Rick's Rather Rich Ice Cream - Chocolate Chip ice cream + mint - July 9, 2017

Chocolate of the Day:

Rick's Rather Rich Ice Cream
Chocolate Chip Ice Cream
Good - Good+
Weight: 1/2 cup / 1 Quart container
Calories: 250 calories (guesstimate) in 1/2 serving
Cost: $9.00 for 1 Quart container
Purchased from: Rick's Rather Rich Ice Cream, Palo Alto, CA

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

Today's Chocolate Chip ice cream from Rick's Rather Rich Ice Cream (Palo Alto, CA) didn't have any mint in it.

However, this satisfying, light and creamy ice cream with flecks of dark chocolate was whirled in a blender with fresh mint leaves and a splash of mint tea and transformed into a tiny, refreshing mint milkshake.

The subtle hint of mint (from the backyard) worked very nicely in the blender—resulting in a home-grown version of mint chocolate chip ice cream that was less sweet than most (a good thing).

The Oakland Chocolate Co. - Mint Crisp Bar - July 8, 2017

Chocolate of the Day: 

The Oakland Chocolate Company
Mint Crisp Bar - Jamaican Origin 70% Cacao
Good - Good +
Weight: 1 oz. (28.35 g.) in total bar
Calories: 155 calories (estimate) in 1 bar
Cost: $2.50 for 1 bar
Purchased from: The Oakland Chocolate Company, Oakland, CA

Welcome to Day #4 of Chocolate and Mint Theme Week.

Today's 70% Cacao Mint Crisp Bar was from The Oakland Chocolate Company (Oakland, CA). Chief chocolate maker, Nancy Nadel, makes bean-to-bar chocolates from scratch with cacao beans from Jamaica.

The company's chocolates can be ordered online, or purchased at some local haunts and farmers markets.

Summer is great fun, but not always for chocolate vendors. It's a challenge to sell or transport chocolate outdoors in hot summer weather.

But, Nancy Nadel at The Oakland Chocolate Company manages. She sells her chocolates on Fridays at the Old Oakland Farmers' Market in downtown Oakland, and was keeping her bars and confections in a cooler in the shade yesterday. I scurried back to an air-conditioned car with her chocolates after buying them as fast as possible.

The Mint Crunch Bar was a thick creamy bar with a slow melt, filled with earthy dark cacao bean flavor. A light sprinkling of candied cacao nibs (pieces of bean) supplied extra cacao flavor and crunchy texture. And peppermint oil provided a subtle hint of mint. Last, but not least, this bar wasn't overly sweet (a plus).

Divine Chocolate - 70% Dark Chocolate with Mint bar - July 7, 2017

Chocolate of the Day:

Divine Chocolate
70% Dark Chocolate with Mint bar
Good
Weight: 1.16 oz. (33.3 g.) / 3.5 oz. (100 g.) in total bar
Calories: 200 calories (per label) in 1/3 bar
Cost: $missing information
Purchased from: missing information

Welcome to Day #3 of Chocolate and Mint Theme Week. And, Happy World Chocolate Day in Europe/UK.

Today's Divine Chocolate 70% Dark Chocolate with Mint bar was made in Germany with Fairtrade cacao beans from the Kuapa Kokoo Farmers co-operative in Ghana (West Africa), and distributed by Divine Chocolate Inc. (Washington, D.C.). This was a true international bar.

The chocolate had a smooth, almost creamy texture, likely from a bit of added cocoa butter. The taste of tiny natural peppermint crisp pieces was authentic, pleasing, flavorful and even throughout the bar. An earthy dark chocolate flavor kept poking through the natural mint; otherwise the base chocolate was smooth in flavor as well.

Like other Divine Chocolate offerings, this dark mint bar was attractively packaged. The inside of the outer packaging, printed with colorful Adinkra (West African)-inspired symbols* contained educational information about the people/farmers behind the beans. Inside this outer wrapper the bar was covered in gold foil.

*Adrinka symbols often appear on West African cloth and hand-made crafts; and each symbol has its own meaning. (The only one I could decipher here meant "strength.")

