Clif Bar - Organic Chocolate Hazelnut Butter bar - July 14, 2016

Chocolate of the Day: 

Clif Bar
Organic Chocolate Hazelnut Butter bar
Good - Good+
Weight: 1.76 oz. (50 g.) in 1 bar
Calories: 230 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $1.79 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Safeway, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #12 of Chocolate and Hazelnut Theme Week(s).

Today's Organic Chocolate Hazelnut Butter bar was from energy bar pioneeer Clif Bar and Company (Emeryville, CA). Hidden beneath a traditional oat-based energy bar exterior was a creamy chocolate nut butter filling (chocolate + hazelnut butter, cashew butter and almond butter).

This bar was part of a new line of Nut Butter Filled bars. (There is also an Organic Chocolate Peanut Butter bar (with chocolate on the outside and peanut butter on the inside).

While not explicitly gluten-free, there were no wheat ingredients listed in this organic bar.

TCHO - Hazelnut Chunk bar - July 13, 2016

Chocolate of the Day:

TCHO
Hazelnut Chunk bar
Good
Weight: .83 oz. (23.3 g.) / 2.5 oz. (70 g.) in total bar
Calories: 143 calories in 1/3 bar
Cost: $5.29 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Draeger's, San Mateo, CA

Today's Hazelnut Chunk bar was from TCHO (Berkeley, CA)

This bar was made with organic, 53% cacao milk chocolate and it contained an even distribution of diced hazelnuts and hazelnut butter. At only 53% cocoa solids it was a bit sweet for me, but milk chocolate fans may enjoy this bar.

The texture was smooth and cohesive, with a slightly gummy melt. (The bar contained soy lecithin and whole and non-fat milk powder.)

Today was Day #11 of Chocolate and Hazelnut Theme Week(s).

Alda di Provenzano - i Neri hazelnut chocolates - July 12, 2016

Chocolate of the Day: 

Alda di Provenzano
i Neri hazelnut chocolates
Good
Weight: .78 oz. (22.2 g.) / 3.53 oz. (100 g.) in total container
Calories: 117 calories (estimate) in 2 pieces
Cost: $16.95 in 1 container of 9 pieces
Purchased from: Draeger's, San Mateo, CA

Buon appetito and welcome to Day #10 of Chocolate and Hazelnut Theme Week.

Alda di Provenzano (Tuglie, Italy) is located in southern Italy, on Via Aldo Moro.

Today's i Neri hazelnut chocolates came individually wrapped in black wrappers in a metal tin, making them easy to transport and share with friends.

These chocolates had a soft, almost brownie-like filling studded with hazelnut bits.

Chobani - "flip" yogurt Chocolate Haze Craze - July 11, 2016

Chocolate of the Day: 

Chobani, LLC
Chobani Greek Yogurt "flip" Chocolate Haze Craze
Good
Weight: 5.3 oz. (150 g.) in total container
Calories: 240 calories in 1 container
Cost: $ missing information
Purchased from: Safeway

Welcome to Day #9 of Chocolate and Hazelnut Theme Week.

Today's Chocolate Haze Craze yogurt from Chobani, LLC (New Berlin, New York) was packaged with two compartments.

One was filled with chopped hazelnuts and chocolate chips that could be "flipped" onto a second, larger compartment of slightly tangy chocolate, hazelnut flavored low-fat yogurt.

Chobani is a U.S. based strained (or Greek) yogurt maker that got its start in 2005 and now is a top-selling brand with many different flavors of yogurt, including at least two with chocolate that I've tasted.

Guido Gobino - Chocolate Gianduja with sea salt, olive oil - July 10, 2016

Chocolate of the Day: 

Guido Gobino
Cremino al Sale - chocolate gianduja cube with sea salt, olive oil
Very Good - Very Good +
Weight: .488 oz. (13.8 g. ) in 2 cubes
Calories: 74 calories (estimate) in 2 cubes
Cost: $0.95 x 2 = $1.90 for 2 cubes
Purchased from: SweetE Organic, Mill Valley, CA

Welcome to Day #8 Chocolate and Hazelnut Theme Week.

Today's Cremino al Sale (chocolate gianduja cube) with sea salt and Extra Virgin Olive Oil from Liguria, was a modern version of the gianduja that was created in the 1800s in northern Italy. And it was very good.

This heavenly cube creation was from Guido Gobino in Torino, Italy—home to many wonderful, creamy hazelnut chocolate items.

Majani Fiat Extra Noir and Il Cremino squares - July 9, 2016

Chocolate(s) of the Day: 

Majani
1.) Fiat Extra Noir
2.) Fiat Il Cremino
Weight: .78 oz. (22 g.) (estimate) in two pieces
Calories: 117 calories (estimate) in two pieces
Cost: $0.95 x 2 = $1.90 for 2 pieces
Purchased from: SweetE Organic, Mill Valley, CA

Majani (Bologna, Italia) has been making chocolate from cocoa beans in some form for more than 200 years. Today I'm featuring two of the company's individually wrapped cubes in their Fiat product line: the Extra Noir and Il Cremino.

Majani's first chocolate offerings date back to 1796, an impressive historical fact—with a fan base to match. Apparently Gugliemo Marconi* and other Italian celebrities were keen on Majani chocolates.

The company's Fiat brand was launched in 1911 when Fiat (the car company) "chose Majani to create a special chocolate for the launch of its new car Fiat Tipo 4 (that's why Il Cremino was made with four layers)."

Today's Fiat line includes bars and confections. The Cremino line, creamy squares with a velvety melt, is one of the most popular in the company's history. As promised, the 4-layer Il Cremino chocolate had alternating layers of creamy hazelnut and almond. (Ingredients: sugar, hazelnuts, almonds, cocoa butter, cocoa mass, soya lecithin, vanilla.)

The Extra Noir chocolate had a very smooth melt, but had a bit more of an dark edge, with a bitter, acidic tang of coffee.

Both the Extra Noir and the Il Cremino were gluten free chocolates.

*Gugliemo Marconi, born in Bologna, Italy, was a famous Italian inventor and engineer who, with his wireless research, laid the ground for radio.

John Kelly Chocolates - Milk Chocolate Roasted Hazelnuts and sea salt bar - July 8, 2016

Chocolate of the Day: 

John Kelly Chocolates
(John Kelly Foods, Inc.)
Milk Chocolate Roasted Hazelnuts and Mediterranean Sea Salt bar
Good++
Weight: .766 oz. (21.6 g.) / 2.3 oz. (65 g.) in total bar
Calories: 120 calories in 1/3 bar
Cost: $7.50 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Studio 41, Benicia, CA

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

This Milk Chocolate with Roasted Hazelnuts and Mediterranean Sea Salt bar was from John Kelly Foods, Inc.* (Hollywood, CA).

Forty-one seems to be the magic number today. The bar was purchased at Studio 41 (Benicia, CA). And this slim, monogrammed bar had a pleasant chocolate hazelnut spread aroma and flavor.

Made with creamy 41% cacao, fair trade certified, milk chocolate, dry roasted hazelnut bits added crunchy texture throughout the gluten-free bar. The amount and distribution of Mediterranean sea salt was subtle and well balanced, i.e. there weren't areas with too much salt; however, the salt was not 100% homogeneous, so you had very tiny reminders of salt content now and then.

The bar had stayed fresh in the sealed, gold foil wrapper, which was nice as well, as it had been more than 41 days since I purchased this bar.

*Founders, John and Kelly, opened up their chocolate factory in Hollywood in 2004, armed with a fudge recipe. They've since expanded to other chocolate offerings.