Pascha - Organic Dark Chocolate Lacuma bar - Jan. 17, 2017

Chocolate of the Day: 

Pascha Chocolate Company
Pascha Organic Dark Chocolate Lacuma bar
Good +
Weight: 1.17 oz. (33.3 g.) / 3.5 oz. (100 g.) in total bar
Calories: 190 calories (estimate per label) in 1/3 bar
Cost: $4.29 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Whole Foods Market, Los Altos, CA

Welcome to Day #2 of Chocolate and Alternative Sweetener Theme Week.

Sometimes alternative or other natural sweeteners are combined with some cane sugar to enhance or add sweetness or flavor. Such was the case with today's bar.

The 70% Cacao Organic Dark Chocolate with Lacuma bar was made in Peru for Pascha Chocolate Company (Toronto, Ontario, Canada).

Pascha packaging described Lacuma as a "Latin American superfruit that is sweet but low glycemic and gives a rich caramel note."

The company replaced half of the cane sugar (they would normally use for a conventional 70% dark chocolate bar) and replaced it with lacuma powder.

How did it taste? First, this bar felt much "lighter" (in weight) when I removed it from the packaging than chocolate I'm used to handling. Lacuma powder was the second ingredient listed (after cocoa mass), and this powder might be less dense or have a lighter/different "feel" than cocoa mass, cocoa butter or even cane sugar (the third ingredient listed).

The bar broke with a very hard snap, a sign of a good temper. (It was also a cold day outside.) This chocolate tasted a bit lighter too -- not as dense, bitter or acidic as many 70% cacao chocolates.

It did have a light fruitiness (think apples, pears and peaches with a slight, pleasant carrot note, as opposed to dark berries)—and, as advertised, it had a light caramel note too. Overall a satisfying bar.

This Pascha bar was free of several common allergens: there was no peanuts, nuts, dairy, soy, eggs, wheat or gluten.

Lily's Candy Cane 70% Dark Chocolate bar - Jan. 16, 2017

Chocolate of the Day: 

Lily's Sweets, LLC
Candy Cane Dark 70% Dark Chocolate bar
Good +
Weight: 1.4 oz. (40 g.); 2.8 oz. (80 g.) in 1 bar
Calories: 170 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $4.19 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Whole Foods Market, Los Altos, CA

Welcome to the last day (Day #9) of Chocolate and Peppermint Theme Week, and Day #1 of Chocolate and Alternative Sweeteners Week.

Cane sugar is the expected sweetener for most bean-to-bar chocolates. However, one sees brown sugar, coconut sugar, honey and a variety of other sweeteners in chocolate bars and confections.

Today's Candy Cane 70% Dark Chocolate bar from Lily's Sweets, LLC* (King of Prussia, PA) was made with unsweetened chocolate (no sugar added). Instead of sugar, it was sweetened with Non-GMO Erythritol (a sugar alcohol) and Stevia Extract (from a plant).**

This gluten free and vegan dark bar broke with a hard snap (a sign of a good temper), and had a fairly creamy texture and melt—although it was slightly gritty in one or two bites. "Natural peppermint flavor" provided the authentic candy cane zing.

Thank you to Toni and Margaret for tasting help!

*The company is named after Lily, a cancer survivor. And a portion of proceeds from Lily's bars go to cancer research each year.

**"Ingredients: Unsweetened chocolate, Erythritol, Inulin, Cocoa Butter, Natural Peppermint Flavor, Stevia Extract, Organic Soy Lecithin, Vanilla."  

Stevia (Stevia rebaudiana) is a naturally sweet plant from South America that has been used for centuries to sweeten teas, medicines and other items, particularly in Brazil and Paraguay, and has been processed and marketed as an alternative sweetener around the globe in more recent times.

Junior Mints - Peppermint Crunch - Jan. 15, 2017

Chocolate of the Day: 

Tootsie Roll Industries, LLC
Junior Mints - Peppermint Crunch
Good
Weight: .93 oz. (26.4 g.) / 3.5 oz. (99 g.) total package/box
Calories: 113 calories in 10 pieces
Cost: $0.99 (sale) for 1 package/box
Purchased from: Jo-Ann (Fabric and Craft Stores), Mountain View, CA

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

Today's handful of Peppermint Crunch Junior Mints from Tootsie Roll Industries, LLC (Chicago, IL) provided a sweet peppermint rocket ride with a hint of semi-sweet chocolate.


