ChocolateBet: December 18, 2009

Chocolate of the Day:
2 pieces
King Leo (Quality Candy Company Inc.)
Dark Chocolate Crunchy Patties - Peppermint
Very Good - Very Good +
Weight: 1.48 oz. (42 g.)/5 oz. (142 g.) total package
Calories: 180 calories in 2 pieces
Cost: $
Purchased from: Walgreens, in Palo Alto, CA?

This was Day #6 of Chocolate and Mint Theme Week. Today's dark chocolate peppermint patties contained a layer of peppermint white cream and a layer of crushed peppermint candy bits in the center -- making them texturally interesting, and refreshingly tasty.

ChocolateBet: December 17, 2009

Chocolate of the Day:
3 pieces
Scharffen Berger
Mint (small squares) 62% Cacao
Good +
Weight: .525 oz. (15 g.) for 3/2.1 oz. (60 g.) in total package of 12 squares
Calories: 78 calories in 3 pieces
Cost: $?
Purchased from: Scharffen Berger (Berkeley, CA - before plant closed)

The focus for today's choice (for Day #5 of Chocolate and Mint Theme Week), was more on the dark chocolate, with a more subtle mint flavor than most other chocolate and mint combinations sampled this week.

ChocolateBet: December 16, 2009

Chocolate of the Day:

1/3 bar + 3 items
Newman's Own Organics
Good +
Weight: .75 oz. (21.3 g.) in 1/3 bar
Calories: 113 calories for 1/3 bar
Cost: $2.99 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Whole Foods, Los Altos, CA?

In honor of National Chocolate Covered Anything Day (see holidayinsights.com), I rummaged around to find three "Anythings." I elected to use part of today's organic chocolate (bar) to cover three items: 1.) Lemon Rock Candy (aka yellow snow from Cost Plus World Market - see images); 2.) candied violets (see image); and 3.) tic tac mints (see image).

Milk chocolate was probably not the best choice for the lemon and violet items (too much sugar left no room for subtle flavorings). However, the tic tacs didn't fare so badly. Crunching down on these minty little bullets made my ears ring; but that fresh minty flavor busted right through the makeshift milk chocolate coating. Congratulations to those tic tacs on, fittingly, Day #4 of Chocolate and Mint Theme Week (2009).

ChocolateBet: December 15, 2009

Chocolate of the Day:
1 snowman
Russell Stover
Peppermint Bark Snowman
Very Good
Weight: 7/8 oz. (25 grams)
Calories: 140 calories
Cost: $0.50 for 1 snowman/pkg.
Purchased from: Walgreens, in Palo Alto, CA

Today's choice for Day #3 of Chocolate and Mint Theme Week (2009) was a peppermint bark snowman. The first accessory to go was the top hat.

Thanks also to Megan for the taste of homemade chocolate angel strata pie. The filling was very good.

ChocolateBet: December 14, 2009

Chocolate of the Day:
2 pieces
Dilettante Chocolates (Seattle Gourmet Foods)
Chocolate TruffleCreme mints - Peppermint #23
Very Good
Weight: .69 oz. (19 g.) in 2 pieces
Calories: 105 calories
Cost: NA (gift); thank you Megan
Purchased from: NA (gift)

The weather has come in one size only this week: gray and rainy. So, focusing on uplifting mint flavored chocolate items this week seemed like a good idea. That, and getting some outdoor exercise, should help. These TruffleCremes were flavored with oil of peppermint. I believe #23 refers to a formula developed by Dilettante Chocolates.

ChocolateBet: December 13, 2009

Chocolate of the Day:

2 pieces
Anthon Berg
Creamy Mint(s)
Very Good
Weight: .7 oz. (20 g.)/4.9 oz. (140 g.) total package
Calories: 90 calories for 2 pieces
Cost: $?
Purchased from: ?

These individually wrapped 55% dark chocolates, with mint cream filling, were from Denmark. (Unfortunately, I misplaced price and purchase information from several month months ago.)

ChocolateBet: December 12, 2009

Chocolate of the Day:

1 oz.
Melzy Enterprises Inc.
Figamajigs - Dark Chocolate Covered Fig Candy
Good + - Very Good
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.)/1.41 oz. (40 g.) total package
Calories: 106 calories (estimate)
Cost: NA - gift; thanks Megan! ($1.95 for 1 package)
Purchased from: East West Bookstore, in downtown Mountain View, CA

Healthy, low fat, tasty fig pieces, coated in dark chocolate, with no added milk products. Sounded good to me. Image of the (empty) package is shown above.