Laraber Bites - Mint Chocolate Truffle - July 6, 2017

Chocolate of the Day: 

Larabar Bites
Mint Chocolate Truffle
Good
Weight: 1.06 oz. (30 g.) / 5.3 oz. (150 g.) in total package
Calories: 130 calories in 1 serving (4 pieces)
Cost: $2.99 for 1 package
Purchased from: Grocery Outlet Bargain Market, Palo Alto, CA

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

Today's Mint Chocolate Truffle Larabar Bites were created by Larabar (Minneapolis, MN) and distributed by Small Planet Foods, Inc. (a division of General Mills).

These Bites came in bite-sized round ball shapes; and the most powerful flavors came from the mint, coconut and dried fruit/dates. Chocolate was more of a background flavor and texture.

The straight-forward ingredients list included just six items: dates, almonds, fair trade chocolate chips, cocoa powder, peppermint oil and coconut flour.

Casper's Ice Cream - Jolly Llama Mint Chocolate Chip Coconut Cream Pops - July 5, 2017

Chocolate of the Day: 

Casper's Ice Cream
Jolly Llama
Mint Chocolate Chip - Coconut Cream Pops
Good - Good +
Weight: 3 fl. oz. (68 g.) / 12 fl. oz. (350 mL) in total box of 4
Calories: 160 calories in 1 pop
Cost: $missing price information for 1 box of 4 squeeze-up pops
Purchased from: missing information

Welcome to the last day (Day #7) of Chocolate and Coconut Theme Week, and Day #1 of Chocolate and Mint Theme Week.

The refreshing taste of mint never fails to disappoint on a hot summer day. Today's (cleverly named) Jolly Llama Mint Chocolate Chip Coconut Cream Pop from Casper's Ice Cream (Richmond, UT) was a satisfying, gluten and dairy free, Non GMO alternative to a traditional ice cream dessert.

Each creamy mint chocolate chip pop came in its own "push-up" tube wrapper that worked well and prevented drips and/or spills.

Treehouse Chocolate: Coconut Drinking Chocolate - July 4, 2017

Chocolate of the Day:

Treehouse Chocolate Co.
Coconut Drinking Chocolate with Coconut Milk
Good
Weight: .7 oz. (20 g.) / 1.4 oz. (40 g.) in 1 package
Calories: 70 calories in 1/2 serving (1/2 package)
Cost: $2.99 for 1 package
Purchased from: Piazza's Fine Foods, Palo Alto, CA

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

Coconut and coconut oil consumption have risen in the U.S. in the past several years; and there are more chocolate offerings that include coconut in some form.

Today's Coconut Drinking Chocolate from Treehouse Chocolate Co. (Portland, OR) was made with 72% cacao sourced from the Oro Verde Cooperative in Peru. And the packet of dry mix contained coconut nectar and coconut milk.

This vegan drinking chocolate was not too sweet, allowing one to enjoy the cacao and coconut flavors. It could be blended with hot water, a coconut beverage/milk, or used to make a vegan confection (add some nut butter, coconut oil, honey or maple syrup, etc.).

Larabar - Chocolate Macaroon - July 3, 2017

Chocolate of the Day: 

Distributed by Small Planet Foods, Inc.
Larabar Bites - Chocolate Macaroon
Good
Weight: 1.06 oz. (30 g.) / 5.3 oz. (150 g.) in total package
Calories: 130 calories in 1 serving/4 bites
Cost: $2.99 (estimate) for 1 package
Purchased from: Grocery Outlet Bargain Market, Palo Alto, CA


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

Today's Chocolate Macaroon Larabar Bites were distributed by Small Planet Foods, Inc. (Denver, CO). These bites were "made with dates, fair trade chocolate chips, almonds, coconut, coconut flour and that's it!"

These soft, chewy rounds, with dried coconut and rolled in coconut flour, had an authentic, more coconut-forward aroma and flavor than previous chocolate items featured this week.

Dates gave the bites form, sweetness and dried fruit flavor and texture. And the chocolate chips yielded sweetness and very subtle, rich chocolate flavor.

These Larabar Bites were made with fair trade ingredients and were "Gluten Free, Non-GMO, Vegan, Dairy Free (and) Kosher."