Sahale Snacks - Dark Chocolate Peanut + Berry Macaroon - Aug. 19, 2016

Chocolate of the Day: 

Sahale Snacks
Dark Chocolate Peanut - Layered Nut Bar
Good+
Weight: 1.4 oz. (40 g.) in total bar
Calories: 200 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $0.59 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Grocery Outlet Bargain Market, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #12 of Chocolate, Fruit and Botanicals Theme Week.

I enjoyed today's Dark Chocolate Peanut - Layered Nut Bar from Sahale Snacks (Seattle, WA), and a companion package of Berry Almond Macaroon Almond Mix (also from Sahale).

The word "natural" really meant something with these snacks. The company used higher-quality whole nuts, and preservative-free, dried fruit in their single-serving sized snack mixes. And their Dark Chocolate Peanut bar was satisfying without being too sweet.

Hershey - Brookside Blueberry chocolates - Aug. 18, 2016

Chocolate(s) of the Day: 

The Hershey Company

1.) Brookside - Blueberry Almond with Acai Flavor bar
OK + - Good
Weight: .79 oz. (22.5 g.) / 3.17 oz. (90 g.) in total bar
Calories: 110 calories in 1/4 bar
Cost: $3.59 for 1 bar
Purchased from: CVS Pharmacy, Palo Alto, CA

2.) Brookside - Whole Blueberries in Smooth Dark Chocolate
OK + - Good
Weight: .6 oz. (17 g.) / 1.8 oz. (51 g.)
Calories: 80 calories in 1/3 package
Cost: $2.19 for 1 package
Purchased from: Walgreens, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #11 of Chocolate, Fruit and Botanicals Month.

These two dark chocolate and blueberry offerings were from The Hershey Company (Hershey, PA). The Brookside brand seemed designed to appeal to higher end buyers who might be more partial to dark chocolate.

Both the Brookside Blueberry Almond with Acai flavor bar and the Whole Blueberries in Dark Chocolate were too sweet for me; but they might appeal to those with a sweet tooth. The dark chocolate was even, and it was made with cocoa that had been alkalinized (a process that cuts acidity and smooths flavor).

The bar was attractively packaged, and I found myself looking around for a food pairing that might cut the sugar level a bit. This sounds terrible, but we dipped a small piece of the bar into some great salsa at lunch, and the salt and chilis (and perhaps the touch of acidity) seemed to improve the flavor and tone down the sweetness.

Russell Stover - Blueberry Bites - Aug. 17, 2016

Chocolate of the Day:

Russell Stover
Blueberry Bites
Good
Weight: .74 oz. (21 g.) / 6.5 oz. (184 g.) in total package
Calories: 95 calories for 5 pieces
Cost: $4.79 for 1 package
Purchased from: Walgreens, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #10 of Chocolate, Fruit and Botanicals Month.

These Dark Chocolate Blueberry Bites were from Russell Stover Candies, Inc. (Kansas City, MO). Marble-shaped, jewel-toned, blueberry colored and flavored centers were coated with glossy dark chocolate coverings.

This flavor was part of a family of new "Everyday Chocolates" that the company announced this past year that included Bites, Sugar Free Bites, Bark, Pretzels and other confections.

Russell and Clara Stover began their chocolate company in the early 1920s in Denver, Colorado. The company later evolved and moved to Missouri. In 2014, Lindt and Sprungli bought Russell Stover Candies.

Mars - Dove Whole Blueberries Dipped in Dark Chocolate - Aug. 16, 2016

Chocolate of the Day:

Mars
Dove Whole Blueberries Dipped in Dark Chocolate
Good - Good +
Weight: 3 oz. (85 g.) / 6 oz. (170.1 g.) total package
Calories: 400 calories in 1/2 package
Cost: $4.99 for 1 package
Purchased from: Walgreens, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Chocolate, Fruit and Botanicals Month. This week I'm featuring another item in a series of blueberry chocolates.

Blueberries and chocolate have become known as good sources of antioxidants; so it's no surprise that companies are creating confections with both of these sweet, flavorful ingredients.

