Nana Joes - Paleo Sunrise Series Granola, Hu Kitchen Blend - Sept. 11, 2019

Chocolate of the Day:

Nana Joes
Paleo Sunrise Series Granola - Hu Chocolate Blend
Good ++
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) / 8 oz. (227 g.) in total package
Calories: 160 calories in 1 serving
Cost: $10.00 (estimate) for 1 package
Purchased from: Nana Joes table, Ferry Plaza Farmers Market, San Francisco, CA


Welcome to Day #2 of Chocolate and Nut Butter Theme Week.

And, today, marks Chocolate Banquet's 13th anniversary. We're firing off some confetti in the background here, celebrating more than 4,740 chocolates sampled to date.

Today's Paleo Sunrise Granola with Hu Kitchen dark chocolate was made by Nana Joes (San Francisco, CA). Their Hu Kitchen blend included almond butter, pecans, coconut and dark chocolate from Hu Kitchen (New York, NY). For a full list of ingredients, see below.*

The granola had a satisfying texture and crunch and was full of nutty and chocolate flavor. The almonds and almond butter helped tie everything all together.

Ingredients: Organic almonds, organic shredded coconut, organic maple syrup, organic pecans, organic pumpkin seeds, organic almond butter, Hu Chocolate Gems (organic cacao, unrefined organic coconut sugar, organic fair trade cocoa butter), organic hemp seeds, organic cocoa powder, organic chia seeds, Jacobsen sea salt, organic maca powder 

Bart's Bakery - Chocolate Chip GF Cookies with Pecans, Walnuts - July 26, 2018

Chocolate of the Day:

Bart and Judy's Bakery, Inc.

Chocolate Chip Cookies with Pecans and Walnuts

Good +

Weight: 1.13 oz. (32 g.) / 6 oz. (170 g.) in total box

Calories: 132 calories in 8 cookies

Cost: $4.99 (estimate) for 1 box of approx. 45 cookies

Purchased from: Piazza's Fine Foods, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #5 of Chocolate Chip Week.

Today's Extra Chocolate Chip Cookies with Pecans and Walnuts were from Bart and Judy's Bakery, Inc. (Los Angeles, CA).

Bart and Judy Greenhut created these bite-sized, gluten-free cookies that were relatively light and crispy-crunchy—and made richer with Belgian chocolate chips and bits of roasted nuts. The cookie base was made with butter, fresh eggs and "Bart and Judy's Proprietary Gluten Free Flour Blend."

The box contained two individually-sealed packets, permitting smaller servings while prolonging freshness.

Ashby Confections - Tortoises - Dark Chocolate Pecans and Agave Caramel - May 31, 2018

Chocolate of the Day: 

Ashby Confections

Tortoises - Dark Chocolate Pecans and Agave Caramel with Monterey Bay Sea Salt

Good++

Weight: 1.8 oz. (50.9 g.) / 3.6 oz. (101.8 g.) in package of 2 

Calories: 270 calories (estimate) in 1 tortoise

Cost: $8.50 for 1 package of 2 tortoises

Purchased from: Buttercream Cakes, Santa Cruz, CA

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

Today's Tortoises from Ashby Confections (Scotts Valley, CA) were wonderfully layered. Between a disc-shaped layer of dark chocolate and a layer of pecan halves was a layer of agave caramel. And the Tortoises were seasoned with Monterey Bay sea salt.

Bracing myself for lots of overly sweet and gooey caramel, I was pleasantly surprised. These variations on caramel turtles were well balanced and tasty. The layered flavors worked very nicely. The smooth dark chocolate, roasted pecans and sea salt balanced the soft, sweet agave caramel center layer, so you weren't left with a mouthful of sugar (thank you!).

The caramel did contain cane sugar, agave syrup and organic cream, and behaved like authentic, gooey caramel—creating caramel "fangs" with each bite. But, the combination of high-quality ingredients and the relative lack of sugar in the nuts and dark chocolate elevated this confection to a new level.

These Tortoises were made with fair trade dark chocolate* and were gluten and soy free.

*The company uses Guittard and Askinosie chocolate.

Soul Sprout - Wow Cacao Nib Sprouted Nut Bar - March 5, 2018

Chocolate of the Day: 

Soul Sprout 

Wow Cacao Nib - Nut Bar - Sprouted

Good ++

Weight: 1.5 oz. (43 g.) in total bar

Calories: 220 calories in 1 bar

Cost: $0.99 (estimate) for 1 bar

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

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

Today's Soul Sprout Wow Cacao Nib Nut Bar was created by Two Moms in the Raw, Inc. (Longmont, CO).  The company produces a variety of nut and granola bars, 

The base of this snack bar consisted of sprouted* raw nuts (almonds, pecans, walnuts). Cacao nibs are what chocolate is made of; and a generous helping of cacao nibs—along with cacao butter and cocoa powder—in this bar supplied the chocolate flavor.

