California SunGold - Double Dark Chocolate Toffee Almonds - Feb. 29, 2016

Chocolate of the Day:

California SunGold Pistachios
Double Dark Chocolate Toffee Almonds
Good - Good +
Weight: 2 oz. (56.6 g.) / 7 oz. (198 g.) in total package
Calories: 300 calories (estimate) in 2 oz. (56.6 g.) serving
Cost: $4.99 for 1 package
Purchased from: CVS/pharmacy, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #8 of Chocolate and Almond Theme Week.

Today's jumbo-sized Double Dark Chocolate Toffee Almonds were from California SunGold Pistachios (Oakhurst, CA). They were a great blend of dark, sweet, nutty, and crunchy.

The U.S. currently produces more almonds than any other country in the world. California producers alone shipped more than a billion pounds of almonds in 2013.

I grew up in Northern California, in the Valley of Hearts Delight—or, what my colleagues back east used to call California, the land of fruit and nuts—in a pre-Silicon Valley world. (I attended Almond Elementary School on Almond Avenue.)

The San Francisco Bay Area later sprouted into a more urban world (after paving over some very productive farmland), but inland counties still produce huge quantities of almonds, walnuts, pistachios and fruit.

This week I've been featuring chocolate items with nuts from places like Oakhurst, CA (Merced County) and Chico, CA (Butte County). I feel fortunate to have been able to feature at least one Chocolate and Almond Theme Weeks, with at least seven new items, every year for over nine years.

The content and images in this post belong to ChocolateBanquet.com.

Nuttyness - Dark Chocolate Pure Almond Marzipan bar - Feb. 28, 2016

Chocolate of the Day: 

Nuttyness
Dark Chocolate Pure Almond Marzipan bar
Good
Weight: 2.12 oz. (60 g.) / 3.5 oz. (100 g.) in total bar
Calories: 318 calories in 3/5 bar
Cost: $6.99 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Piazza's Fine Foods, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #7 of Chocolate and Almond Theme Week.

The best marzipan has concentrated, natural almond flavor; and it contains enough sugar to elevate the flavor, without being cloyingly sweet.

Today's Dark Chocolate Pure Almond Marzipan bar from Nuttyness (Oakland, CA) does a good job of hitting this balance. The dark chocolate was dark enough to balance the sweet almond paste filling, but it was smooth enough to allow the pockets of marzipan to convey their own flavor.

The team at Nuttyness has been producing marzipan bars for several years in the classic European style, with a twist. In addition to Pure Marzipan bars made from California almonds and infused with "California flavors" (e.g. Lemon Ginger and Orange Cayenne* in the past), there are Nuttyness Pistachio Marzipan and Hazelnut Marzipan bars as well.

The first Nuttyness bars I tasted were more compact (smaller, chubbier) flavored marzipan bars. The marzipan was thicker than the chocolate coating. These bars are still available and can be sliced, much like a small stick of butter).

What's New?
In the future, I'm looking forward to trying the new Nuttyness "Marzibon" line of confections that was unveiled at the Winter Fancy Food Show in San Francisco in January 2016. These include "fruity" flavors and some of the flavors mentioned above* that first appeared in bar form.

That's the wonderful thing about chocolate, there's always something new.

The content and images in this post belong to ChocolateBanquet.com.

Maisie Jane's - Dark Chocolate Almonds - Feb. 27, 2016

Chocolate of the Day: 

Maisie Jane's California Sunshine Products, Inc.
Dark Chocolate Almonds
Good++
Weight: 1.5 oz. (42.45 g.) / 3 oz. (84.9 g.) in total package
Calories: 225 calories (estimate) in 1/2 package
Cost: $N/A - gift from a beekeeper friend
Purchased from: N/A - part of a gift basket from a friend

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

Maisie Jane Hurtado is a real person. She is a founder and driving force behind Maisie Jane's California Sunshine Products, Inc. (Chico, CA).

Maisie Jane founded the company while still in high school, and is a fourth generation almond farmer. She and her husband farm almonds in the Chico area.

Natural almonds, flavored almonds, chocolate covered almonds, and nut butters are all Maisie Jane specialties.

Today I sampled the company's Dark Chocolate Almonds. At the heart of these glossy pieces were crunchy, lightly roasted California almonds. The nuts were covered in dark chocolate that had a nice fudge brownie aroma and smooth dark chocolate flavor.

These Dark Chocolate Almonds were gluten free, and Kosher certified.

The abundant supply of almonds, walnuts and honey from the Chico/Butte County area are available to us, in part, because of the hard work of many farmers, bees, and beekeepers. Thank you all!

The content and images in this post belong to ChocolateBanquet.com.

Vintage Plantations - Dark Chocolate with Toasted Almonds bar - Feb. 26, 2016

Chocolate of the Day: 

Vintage Plantations Chocolates
Dark Chocolate with Toasted Almonds
Good - Good +
Weight: 1.07 oz. (30 g.) / 3.2 oz. (90 g.) in total bar
Calories: 159 calories (estimate) in 1/3 bar
Cost: $6.95 for 1 bar
Purchased from: SweetE Organic, Mill Valley, CA

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

Today's Dark Chocolate with Toasted Almonds bar from Vintage Plantations Chocolates was enveloped in a work of art. Printed on the wrapper was an image of a beautiful cacao plantation (painting by Charlotta Janssen).

