Element - Dipped Minis Dark Chocolate - Dec. 14, 2025

Chocolate of the Day 

Element
Dipped Minis Dark Chocolate
Good ++
Weight: .74 oz. (21 g.) / 3 oz. (85 g.) in total bar
Calories: 100 calories in 3 pieces
Cost: $ Missing information

Purchased from: The Market at Edgewood, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #21 of Chocolate, Movies & Entertainment Theme Week; and Day #1 of Chocolate & Rice Theme Week.

Today's Dipped Minis Dark Chocolate (chocolate coated mini rice cakes) were from Element Snacks, Inc. (Needham, MA). 

Aroma notes for these small round rice cakes included: faint chocolate and sweet rice (mochi) cake.

Texture: These treats started with a soft chocolate-y bite, followed by a satisfying crunch, and ending with a soft chew again. 

I really enjoyed the texture, and the basic flavors. This simple round also worked well as a "platform"-- topped with other seasonings and fruits (like candied fennel seeds, citrus peel with cardamom or ginger; spiced nuts; rosewater/floral essences; or a slice of fresh mango).

Today's virtual "visit" to Bollywood was made possible via food and movie snacks from India, and two Indian dance sequence (videos): 1.) "Ghar More Pardesiya" (from "Kalank") (2019) and 2.) "Pinga" ("Bajirao Mastani") (2015).

The Indian-inspired snack banquet included the following items:

• Butter Chicken and Rice 
• Chai-spiced Apple Cider 
• Popcorn with cocoa butter, caramelized coconut, turmeric and black pepper*
• Masala popcorn
• Rose and Pistachio Bombay Halwah
• Element Dark Chocolate Minis (rice cakes) with different toppings

Ingredients: Dark Chocolate (Sugar, Palm Kernel Oil, Cocoa Powder, Whole Milk Powder, Soy Lecithin, Salt), Rice.

Allergen-related information: "Contains Milk and Soy. May contain traces of peanuts and tree nuts."

* For this Rich, sweet and flavorful popcorn I melted an Organic Golden Mylk bar from Endorfin Foods (made by Coracao Confections, Richmond, CA). I was surprised to find out that this golden-brown gravy-hued bar didn't contain any cocoa solids. But what it lacked in terms of cacao solids it made up for with its unique, rich cocoa butter, caramelized coconut and authentic spice blend with just the right amount of salt.

Arete Chocolate - Expeller Pressed Cocoa Powder - Aug. 18, 2022

Chocolate of the Day

Arete Chocolate

Expeller Pressed Cocoa Powder

Good +

Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) / 8.8 oz. (250 g.) in total package

Calories: 65 calories (estimate) in 1 oz. serving

Cost: $ Missing information  

Purchased from: Arete or The Chocolate Garage*

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

Today's homemade chocolate and rice (cake) dessert employed Expeller Pressed Cocoa Powder from Arete Chocolate as a topping and ingredient.

An ultra-dark (82% cacao) chocolate covered rice cake** that I made. It was topped with a large scoop of green tea ice cream and garnished with a healthy dose of Arete Chocolate Cocoa Powder and chopped almonds.

The Arete Chocolate cocoa powder classed up this dessert considerably. I'm hoping they might resume making and selling chocolate one day. (They closed shop in 2020.)

Ingredients: Expeller pressed cocoa solids

 

Allergen-related information: (None listed/found on package.) 

*The Chocolate Garage Retail space in Palo Alto, CA, is no longer open.

**Notes: I used a commercially available (Lundberg Family Farms) rice cake as a form to be chocolate covered. Melting a bar of chocolate on a round rice cake for a single-serving dessert can be done in the microwave; but it is very easy to burn the rice cake if you start with room temperature/cooler chocolate. 

It's best to warm the chocolate up on a microwave-safe plate first (so that it's soft, but not completely melted) and then transfer it (with the help of a spatula if needed) and place on top of the rice cake--and finish the melting over the rice cake for a bit longer--spreading the melted chocolate over an uncovered edge if needed). You can then transfer this to a clean dessert plate if you want a nice clean edge.

The end product is an easy-to-make, attractive perch for ice cream or a fruit dessert.

 

Alexander's Patisserie - Chocolate Pillow dessert - Jan. 1, 2018

Chocolate of the Day: 

Alexander's Patisserie
Chocolate Pillow dessert
Good +++ - Very Good
Weight: unknown
Calories: unknown
Cost: $10.00 (per website) for 1 dessert
Purchased from: Alexander's Patisserie, Mountain View, CA

Welcome to 2018! and Day #13 of Chocolate, Holiday Spices and Maple Theme Week.

This fancy, Chocolate Pillow dessert was purchased on a sunny winter day at Alexander's Patisserie (Mountain View, CA).

Filled with light, airy chocolate mousse, this Valrhona*-based chocolate dessert was luxurious and delicious.

The dark chocolate mousse-filled "pillow" was resting on what appeared to be a caramelized chocolate rice cake bed, and was topped with a small, thin chocolate square.


Aside from a light touch of nutty/hazelnut flavor in a few bites and crispy texture of the base, this was all decadent, velvety chocolate.

Meanwhile, up North people are getting ready for the February-March maple season. I raised my glass to these winter harvesters, as I poured a small drizzle of maple syrup into a hot spiced chai tea.

*Alexander's Patisserie uses Valrhona (French) chocolate for almost all their chocolates and chocolate-based desserts.

