West Thomas Partners - The GFB Gluten Free bar - chocolate peanut butter - Nov. 13, 2015

Chocolate of the Day: 

West Thomas Partners LLC
The GFB Gluten Free Bar - chocolate peanut butter
Good
Weight: 2.05 oz. (58 g.) in 1 bar
Calories: 240 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $1.50 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Sprouts Farmers Markets, Mountain View, CA

Today was Day #9 of Chocolate and Peanuts Theme Week.

I avoid gluten, so I'm always happy to find chocolate items like today's "The GFB Gluten Free Bar."  This line of gluten-free bars from West Thomas Partners LLC (Grand Rapids, MI), includes different flavors. Today's flavor was chocolate peanut butter.

It's fair to call this (vegan, non-GMO, and soy and dairy-free) bar a snack or protein bar. (It contained 12 grams of protein, primarily from brown rice and pea proteins, and from "virginia peanuts"—the number one ingredient.)

The bar had a slightly odd, smoky aroma. It had a pleasant chewiness (not to gooey and not too stiff). The flavor was similar to other protein bars with a very mild nutty taste from the peanuts and a hint of cocoa richness (from cocoa butter, cocoa mass (liquor) and cocoa powder). The texture was slightly smoother (less gritty and less dry) than many other protein bars. You might detect a golden flaxseed or two, but nothing unpleasant. And it had a relatively clean finish.

Charm School Chocolate - Coconut Milk with Peanut Butter Toffee bar - Nov. 12, 2015

Chocolate of the Day: 

Charm School Chocolate
Coconut Milk Chocolate bar with Peanut Butter Toffee
Good ++
Weight: 2.1 oz. (60 g.) in 1 bar
Calories: 315 calories (estimate) in 1 bar
Cost: $8.00 for 1 bar (member price)
Purchased from: The Chocolate Garage, Palo Alto, CA

Today was Day #8 of Chocolate and Peanuts Theme Week.

If you're a vegan who loves milk chocolate, you might be disappointed there are not more options. Not, however, if you've discovered Charm School Chocolate (Reisterstown, MD).

Charm School bars have the velvety smoothness that can be achieved with coconut milk, and the flavor of carefully and slowly roasted and processed cocoa beans. I'm partial to their "darker" bars, but today's 49% cacao bar is sure to charm those with a sweet tooth.

This bar, made from Maya Mountain Cacao,* had a faint green coconut aroma; and it was (like its siblings), nice and smooth with a clean finish. It had a generous sprinkle of carefully crafted peanut butter toffee flakes on one side, tempered with a barely discernible hint of French sea salt.

For vegans who love milk chocolate, you're in luck. But, you don't have to be a vegan to enjoy Charm School bars. Thank you to The Chocolate Garage (Palo Alto, CA) for stocking these, and many other great bars.

*Cocoa beans used for to make this chocolate were from Maya Mountain Cacao, located in southern Belize.

Whittaker's - Peanut Slab - Nov. 11, 2015

Chocolate of the Day:

J.H. Whittaker and Sons Ltd
Peanut Slab
Good - Good +
Weight: 1.76 oz. (50 g.) in total bar
Calories: 264 calories (estimate) in 1 bar
Cost: $N/A - gift from a friend
Purchased from: N/A - gift

Today was Day #7 of Chocolate and Peanuts Theme Week.

This Peanut Slab was made in New Zealand by J.H. Whittaker and Sons Ltd.

The milk chocolate bar was thick and firm, but not so hard that you had to struggle to enjoy taking a bite. Roasted peanuts embedded throughout the bar added satisfying nutty texture and taste.

John Kelly - Peanut Butter Truffle Fudge Bites with Salt - Nov. 10, 2015

Chocolate of the Day: 

John Kelly Chocolates
Truffle Fudge Bites
Peanut Butter with Himalayan Pink Salt
Good
Weight: 1 oz. (28 g.) / 2 oz. (57 g.) in total box
Calories: 140 calories in 1 bar (1/2 box)
Cost: $9.75 in total box
Purchased from: Studio 41, Benicia, CA

Welcome to Day #6 of Chocolate and Peanuts Theme Week.

