Zemas Madhouse Foods - Mini Ancient Grain Double Chocolate Cookies - Dec. 8, 2017

Chocolate of the Day:

Zemas Madhouse Foods
Mini Ancient Whole Grain Double Chocolate Cookies
Good - Good +
Weight: 1 oz. (28 g.) / 5 oz. (141.75 g.) in total package
Calories: 130 calories in 5 cookies (1 serving)
Cost: $3.99 for 1 package/box
Purchased from: Whole Foods Market, Berkeley, CA

Welcome to Day #4 of Chocolate Snacks Theme Week.

Today's Mini Double Chocolate Cookies were from Zemas Madhouse Foods (Highland Park, IL). They contained both chocolate and cocoa powder, and were based on a gluten-free flour blend* with a "superseed trio of hemp, chia and flax."

The small cookies were fairly crunchy and satisfying, and bore the following certifications: Certified Gluten Free, Certified Vegan and Non GMO Project Certified. They were also free of the top 8 allergens, and were rice free.

Ingredients:
Dried cane syrup (sugar); chocolate; Zema's flour blend (g-free oat flour, teff flour, organic millet flour, organic quinoa flour); palm oil; water; natural cocoa powder; tapioca starch; hemp seeds; flaxseed meal; chia seeds; pure vanilla extract; chocolate extract

Kind LLC - Dark Chocolate Sea Salt Popped Snack Bites - Dec. 7, 2017

Chocolate of the Day: 

Kind LLC
Dark Chocolate with Sea Salt - Popped Snack Bites
Good
Weight: 1 cup (60 g.) / 6.5 oz. (184 g.) in total package
Calories: 220 calories in 2 servings
Cost: $2.99 for 1 package
Purchased from: Grocery Outlet Bargain Market, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #3 of Chocolate Snacks Theme Week.

Today's Dark Chocolate with Sea Salt Popped Snack Bites were from Kind LLC (New York, NY).  This was a lighter, more thoughtful snack than most.

Whole grain snacks often have a heavier feel to them. However, the crunchy, whole grain snack morsels (bites) in this mix contained popped corn and sorghum; and other ingredients were applied with an equally deft touch resulting in an airier taste and feel.

The hybrid bites were considerably lighter than other oat-based granola snack mixes, and other coated popcorn snacks—often swimming in sugar and salt.

This whole grain (oats, brown rice, sorghum, amaranth, millet, quinoa and buckwheat + popcorn) blend did contain tapioca syrup and smidges of molasses and brown rice syrup, but didn't taste that sweet. (Thank you.) Similarly, the sodium (sea salt) level was a kindly 55 mg. per serving.

What about the chocolate? Semi-sweet chocolate (sugar, chocolate liquor, cocoa butter, soy lecithin, vanilla extract) was the fifth ingredient listed, but contributed some rich, flavor depth that helped tie together all those grains.