Coconut syrup helped to sweeten and hold this pressed bar together. Other ingredients included pumpkin seeds, chia seeds and buckwheat groats, sea salt and sunflower lecithin.

The Wow Cacao Nib bar was Certified gluten free, organic, and Non GMO Project Verified.

*Sprouting nuts, grains and legumes can produce enzymes that can aid in the digestion of raw foods, in part because the sprouting process helps break down compounds found in plants like phytic acid and enzyme inhibitors.

Second Nature Snacks - Dark Chocolate Medley with nuts - Feb. 12, 2018

Chocolate of the Day: 

Second Nature Snacks Company
Dark Chocolate Medley
Good - Good +
Weight: 2 oz. (57 g.) / 12 oz. (340 g.) in total package
Calories: 320 calories in 2 servings
Cost: $ missing information
Purchased from: missing information

Welcome to Day #12 of Chocolate and Nuts Theme Week. Chocolate "weeks" frequently extend beyond seven days as new chocolate items are discovered.

For example, today's Dark Chocolate Medley "nut lover's blend" from Second Nature Snacks Company (Madison Heights, MI) suddenly popped up on the shelves of a local store, and seemed perfect for this Chocolate and Nuts Week.

This Non-GMO Project Verified, gluten free mix was a nicely balanced blend of dark chocolate squares (large enough so that you could taste the chocolate) and crunchy nuts: almonds, cashews and pecans.

While not suitable for those with nut allergies, this snack mix was made by a company that seemed mindful of ingredients and supply chains. And, it was relatively low in sodium (35 mg. in a single 1 oz. serving).

Nature's Path Foods - Dark Chocolate Cinnamon Pecan Hot Oatmeal - Feb. 9, 2018

Chocolate of the Day: 

Nature's Path Foods Inc.
Dark Chocolate Cinnamon Pecan Hot Oatmeal
Good
Weight: 1.94 oz. (58 g.) in 1 container (dry)
Calories: 220 calories in 1 container
Cost: $0.79 (estimate) for 1 container
Purchased from: Grocery Outlet Bargain Market, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #9 of Chocolate and Nuts Theme Week.

Today's Dark Cinnamon Pecan Hot Oatmeal was from Nature's Path Foods Inc. (Blaine, WA).

Hot oatmeal is a good, hearty cereal for breakfast.* Pecan pieces gave this hot cereal an even more robust and slightly chewy, soft crunchy texture.

The fair trade dark chocolate chunks melted with the addition of hot water, and contributed background cocoa flavor and color. A small handful of pecans we happened to have on hand amped up the nut flavor and texture.

*Most items on Chocolate Banquet are sampled in the morning, and sometimes re-sampled later in the day. 

The Oakland Chocolate Company - Pecan Turtle, Macchiato Caramel - Sept. 7, 2017

Chocolate(s) of the Day:

The Oakland Chocolate Company
1.) Turtle (Pecan) - Good ++
2.) Macchiato Caramel - Good ++
Weight: .71 oz. (20 g.) (estimate) in 2 pieces
Calories: 106.5 calories (estimate) in 2 pieces
Cost: $5.00 (estimate) for 2 pieces
Purchased from: The Oakland Chocolate Company, Oakland, CA

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

Nancy Nadel at The Oakland Chocolate Company (Oakland, CA) has created a wide assortment of flavored chocolate caramels, covered with her bean-to-bar-to-bonbon chocolate (that she's made from Jamaican cocoa beans).

In the past, Nancy's Pink Peppercorn and Tamarind Mango caramels have been featured here; and I've sampled her Chocolate Covered Caramel Graham Crackers (gluten free) as well.*

Today, the focus is on two chocolate and caramel pieces: a Pecan Turtle and a Macchiato Caramel.

Both chocolates had the subtle aroma of rich, dark Jamaican chocolate, and had the satisfying caramel and chocolate melt and texture that often only comes with small-batch confections with high-quality ingredients.

The turtle was a jewel of a confection—not a jumbo sweet monster patty packed into glass cases, oozing enough caramel to induce diabetes. This turtle had just the right amount of caramel and naturally sweet crunchy pecans. And the flavorful chocolate wasn't overly sweet (thank you!).

The Macchiato Caramel was an attractively constructed bonbon topped with a spot of white icing and a coffee bean. No wait. That coffee bean was actually a carefully molded tiny chocolate piece that looked like a coffee bean. The dark, not too sweet coffee-infused caramel center was also nicely done and well-balanced.

Thank you Nancy Nadel for being an early bean-to-bar chocolate maker in the wave of New American Chocolate makers that have blossomed this century, and for your new, creative flavors you continue to bring to the market.

*The Oakland Chocolate Company also offers Cardamom, Lemon, Cinnamon, Apple, Sweetheart and other Caramel bonbons with flavor inclusions.