Lundberg Family Farms - Milk Chocolate Rice Cakes - Oct. 13, 2015

Chocolate of the Day: 

Lundberg Family Farms
Sweet Dreams Organic Milk Chocolate rice cakes
Good
Weight: 1.06 oz. (30 g.) / 3.17 oz. (90 g.) in total package
Calories: 120 calories in 2 rice cakes
Cost: $3.79 for 1 package of 6 rice cakes
Purchased from: Sprouts, Mountain View, CA


Today was Day #5 of Chocolate, Grains and Grasses Theme Week.

These Sweet Dreams, Organic Whole Grain Rice Cakes Enrobed in Milk Chocolate were from Lundberg Family Farms (Richvale, CA). They followed on the heels of yesterday's Sweet Dreams Dark Chocolate rice cakes, from the same Lundberg product line.

Coated with milk chocolate (38% cacao content) on the top side, these gluten-free cakes could still be grasped on the uncoated, rice side for easy handling and eating. Thankfully, they weren't overly sweet either—a quality I always appreciate.

As with most (rice) cakes, they're best bought and eaten when fresh, light and crunchy.

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

Lundberg Family Farms - Sweet Dreams Organic Dark Rice Cakes - Oct. 12, 2015

Chocolate of the Day: 

Lundberg Family Farms
Sweet Dreams Organic Dark Chocolate Rice Cakes
Good
Weight: 1.06 oz. (30 g.) / 3.17 oz. (90 g.) in total package of 6 cakes
Calories: 120 calories in 2 cakes
Cost: $3.79 for 1 package of 6 rice cakes
Purchased from: Sprouts, Mountain View, CA

Today was Day #4 of Chocolate, Grasses and Grains Theme Week.

If you can't have gluten or wheat but you feel like something quick and easy with some starch in it, a rice cake with chocolate is one option.

Sweet Dreams Organic Dark Chocolate rice cakes from Lundberg Family Farms (Richvale, CA) were enrobed in dark chocolate (66% cacao content) on one side, making them a bit more convenient to hold on the "dry" (un-enrobed rice) side.

These rice cakes were crunchy and a bit chewy, and would be great as a portable snack if (as with any chocolate item) you don't leave them in the sun or a hot car.

Lundberg Family Farms, located in Richvale, CA, is a family-owned and operated business, that's been in existence since 1937. Today the third and fourth generation members of the family are running the show, and maintain committed to whole grain, brown rice products and to using "eco-positive" farming techniques that will help create a sustainable business into the future. (About 10,000 of their 6,000 acres under cultivation are organic, and 6,000 acres are "Eco-Farmed".)

The Sweet Dream rice cakes were certified gluten-free, USDA Organic, Non-GMO Project Verified, and contained (30%) Fair Trade Certified Ingredients.

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

Element - Dark Chocolate Rice Cakes - Sept. 28, 2015

Chocolate of the Day: 

Element
Dark Chocolate Rice Cakes - Good ++
Sweet Orange Rice Cakes - Good ++ - Very Good

Weight: 1.75 oz. (50 g.) / 3.5 oz. (100 g.) in 1 package of 6 cakes
Calories: 240 calories in 3 rice cakes
Cost: $3.99 for 1 package of rice cakes
Purchased from: Sprouts, Mountain View, CA

Today was Day #4 of Chocolate and Italy Theme Week.

Life is all about managing expectations. I wasn't expecting much from these Element Dark Chocolate and Sweet Orange, gluten free, non-GMO rice cakes (distributed by Manifesto Industries (NY, NY) and Made in Italy. But they certainly over-delivered.

The dark chocolate coating was of a much higher quality than expected. I could smell the rich, dark difference within several inches of my nose.

Similarly, the orange yogurt coating on the Sweet Orange rice cakes tasted very natural, fragrant with a light touch of orange.

So nice to enjoy a natural tasting product with no artificial flavors, that wasn't over-sweetened.

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

Woodstock - Mini Me's Organic Rice Bites - July 21, 2015

Chocolate of the Day: 

Woodstock
Mini Me's - Organic Rice Bites
Good +
Weight: 2.1 oz. (60 g.) in 1 package
Calories: 300 calories (estimate) in 1 package
Cost: $5.59 for 1 package
Purchased from: Country Sun Natural Foods, Palo Alto, CA

Today was Day #7 of Chocolate, Grains and Grasses Theme Week, with a focus on alternatives to wheat.

Rice was my first go to wheat substitute when I learned I had issues with gluten many years ago. And while rice cakes didn't seem as exciting as a "real" cake initially, I quickly got used to them. Rice cakes are, however, can be more interesting with a thin dark chocolate coating on top -- just like today's Mini Me's Organic Rice Bites -- a product of the Netherlands and distributed by Woodstock foods (Providence, RI).

These organic, diminutive rounds (billed as a "better cookie" and designed with children in mind) were gluten-free and were "produced with No GMOs." I appreciated the smaller, 3-bite size pieces.

The dark chocolate complemented the rice, and a light touch of sea salt tied everything together nicely.

ChocolateBet: April 10, 2012

Chocolate of the Day: 

Kika's Treats
Dark Chocolate Covered Rice Cake Bites
Good+
Weight: 2 oz. (56 g.) / 4 oz. (113 g.)/ total package
Calories: 200 calories (estimate)

Cost: $6.00 total container
Purchased from: Kika's Treats, in San Francisco, CA

These glossy, dark chocolate covered, gluten-free beauties from Kika's Treats (San Francisco) were some of the better rice cakes I've eaten lately. Dark chocolate can do that.