Trader Joe's - Peppermint Chocolate Bar, Bark - Jan. 11, 2017

Chocolate(s) of the Day: 

Trader Joe's
Peppermint Chocolate Bar
Good ++
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) / 4.25 oz. (120 g.) in total bar
Calories: 150 calories (estimate) for 1 oz. piece
Cost: $2.99 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Trader Joe's, Alameda, CA

Trader Joe's
Peppermint Bark
Good ++
Weight: 3 oz. (85 g.) / 16 oz. (453 g.) in total tin
Calories: 440 calories in 1 large square
Cost: $9.99 for 1 16 oz. tin
Purchased from: Trader Joe's, Alameda, CA

Today we stretched time a bit and extended the holidays by a few more weeks. We went into chocolate peppermint overdrive with a layered Peppermint Chocolate Bar, and pieces of Peppermint Bark from Trader Joe's (Monrovia, CA).

Peppermint Chocolate Bar
Trader Joe's Peppermint Chocolate bar was a dark chocolate bar infused with peppermint oil, then hand decorated with white chocolate swirls and topped with a generous sprinkle of peppermint candy bits.

Peppermint Bark 
Trader Joe's Peppermint Bark was pre-cut into generously sized squares—layered with dark and white chocolate and sprinkled with peppermint bits. (One serving is 1/2 square but, these pieces might be tough to cut apart. They were quick thick. I managed to eat a whole square with no problem, but I was was careful with each bite.

The end result: these pepped me up and got me back in the holiday spirit—away from winter doldrums and ready to face the day.

dark?

Theo - Chocolate Covered Peppermint Marshmallows - Jan. 10, 2017

Chocolate of the Day: 

Theo Chocolate
Chocolate Covered Peppermint Marshmallows
Good +++ - Very Good
Weight: 1.98 oz. (56 g.) / 3.95 oz. (112 g.) in total package
Calories: 200 calories in 4 pieces
Cost: $7.95 for 1 package of 8 pieces
Purchased from: Whole Foods Market, Los Altos, CA

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

Peppermint is most commonly used when making mint-flavored chocolates in the U.S. Sadly, we sometimes have to wait until December holidays to find limited edition peppermint chocolates. I loaded up on several this holiday season so I could enjoy and share them in the new year.

Today's Peppermint Marshmallows with 70% Dark Chocolate from Theo Chocolate (Seattle, WA) were flavored with organic peppermint essential oil and were quite good. They made me wish I could find these year-round. (I understand we need pepping up in the dark days. (It's so dark and drizzly outside today my photos are barely visible.) But wouldn't cooling peppermint also be enjoyable in the summer?

These Theo Chocolate high-end, handmade treats would be, I was assured, right "at home floating on hot chocolate." I'm sure that's true. However, I enjoyed them unadulterated.

Face it, when you're talking marshmallows you're talking sugar, and lots of it. However, these marshmallows were very pleasantly fresh and fluffy, yet firm enough to hold a bold, rich, fruity 70% dark chocolate coating. And they weren't as sticky sweet as I expected.

Marshmallow history
Previous research I did pointed to marshmallow ancestors made from marsh mallows (the plant). To create a firmer, fluffier confection gelatin eventually replaced the mallow goo. And, while I'm curious to sample one of these early plant-based confections, I was very happy to find today's treats with a simple, short list of high-quality ingredients.

In my childhood marshmallows were often stale, artificially flavored and colored gobs that lived in a plastic bag that had been opened back in the dinosaur age. For me today's marshmallows epitomized a return to quality that's taken place in the last decade or so. Progress, after all, can mean a return to simpler, more authentic roots.

Whole Foods 365 Organic Pink Peppermint Ice Cream bar - Jan. 9, 2017

Chocolate of the Day: 

Whole Foods
365 Organic Pink Peppermint Ice Cream Bars
Good +
Weight: 3 fl. oz. (89 mL) / 9 fl. oz. (267 mL) in total box of 3 bars
Calories: 230 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $3.99 for 1 box of 3 bars
Purchased from: Whole Foods Market, Los Altos, CA

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

I bought today's 365 Organic Pink Peppermint Limited Edition ice cream bars from Whole Foods (Austin, TX) over the holidays at a local Whole Foods Market.

Their refreshingly minty, organic peppermint ice cream centers were coated in organic dark chocolate.

LUNA Chocolate Peppermint Stick bar - Jan. 8, 2017

Chocolate of the Day:

Clif Bar and Company
LUNA Chocolate Peppermint Stick bar
Good?
Weight: 1.69 oz. (48 g.) in 1 bar
Calories: 190 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $0.99 (sale) for 1 bar
Purchased from: Trader Joe's, Alameda, CA

Greetings and Welcome to the First Day of Chocolate and Peppermint Theme Week.