Today's Dove Whole Blueberries Dipped in Dark Chocolate offering from Mars Chocolate North America, LLC (Hackettstown, NJ) was similar to yesterday's Emily's dark chocolate covered, glossy, pearl-shaped blueberries. These were also covered in smooth dark chocolate, but were slightly sweeter. Both tasted relatively authentic and were made with real fruit (thank you).

Although today's Dove blueberries contained lactose, corn syrup and artificial flavors, which I could have done without. And yet, I still managed to enjoy 1/2 package with no trouble whatsoever.

Emily's - Dark Chocolate Covered Blueberries - Aug. 15, 2016

Chocolate of the Day:

Emily's
Dark Chocolate Covered Blueberries
Good+
Weight: 1.41 oz. (40 g.)/5 oz. (142 g.) in total package
Calories: 190 calories in 1/4 cup serving
Cost: $5.99 for 1 package
Purchased from: Piazza's Fine Foods, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #13 of Chocolate, Fruit and Botanicals Month.

Emily's Dark Chocolate Covered Blueberries were not bad for chocolate-covered fruit pieces. Made with Non GMO dark chocolate, these whole, dried blueberries tasted like real berries and contained no artificial flavors or colors.

The blueberries were sweetened, but didn't taste loaded with sugar—a good thing if you like tasting the fruit and the chocolate.

These berries were convenient to take along on a hike. (And, yes, chocolate and hiking are just as wonderful with a broken hand.)

The Emily's brand is "looked after by" AMES International, Inc. (Fife, WA).

Lindt - Pineapple bar, Ambrosia - Aug. 14, 2016

Chocolate(s) of the Day:

Lindt
Pineapple bar
Good
Weight: .7 oz. (20 g.) / 3.5 oz. (100 g.) in total bar
Calories: 105 calories in 1/5 bar
Cost: $3.49 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Piazza's Fine Foods, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Chocolate, Fruit and Botanicals Month.

I was intrigued by my first taste of ambrosia fruit salad, by the combination of pineapple pieces, mandarin oranges, coconut flakes, diced marshmallows, sour cream and occasionally pecans or cherries.

Today's dark (47%) chocolate Pineapple bar from Lindt and Sprungli AG (Kilchberg, Switzerland), had a fruity aroma and contained small pieces of pineapple and flecks of hazelnut. (Pairing suggestion on the label for this bar: a Chardonnay white wine.)

I felt inspired to combine some different chocolates to approximate an ambrosia fruit salad. A small sampler plate soon also held: a Blood Orange Olive Oil Meltaway cube of silken chocolate goodness from Ethereal Confections (Woodstock, IL); a piece of Roasted White Chocolate (bar) from SOMA Chocolatemaker (Toronto, Canada); and a bite of Coconut Crisp bar from TCHO (Berkeley, CA).

I enjoyed alternating bites of complementary fruit flavors. Bon appetit to all.

Nestle - Milk Chocolate Raisinets - Aug. 13, 2016

Chocolate of the Day:

Nestle
Raisinets - Milk Chocolate
Good
Weight: 1/4 cup (45 g.) / 8 oz. (226.7 g.) in total package
Calories: 190 calories in 1/4 cup (45 g.) serving
Cost: $3.00 (sale) for 1 package
Purchased from: Walgreens, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #6 of Chocolate, Fruit and Botanicals Month.

Today I attended an event that was honoring women who joined the workforce during wartime (in World War II). These so-called Rosie the Riveters helped weld and assemble ships that were being launched in the San Francisco Bay Area (and elsewhere) in rapid succession, to help fight the war overseas during the 1940s.


In keeping with that era, I chose to feature Milk Chocolate Raisinets, a confection that may have been familiar to the "Rosies." Chocolate covered raisins have a long history, and were likely available in the U.S. at least a decade before World War II started, from the Blumenthal Chocolate Company and some European companies.

These chocolate and raisin pieces had an almost malty sweetness to them.

Milk Chocolate Raisinets now come from Nestle (Vevey, Switzerland). Nestle acquired the Raisinets brand in 1984.