Vintage Plantations has been making chocolate since the 1990s. There is no specific origin specified for this bar, but the company has been working with "heirloom single estate cocoa beans" for many years.

This dark bar (no percentage listed) had a sweet, slightly nutty and roasted malt aroma, and a balanced bittersweet dark chocolate flavor.

There were four ingredients in this chocolate: ground organic cocoa beans, undeodorized* organic cocoa butter, organic evaporated cane sugar, and organic almonds; and the bar was gluten free and vegan.

*Cocoa beans are naturally high in fat (or cocoa butter) content. And extra cocoa butter is often added to bars to give it a richer flavor, or creamier texture and melt. Some chocolate makers use cocoa butter that has had some of the aroma and taste removed—in other words, it's been "deodorized." Other makers include the natural flavoring (undeodorized cocoa butter). Added cocoa butter may or may not come from the same batch of cocoa beans, or the same area of origin as the cocoa solids.

The content and images in this post belong to ChocolateBanquet.com.

Nii Foods - Almond Chocolate Chip bar - Feb. 25, 2016

Chocolate of the Day: 

Nii Foods Inc.
Almond Chocolate Chip Bar
Good
Weight: 1.8 oz. (50 g.) in 1 bar
Calories: 240 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $1.99 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Sprouts, Mountain View, CA

Welcome to Day #4 of Chocolate and Almond Theme Week.

Shanais Pelka, the founder of Nii Foods Inc. (Carlsbad, CA) is a nutritionist, educator and mother. The company offers the Nii line of organic, gluten-free bars. Today's Almond Chocolate Chip bar was "Flav. No. 1."

The #1 ingredient in this certified organic, gluten free and kosher bar was raw almond butter. The #2 ingredient was organic dark chocolate. Good so far. Quality ingredients and appealing chew and texture.

Other ingredients in this health-oriented bar included organic dates, tapioca syrup, coconut nectar, sprouted quinoa, hemp seeds, and walnuts.

A Date Walks Into a Bar...
I have mixed feelings about dates. I love date milkshakes with a generous helping with freshly grated nutmeg and high-quality vanilla ice cream.

When it comes to dates in a bar...I'd much rather eat dates than, say corn syrup, in an energy or nutrition bar as a sweetener and a binding agent. Dates contribute a rich, fairly strong, dried fruit acidic sweet flavor, as well as fiber, minerals, and a soft, chewy texture that helps compressed bars hold their shape.

The date flavor helps balance the nut and chocolate flavors. But, I love "unbalanced," fairly strong nut and chocolate flavors; and they tend to be subdued by the all-powerful date.

The content and images in this post belong to ChocolateBanquet.com.

NibMor - 72% Cacao Dark Chocolate with Almonds bar - Feb. 24, 2016

Chocolate of the Day: 

NibMor Inc.
72% Cacao Dark Chocolate with Almonds bar
Good+
Weight: 1.1 oz. (31 g.) / 2.2 oz. (62 g.) in total bar
Calories: 160 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $2.59 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Loop store, at Shell gas station, Pocket Road, Sacramento, CA

Welcome to Day #3 of Chocolate and Almond Theme Week.

Today's 72% Cacao Dark Chocolate with Almonds bar was manufactured for NibMor Inc. (Great Neck, NY).

This bar had a malty, smooth dark chocolate taste, and a soft crunchy nut texture (from bits of almond).

Self-described "do-gooders," NibMor contributes to causes, such as disease prevention and fighting childhood obesity. The packaging for this "organic and ethically traded" bar was printed with the following certification-related symbols:

• USDA Organic
• Non-GMO Project Certified
• Rainforest Alliance Certified Cocoa
• Certified-Gluten Free
• Kosher (U)D
• Certified Vegan

The content and images in this post belong to ChocolateBanquet.com.

Theo Chocolate - Kids' Almond Crunch bar - Feb. 23, 2016

Chocolate of the Day: 

Theo Chocolate, Inc.
Kids' Whole Grain Crunch Almond 55% Dark chocolate bar
Good
Weight: 1 oz. (28 g.) in 1 bar
Calories: 140 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $2.19 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Country Sun Natural Foods, Palo Alto, CA

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

Theo Chocolate, Inc. (Seattle, WA) has produced a family of Kids' Whole Grain Crunch bars—available in three different flavors: Banana (milk), Raspberry (dark), and today's Almond 55% Dark chocolate.

The crunch in this bar came from almond bits, puffed brown rice and puffed quinoa—that added interesting texture, without hiding the chocolate taste.

If you think this kid-sized bar contained down-sized or watered down dark chocolate flavor, you'd be incorrect. The chocolate was fairly rich, with balanced fruit acidity.

Today's Kids' Crunch Almond bar was "Gluten Free, Soy Free, Kosher, Vegan;" and it bore three certification-related symbols: 1.) fair for life (Fair for Life Social and Fair Trade Certification Programme); 2.) USDA Organic; and 3.) Non-GMO Project Verified.

The content and images in this post belong to ChocolateBanquet.com.