Alli and Rose - Dark Chocolate Powerberries - Dec. 6, 2015

Chocolate of the Day: 

Alli and Rose
Dark Chocolate Powerberries
(pomegranate, blueberry, cranberry, acai berry with chia)
Good
Weight: 3 oz. (85 g.) / 6 oz. (170 g.) in total package
Calories: 450 calories in 1/2 package
Cost: $3.69 for 1 package
Purchased from: Ross Stores, Mountain View, CA

Today was Day #7 of Chocolate and ABC (Apple, Baobab and Cranberry) Theme Week—with a slight foreshadowing* of Chocolate and Brazil Theme Week (beginning tomorrow).

I enjoyed some dark chocolate covered "Powerberries" from Alli and Rose (Lincolnton, NC) today. The product description invited me to "taste the crunchy chia." I barely detected the chia, but the multi-berry filling had an authentic fruity flavor.

*Acai berries were one ingredient in today's chocolate; and they remind me of Brazil .... And, starting tomorrow, we're traveling (virtually) to that large South American country here on Chocolate Banquet.

Chocolaterie Monbana - Chocolat Noir and Cranberry bar - Dec. 5, 2015

Chocolate of the Day: 

Chocolaterie Monbana
Chocolat Noir and Cranberry bar
Good+
Weight: 2 oz. (56.6 g.) / 2.8 oz. (80 g.) in total bar
Calories: 300 calories (estimate) in 2 oz. (56.6 g.) of bar
Cost: $7.99 for 1 bar
Purchased from: HomeGoods/TJ Maxx, Santa Clara, CA

Today was Day #6 of Chocolate and ABC (Apple, Baobab and Cranberry) Theme Week.

This Chocolat Noir (Dark Chocolate) and Cranberry bar from Chocolaterie Monbana (Ernee, France) was covered with a constellation of cranberry bits, and was infused with an almond-tasting flavoring.

Dove - Whole Cranberries Dipped in Dark Chocolate - Dec. 4, 2015

Chocolate of the Day:

Dove
Whole Cranberries "Dipped in Creamy Dove Dark Chocolate"
Good
Weight: 1.41 oz. (40 g.)/ 2.83 oz. (80.2 g.) in total package
Calories: 190 calories in 1/2 pack
Cost: $2.69 for 1 package
Purchased from: CVS/pharmacy, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #5 of Chocolate and ABC (Apple, Baobab and Cranberry) Theme Week.

When I opened today's package of Whole Cranberries Dipped in Dove Dark Chocolate, from Mars Incorporated (Hackettstown, NJ), I was greeted with a hot cocoa aroma.

The round chocolate pieces came conveniently packaged in a 2-serving bag of individual pieces—dark milk* chocolate around a whole, tangy-sweet cranberry fruit core.

*Note: The dark chocolate coating did have milk in it.

jcoco - Peanut Strawberry Baobab dark bar - Dec. 3, 2015

Chocolate of the Day: 

jcoco
(Seattle Chocolates)
Peanut Strawberry Baobab bar
Good ++
Weight: 1 oz. (28 g.) / 3 oz. (85 g.) package of 3 smaller bars
Calories: 150 calories (estimate) in 1 bar
Cost: $7.95 for 1 package of 3 smaller bars
Purchased from: Seattle Chocolates website, online order

Welcome to Day #4 of Chocolate and ABC Theme Week. (Today "B" is for Baobab.)

Today's brightly colored package of three smaller, individually wrapped, Peanut Strawberry Baobab in dark chocolate bars was from jcoco—a brand belonging to Seattle Chocolates (Seattle, WA).

Baobab powder gave this dark chocolate bar a slightly fruity, tropical flavor that intermingled with strawberry and other fruit flavors.

"Strawberry baobabs" in this bar were a blend of strawberry, plum, apple, apple juice, baobab powder, black carrot juice, citrus pectin, strawberry puree, rice flour, and coconut oil.

Peanut bits gave the vegan and gluten-free bar a soft, crunchy texture. And a darker, slightly earthy dark chocolate helped balance the sweeter fruit and nut flavors, and vice versa.

Jo's Candies - Applewood Smoked Caramel - Dec. 2, 2015

Chocolate of the Day: 

Jo's Candies
Applewood Smoked Caramel
Good
Weight: .6 oz. (17 g.) /1.2 oz. (34 g.) in package of 2 pieces
Calories: 75 calories in 1 piece
Cost: $1.99 for 1 package
Purchased from: Piazza's Fine Foods, Palo Alto, CA


Today was Day #3 of Chocolate and ABC Theme Week. "A" is for apple; and today was the last of the chocolate and apple items. (Tomorrow we graduate to "B" as in baobab fruit.)

Jo's Candies (Torrance, CA) "California-crafted" today's Applewood Smoked Caramel (package of two pieces).

It's hard to go wrong with chocolate-covered, smoked salt caramels. This blend of flavors seem to naturally hum together in perfect harmony. The Applewood smoked salt in today's chocolate helped balance the generous slab of sweet, chewy caramel filling.

Caramel Apple Mini Milkshakes
To inject a bit more apple into this caramel experience, I paired these Jo's caramels with a small caramel apple milkshake (made with fresh apple slices, caramel sea salt gelato, dulce de leche ice cream, a micro-splash of Calvados (apple brandy) and sprinkle of apple pie spices). It was either that, or call a local ice cream spot—Tin Pot Creamery (Palo Alto, CA)—to see if their baked apple sorbet was in stock. I didn't get around to the latter, but both would have been good apple-y sweet choices.

Russell Stover - Caramel Apple with Peanuts - Dec. 1, 2015

Chocolate of the Day:

Russell Stover Candies, Inc.
Caramel Apple with Peanuts
Good
Weight: 2.25 oz. (64 g.) in total package
Calories: 320 calories in 1 package
Cost: $1.48 for 1 package
Purchased from: Safeway, Los Altos, CA

Welcome to Day #2 of Chocolate and ABC (Apple, Baobab and Cranberry) Theme Week.

Today's Milk Chocolate Caramel Apple with Peanuts was from Russell Stover (Kansas City, MO).

The apple-shaped "Big Bite" apple flavored caramel was covered in milk chocolate, topped with chopped peanuts, and it was just as sweet as you'd expect it to be.

flying noir - Applause Apple Brandy chocolate - Nov. 30, 2015

Chocolate of the Day: 

flying noir
"Applause" Apple Brandy chocolate
Good++
Weight: .4 oz. (11.32 g.) (estimate) in 1 piece
Calories: 60 calories (estimate) in 1 piece
Cost: $12.00 - part of a larger 6-piece "spirited" assortment box
Purchased from: flying noir, Fall Chocolate Salon, San Francisco, CA

Welcome to the last day of Holiday Spirits Theme Week, and the first day of ABC Theme Week.

I'll be working my way through the chocolate alphabet, starting with items that begin with A, B, and C. This week ABC stands for the following three fruits: Apple, Baobab and Cranberry.

Today's "Applause" Apple Brandy chocolate was created by flying noir (Oakland, CA). Covered with Kallari dark chocolate, this piece had a nice flavorful center with layered, adult caramelized apple flavor. The Applause filled chocolate was part of flying noir's "spirited" collection.