Alma with Jacobsen Salt Co. - The Sea Salt Hazelnut Crunch Bar - July 4, 2016

Chocolate of the Day: 

Alma Chocolate with Jacobsen Salt Co.
The Sea Salt Hazelnut Crunch Bar
Good ++ - Very Good
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) / 2 oz. (56.6 g.) in total bar
Calories: 116 calories (per label) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $6.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from:  Cacao at The Heathman, Portland, OR

Welcome to Day #2 of Chocolate and Hazelnut Theme Week. And Happy 4th of July to all who celebrate Independence Day.

The Sea Salt Hazelnut Crunch Bar was made by Alma Chocolate (Portland, OR) with Jacobsen Salt Company (with tasting rooms in Portland, OR and Tillamook, OR).

This bar was filled with a blend of Woodblock Chocolate (Portland, OR) (cocoa solids, sugar); hazelnuts; sugar; and Jacobsen's sea salt. The bar was covered with (Dominican) chocolate with protruding hunks of hazelnut and a sprinkle of sea salt.

The bar had a light, pleasing chocolate aroma, and was compact, complex and flavorful.

Instead of an overly sweet, nougat hazelnut center I half expected to encounter, the dense, rich crunchy center was bursting with dark cacao flavor complexity. A bonus for dark chocolate bean-to-bar fans.

NeoCocoa - Hazelnut Butter Dark Milk Truffles - July 3, 2016

Chocolate of the Day: 

NeoCocoa
Hazelnut Butter Dark Milk truffles
Good ++ - Very Good
Weight: .4 oz. (11.5 g.) / 2.4 oz. (69 g.) in total box of 6
Calories: 60 calories (estimate) in 1 truffle
Cost: $10.00 for 1 box of 6 truffles
Purchased from: NeoCocoa table at Palo Alto Farmers Market, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to the first day of Chocolate and Hazelnut Theme Week.

I'm always happy to sample new chocolate offerings from NeoCocoa (Belmont, CA). Today I enjoyed one of an immaculately sliced group (of 6) Hazelnut Butter Dark Milk truffles.

NeoCocoa Owner Christine Doerr perfected the "Hearts of Chocolate"truffle experience, and Amanda (who I met at the Farmers Market) was doing a great job helping to promote and fulfill this tradition.

Think of the most outstanding creamy ganache filling inside a chocolate covered truffle, and just leave out the harder chocolate couverture (covering). Today's dark milk truffles, flavored with a hint of hazelnut, were just like that.

Unfortunately for me, while wheat-free, these creamy truffles did contain a thin, slightly crunchy wafer layer at the bottom that contained barley malt flour. However, I'm hoping tasting one will be OK. Ah to be free from such concerns; but that's life.

Signature Select dark bar + Notable Bites Lemon Shortbread - July 2, 2016

Chocolate of the Day:

Signature Select
78% Cacao Dark Chocolate bar
Good - Good +
Weight: .7 oz. (20 g.) / 3.5 oz. (100 g.) in total bar
Calories: 110 calories in 2 squares of bar (155.65 cals. per oz.)
Cost: $2.50 for 1 bar (2 for $5.00)
Purchased from: Safeway, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #7 of Chocolate Cookie Theme Week.

The Signature Select 78% Cacao dark chocolate bar was slightly darker in color and flavor than I expected. The chocolate was smooth with a relatively firm, creamy texture and pleasant, earthy fudge flavor. (I will save the rest of this bar to make brownies later.)

So, where's the cookie part you might ask? I'm a fan of chocolate and lemon, so I paired today's dark chocolate bar with gluten-free Meyer lemon shortbread squares, which were rich and buttery, but also light and full of refreshing citrus flavor. In short, an interesting contrast to today's dark bar.

Notable Bites
The Meyer Lemon Shortbread mix was from a local Bay Area producer. Wendy's Notable Bites line includes both regular and gluten free cake and cookie mixes. Lemon is a specialty, and Wendy sells mixes and prepared Meyer lemon and almond bars and other baked goods at the Palo Alto Farmers Market (Palo Alto, CA). Eat these lemon squares fresh from the oven to experience the best (fragrant) results. The lemon flavors (from lemon peel and juice) were luscious and the texture was slightly fluffy, flaky and crumbly all at once. 

Nothin' But - Chocolate Coconut Almond Granola Cookies - July 1, 2016

Chocolate of the Day:

Distributed by Nothin' But Premium Foods
Chocolate Coconut Almond Granola Cookies
Good +
Weight: 1 oz. (28 g.) / 7 oz. (198 g.) in total package
Calories: 140 calories in 1 serving (2 cookies)
Cost: $6.89 for 1 package
Purchased from: Mollie Stone's Markets, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #6 of Chocolate Cookies Theme Week.