Today's box of 2 Peanut Butter Truffle Fudge Bites with Himalayan Pink Salt were made by John Kelly Chocolates (Hollywood, CA), a company specializing in truffle fudge chocolates.

A generous, solid layer of peanut butter fudge was enrobed in velvety milk chocolate and was topped with a diagonal sprinkle of salt crystals.

Protein and fats (nuts, butters) and salt help balance what for some might be an overly sweet taste in a fudge-style chocolate. As with any chocolate fudge, make sure to buy these when they're fresh.

John Kelly - Chocolate and Peanut Butter Truffle Fudge - Nov. 9, 2015

Chocolate of the Day: 

John Kelly Chocolates
Semi-Sweet Chocolate and Peanut Butter Truffle Fudge Bar
Good - Good +
Weight: 1.7 oz. (48 g.) in total bar
Calories: 250 calories (estimate) in 1 piece/bar
Cost: $4.25 in total bar
Purchased from: Studio 41, Benicia, CA

Today was Day #5 of Chocolate and Peanuts Theme Week.

John Kelly (actually two people) started producing their fudge truffle chocolates in Hollywood back in 2004.

I "discovered" a whole trove of John Kelly Chocolates at Studio 41 (Benicia, CA), a store full of interesting gifts and chocolates. Benicia's  historic downtown area is full of creative independent businesses—a refreshing change from the chain stores that now inhabit most Bay Area cities—making a stroll through downtown and by the water a very pleasant experience.

Today's Semi-Sweet Chocolate and Peanut Butter Truffle Fudge Bar was diminutive but dense. A pleasant chocolate fudge aroma escaped as I peeled back the gold foil wrapper.

As with most fudge, this was sweet; but it was more balanced than most. The thick peanut butter layer helped. Nuts are a great way to dial back and complement sugary sweetness.

Chapul - Chaco Bar Peanut Butter and Chocolate - Nov. 8, 2015

Chocolate of the Day: 

Chapul, LLC
Chaco Bar - Peanut Butter and Chocolate
Good
Weight: 1.9 oz. (54 g.) in total bar
Calories: 220 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $2.99 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Sprouts Farmers Markets, Mountain View, CA

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

Well, it's time to try a bar with something different.

Today's energy bar contained brown cricket protein powder. Fear not. There was no identifiable cricket flavor or texture in this Peanut Butter and Chocolate Chaco Bar from Chapul (Salt Lake City, UT).

What I could taste was the first two ingredients: slightly fruity, chewy, moist dates, and honey. The bar contained a blend of dates, organic raw honey, chocolate, peanuts, oats, cricket flour and flax seeds.

Many living things rely on insects for valuable protein and a complete set of amino acids. Humans too—and not just the ancient Greeks and Romans, who also ate bugs. There are insect markets in Cambodia and in other Asian countries. Fried grasshoppers (chapulines) are on the menu in Mexico.

And American Indians included roasted cricket flour in their diet. The name for this particular "Chaco" bar was inspired by the Chaco people, a "pre-Colombian civilization in the Colorado River Watershed."

Reese's Nutrageous snack size bars - Nov. 7, 2015

Chocolate of the Day: 

The Hershey Company
Reese's Nutrageous (snack-size bars)
Good ++
Weight: 1.76 oz. (50 g.)/ 9.68 oz. (274 g.) in total package
Calories: 250 calories in 2 bars
Cost: $2.49 for 1 bag of bars
Purchased from: CVS/pharmacy, Mountain View, CA

Today was Day #3 of Chocolate and Peanuts Theme Week.

This bag of Halloween-themed, Reese's* Nutrageous snack size bars contained a sweet candy bar blend of milk chocolate, peanuts, peanut butter and gooey, golden caramel.

I love single origin dark bars; but I still have a soft spot for Reese's themed treats now and then.

*Reese's peanut butter cups were created in the 1920s by H.B. Reese who had worked for Milton S. Hershey, and used Hershey chocolate in these cups. In the 1960s, the H.B. Reese Candy Company became part of the Hershey Chocolate Corporation.