Foods

Grain Free Mexican Chocolate Cookies - made with almond flour

Good - Good +

Weight: 1.06 oz. (30 g.) / 4.5 oz. (127.8 g.) in total package of approx. 20 cookies

Calories: 150 calories in 5 cookies (1 serving)

Cost: $4.99 for 1 package

Purchased from: Sprouts Farmers Market, Mountain View, CA

Bienvenidos a (welcome to) Day #19 of Chocolate and Almonds Theme Week(s).

Today's Grain Free Mexican Chocolate Cookies (made with almond flour) were from Siete Family Foods, a Garza family business (based on seven (siete) family members), based in Austin, TX.

The small, light and crunchy cookies made with almond flour (and a blend of other gluten-free flours) had an inviting light cinnamon churro and chocolate (mild cocoa) aroma and flavor with a very slight earthy/mineral note. They tasted rich (fresh tortilla/cassava chips, corn flour cookies (coricos, champurradas) but were not at all oily or greasy. 

A hint of salt and a judicious amount of coconut sugar prevented them from being overly sweet. (Thank you.) 

In the future, I plan to make tiny ice cream sandwiches with these cookies (filled with homemade vanilla, Mexican chocolate, rose petal and/or vanilla with hibiscus and orange peel ice cream(s)).

Ingredients: "Grain free flour blend (almond flour, tapioca flour, arrowroot flour, chickpea flour, cassava flour), coconut oil, coconut sugar, avocado oil, alkalized cocoa powder, apple cider vinegar, cinnamon, sea salt, baking soda, jasmine tea extract."

Allergy-related information: "Contains coconuts, almonds."

Sweet Loren's - Fudgey Brownie Cookie Dough - June 12, 2021

Chocolate of the Day

Sweet Loren's

Fudgey Brownie Cookie Dough

Good + - Good ++

Weight: 1 oz. (28 g.) / 12 oz. (340 g.) in total package

Calories: 110 calories in 1 cookie 

Cost: $5.99 for 1 package of 12 cookies

Purchased from: Whole Foods Hillsdale, San Mateo, CA 

Welcome to Day #1 of Chocolate Brownie Theme Week. 

Today's package of gluten free Fudgey Brownie Cookie Dough was from Sweet Loren's, Inc. (New York City, NY).

This refrigerated package contained 12 pre-formed chocolate, chocolate chunk cookies.

These gluten-free, rich, dark, chocolatey cookies did not include eggs or dairy, which enabled the company to offer customers three ways to eat and enjoy these sweet, brownie-like cookies: 1.) rare (unbaked cookie dough), 2.) medium (soft) or well-done (crunchy). 

They were enjoyable in dough, soft or crunchy forms. And it was nice to have unbaked and sliding-scale, home-baked options.

The maker's description (likely of a soft-based version of their cookie) read: "A double chocolate cookie, oozing with the gooeyness of a brownie."

Ingredients: Cane sugar, gluten-free flour blend (oat, tapioca, potato starch), chocolate chunks (sugar, unsweetened chocolate, cocoa butter, vanilla, salt), palm oil*, filtered water, cocoa powder, molasses, sea salt, baking soda.

*Sustainably sourced, RSPO Certified. (The Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) was established in 2004 to promote sustainable palm oil.)

Allergen-related information: "Manufactured in a dedicated facility free of gluten, wheat, dairy, peanuts, and tree nuts. Made on shared equipment with products containing eggs and soy."