Peppermint is a great flavor to highlight in early January. It's a natural follow-on to the holidays and it reminds me of brisk, cold winter weather. As children we received oranges (or tangerines) and candy canes in late December; and we were still sucking on left-over Christmas peppermint sticks outside in January. (The trick was not to get the peppermint candy stuck to your mittens when you went out into the snow.)

Today's LUNA Chocolate Peppermint Stick bar from Clif Bar (Emeryville, CA) had slightly crunchy, chewy, nutrition bar texture infused with peppermint and chocolate flavor that was perhaps neater to eat than a candy cane.

This gluten-free bar was made with organic oats and "25% less sugar" than the original recipe.

*Clif Bar's LUNA bar line was one of the first nutritional bars targeted toward women.

Crystal Creamery - Cherry Chocolate Chunk ice cream - Jan. 7, 2017

Chocolate of the Day:

Crystal Creamery
Cherry Chocolate Chunk ice cream
Good - Good +
Weight: 1/2 cup (68 g.) / 1.75 Quarts (1.65 L) total container
Calories: 160 calories in 1/2 cup serving
Cost: $5.49 for 1 container of ice cream
Purchased from: Piazza's Fine Foods, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to the last day (Day #7) of Chocolate and Cherry Theme Week.

This past week I suffered a robbery. I came home to find the front door wide open. Nothing had been touched, except a chocolate bar. All that remained of a 3 oz. bar was an open wrapper on the floor.

The entire chocolate bar (intended for some friends) that once occupied this wrapper was missing without a trace. After surveying the crime scene, evidence pointed to a possible squirrel burglar. I thought that was the extent of it, until I noticed that a Cherry Almond chocolate originally intended for today was missing as well (small box and all).

Fortunately, I located a replacement for the latter: today's Cherry Chocolate Chunk ice cream from Crystal Creamery (Hayward, CA)*. This California dairy supplier has been around since 1901, and produces a variety of dairy products, including ice creams.

This fairly light and fluffy cherry ice cream with small chocolate chunks was a perfect foundation for a sundae with toasted walnuts and a Bing cherry.

*Crystal Creamery owns and operates five dairy farms in Central California near the company's manufacturing facility in Modesto, CA.

L'Amourette - Cherries and Almonds Dark bar - Jan. 6, 2017

Chocolate of the Day: 

L'Amourette Chocolatier
Cherries and Almonds Dark Chocolate bar
Good +++
Weight: 1.4 oz. (40 g.) / 3.5 oz. (100 g.) in total bar
Calories: 250 calories in 2/5 bar (4 squares)
Cost: $N/A - part of a gift basket
Purchased from: N/A - part of gift basket

Greetings and Welcome to Day #6 of Chocolate and Cherries Theme Week.

Today's dark bar from L'Amourette Chocolatier (San Francisco, CA) contained tart sweet,  dried Bing cherries and salted California almonds—suspended in 72% cacao dark chocolate made from Venezuelan Trinitario cacao beans.

Rich, smooth and not too sweet, this flavorful bar was a treat, and apparently also a favorite of L'Amourette chocolatier, Andre V., who suggests pairing this with warm white or green jasmine tea.

Torn Ranch - Organic Dark Chocolate Covered Cherries - Jan. 5, 2017

Chocolate of the Day: 

Torn Ranch
Organic Dark Chocolate Covered Cherries
Good + - Good ++
Weight: 2 oz. (56.6 g.) / 4 oz. (113 g.) total package
Calories: 180 calories (estimate) for 1/2 package
Cost: $N/A - part of a gift package
Purchased from: N/A - part of a gift package

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

Torn Ranch (Petaluma, CA) has been producing chocolate, fruit, nut and sweet items in the Napa-Sonoma area of Northern California for 4 decades now. They offer several organic and gluten free items, including today's Organic Dark Chocolate Covered Cherries.

People often ask me: "Aren't you running out of chocolates to try after 10 years?" The short answer: "No, I'm not. Not even close." For example, I just noticed that Torn Ranch also makes Black Cherry Dark Chocolate Cognac truffles, that could also have been included in today's cherry theme week. I "discover" new chocolates like this every week. Companies are always thinking of new chocolates. So, I'll just add those Cognac truffles to my "to try in the future" list.

Back to today's dark chocolate covered cherries...The organic chocolate coating was darker (72% cacao), a bit richer, and not as sweet as some other similar offerings. (All plusses for dark chocolate lovers.) And the organic tart cherries were lightly sweetened and naturally flavorful.