I think the milky, creamy white center might have been liquid peppermint sugar. It's a candy after all, and sweeter than most chocolates I've been eating. (It's been several years since I've featured the original Junior Mints on this site.)

How were these different than regular Junior Mints? Red flecks and peppermint flavor mostly. I also remember Junior Mints center being soft, but slightly more solid than these, but I could be wrong.

The box and the pieces themselves looked fairly generously sized, but, again, I didn't have any original Junior Mints to compare them with. (What kind of chocolate mad scientist am I? For shame.)

These Junior Mints were made in a facility that "does not use peanuts, tree nuts, or gluten."

Just Born - Candy Cane Peeps with chocolate - Jan. 14, 2017

Chocolate of the Day: 

Just Born, Inc.
Peeps
Candy Cane Flavored Marshmallows Dipped in Chocolate
Good - Good +
Weight: 1 oz. (28 g.) / 1.5 oz. (42 g.) in total package of 3
Calories: 113.3 calories in 2 pieces
Cost: $1.49 (sale) for 1 package of 3
Purchased from: Jo-Ann (Fabric and Craft Stores), Mountain View, CA

Greetings, and welcome to Day #7 of Chocolate and Peppermint Theme Week.

How does one explain Peeps marshmallow candy?

Have you ever watched someone become magically transformed by a happy childhood food memory? A fleeting expression of joy and wonder may cross their face, and the cares of their adult world seem to temporarily melt away.

I've witnessed some of the staunchest fine chocolate experts go giddy over a childhood confection, that wouldn't have been given a second glance if first encountered later in adulthood. This explains part of the lasting popularity of Peeps and certain chocolate candies.

Marshmallow Peeps from Just Born, Inc.* (Bethlehem, PA) are slightly amorphous (usually bird- or animal-shaped) marshmallows, often glued together at the hip in a row. They're tied to Easter basket candy and other fond and playful childhood memories for many who grew up in the U.S.

The chocolate tasted quite real (it contained both chocolate liquor and real cocoa butter).

Oh, and (artificial flavor and red color not withstanding) did I mention these were gluten free?

Today's Candy Cane with Chocolate Peeps were surprisingly good. They were refreshingly peppermint flavored, sweet marshmallows sitting in their own dark chocolate base (or nest perhaps). You won't find these new born chicks outside in the grass and bushes (like I first did on Easter Egg hunts), but they're still fun all the same.

*Just Born, a third-generation, family-run candy company (that has an interesting history of its own, dating back to 1910 with Sam Born), acquired the Peeps brand and original marshmallow chick product line when they bought Rodda Candy Company in 1953.

Little Secrets - Peppermint Dark Candies - Jan. 13, 2017

Chocolate of the Day:

Little Secrets
Peppermint Dark Chocolate Candies
Good+ - Good ++
Weight: .7 oz. (20 g.) / 5 oz. (142 g.) total package
Calories: 95 calories in 1/2 serving (12 pieces)
Cost: $5.29 for 1 package
Purchased from: Whole Foods Market, Los Altos, CA

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

Today's Peppermint Dark Chocolate Candies from Little Secrets, LLC (Boulder, CO) were made with (Fair Trade) 55% Cocoa.

These festive red and white chocolate mint discs with crunchy candy shells contained "over 74% Fair Trade ingredients" overall, and no artificial colors or flavors. (The company used/uses fruit and vegetable extracts for coloring.)

The refreshing peppermint flavor was nicely balanced with the dark chocolate centers.

These would seem to be a perfect transition candy between Christmas and Valentines Day, if you can still find them on the shelves in January or February.

Amella - Peppermint Caramels - Jan. 12, 2017

Chocolate of the Day: 

Amella Caramels
Peppermint Caramels (Limited Edition)
Good +++
Weight: 1.38 oz. (39 g.) / 2.33 oz. (66 g.) in total box of 5 pieces
Calories: 190 calories in 3 caramels
Cost: $6.99 for 1 box of 5 caramels
Purchased from: Whole Foods, Los Altos, CA

Happy Day #9 of Chocolate and Peppermint Theme Week.

Today's Limited Edition Peppermint Caramels from Amella Caramels (El Segundo, CA) were rich and refreshing.

Inside the long cardboard box were five, individually wrapped, dark chocolate enrobed caramels, decorated with a toss of peppermint candy bits.

The chocolate caramel filling with a creamy melt was made with sugar, cream, organic honey, organic tapioca syrup, butter, cocoa and cocoa butter.

These satisfying confections were certified gluten free.

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.

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