It's summer, and it's a great time for a picnic. Today's Chocolate Coconut Almond Granola Cookies from Nothin' But Premium Foods (Westport, CT), would be a great addition to a picnic basket or snack bag.

Substantial and crunchy, these oat and almond based cookies were not certified gluten free, but were wheat and egg free, and contained no butter or dairy ingredients that I could see.

Ingredients: Almonds, Oats, Semi-sweet chocolate, honey, coconut, organic can sugar, olive oil, oat flour, cinnamon, vanilla, sea salt, espresso powder.

As part of a mini chocolate picnic, I also enjoyed two Double Chocolate Chip Mini Cookies from Homefree LLC (Windham, NH).

These cute, little crunchy, bite-sized chocolate rounds were very similar to Homefree's Chocolate Chocolate Chip mini cookies I had back in 2011. They shared the plate with today's featured granola cookies. Homefree makes "allergy friendly" gluten free cookies that are also free of nuts, peanuts, dairy and soy. Perfect for a doll-house picnic for kids.

Protein Puck - Almond Butter Dark Chocolate - June 30, 2016

Chocolate of the Day: 

Manufactured for Inland Coffee Retailers LLC
Protein Puck - Almond Butter Dark Chocolate
Good
Weight: 3.25 oz. (92 g.) in total puck/package
Calories: 240 calories in 1 puck
Cost: $2.99 for 1 puck/package
Purchased from: Vista House, Crown Point, OR

Welcome to Day #5 of Chocolate Cookie Theme Week.

While I haven't seen these cookie-shaped Protein Pucks where I live in the San Francisco Bay Area, I was able to find and purchase some on recent trip to Oregon, at a scenic site called Vista House at Crown Point, overlooking the Columbia River Gorge.

And across the gorge, lies Washington, the state where this Almond Butter Dark Chocolate Protein Puck was manufactured for Inland Coffee Retailers LLC (Spokane, WA).

The Almond Butter Dark Chocolate Protein Puck/bar contained small chunks of dark chocolate (not immediately visible from the package), and was substantial and filling.

This gluten free and vegan bar contained almond butter, agave, gluten free oats, flax seeds, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, almonds, dark chocolate, coconut and sunflower oil.

Jo-sef's Gluten Free - Chocolate O's cookies - June 29, 2016

Chocolate of the Day:

Jo-sef's Gluten Free
Chocolate O's Gluten Free cookies
Good
Weight: 1.41 oz. (40 g.) / 8.5 oz. (240 g.) for 1 box of cookies
Calories: 190 calories in 2 cookies (1 serving)
Cost: $ unknown
Purchased from: unknown

Welcome to Day #4 of Chocolate Cookie Theme Week.

Today's Chocolate O's Gluten Free cookies from Jo-sef's Gluten Free (Brooklyn, NY) were an allergy-free take on the classic, crunchy, creamy American chocolate sandwich cookies.

They were "Egg Free, Wheat Free, No Chemical Preservatives; Nut Free, Lactose/Dairy Free, Casein Free, Vegan."

Mary's Gone Crackers - Minis Cocoa bites - June 28, 2016

Chocolate of the Day:

Mary's Gone Crackers, Inc.
Minis - Cocoa bites
Good
Weight: 11 pieces - .53 oz. (15 g.) / 4.5 oz. (127 g.) in total box
Calories: 70 calories in 1 serving
Cost: $ unknown
Purchased from: unknown

Welcome to Day #3 of Chocolate Cookies Theme Week. (All gluten free folks.)

Today's Minis—Cocoa* bites from Mary's Gone Crackers, Inc. (Gridley, CA)—were tiny organic cookies made with a gluten-free flour blend, and contained crunchy bits of whole grain quinoa flakes and chia seeds.

Lightly sweetened, a single serving (22) of these vegan 1-bite shapes would likely allow you to enjoy the sun, the moon and the stars. (And the hearts too.)

Just like Mary's seed crackers, a few of these Minis left me feeling like I'd eaten something substantial and satisfying. Thank you to the team at Mary's for continuing to develop nutritious snacks that contain whole grain, with no wheat or gluten. (Mary herself has Celiac disease, a big reason why she got into the gluten-free cracker business.)

*Mary's Minis (bites) also come in vanilla and graham flavors.