Whole Foods Market - Dark Chocolate Bar with Almonds - Oct. 4, 2018

Chocolate of the Day: 

Whole Foods Market
Organic Dark Chocolate Almonds 57% Cacao bar
Good
Weight: 1.5 oz. (42.5 g.) / 3 oz. (85 g.) in total bar
Calories: 235 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $2.99 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Whole Foods Market, Los Altos, CA

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

Today's Organic Dark Chocolate Almonds 57% Cacao bar was purchased at a local Whole Foods Market (based in Austin, TX*).

A smooth, but somewhat flat**, Forastero-like**, organic dark chocolate base surrounded pieces of organic, dry roasted almonds and a touch of organic ground vanilla bean(s).

The bar was made with 90% Fair Trade Certified Ingredients and lacked emulsifiers and/or less desirable ingredients (thank you).

*Whole Foods Market is now part of Amazon.com.
** Forastero is a popular, robust variety of cacao with bold, dense dark flavor. The largest source of Forastero cacao beans is West Africa; but it is also grown in most other cacao-producing countries (Ecuador, Brazil and elsewhere). The dark flavor is a bit like gazing into a dense, dark, still jungle, full but flattened somehow—the jungle being so thick that no light (or in this case fruit or other flavor notes) are either present or able to shine through. 

Unreal Brands, Inc. - Dark Chocolate Almond Butter - Oct. 3, 2018

Chocolate of the Day: 

Unreal Brands, Inc.

Dark Chocolate Almond Butter (Cup)

Good - Good +

Weight: .53 oz. (15 g.) in 1 cup

Calories: 80 calories in 1 cup

Cost: $0.99 for 1 cup

Purchased from: Sprouts Farmers Market, Mountain View, CA

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

Today's individually-wrapped, dark chocolate,* filled with an almond butter filling, was designed to be a healthier alternative to other chocolate candy offerings on the market. The single-serving packet provided a tasty, appealing petite treat.

*Ingredients included: dark chocolate, almond butter, organic powdered sugar, organic palm oil, organic blue agave inulin, organic coconut flour, salt, and sunflower lecithin.

Hayden Valley Foods - Dark Chocolate Covered Almonds - Oct. 2, 2018

Chocolate of the Day:

Hayden Valley Foods
Dark Chocolate Covered Almonds
Good
Weight: 1.06 oz. (30 g.) / 20 oz. (567 g.) in total package
Calories: 160 calories in 1 serving (approx. 8 pieces)
Cost: $5.99 for 1 package
Purchased from: Grocery Outlet Bargain Market, Palo Alto, CA

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

Today's Dark Chocolate Covered Almonds were from Hayden Valley Foods (Columbus, OH). Whole almonds (with a lightly roasted flavor note) were surrounded by sweet, dark chocolate and, like most chocolate covered nuts, a shiny coat of confectioners glaze.

Cacao seeds (beans) come from a colorful, (American) football-shaped fruit that grows best twenty degrees above and below the Equator. Each cacao fruit holds enough seeds to make approximately one chocolate bar.

Almond seeds (nuts) come from stone fruits/drupes, that also grow on trees. However, almonds can be found in drier inland valleys in Mediterranean climates, such as California in the U.S. Each "fruit" produces just one almond, and each mature tree (depending on the type of almond) can produce hundreds of almonds—more than 40 pounds (640 oz.) in some cases—per year.

Regardless of confusion over nut and seed terminology, together, chocolate and almonds can be a tasty match. Almonds add a mild flavor and crunchy, nut texture, complementing smooth, creamy milk or dark chocolates.

Trader Joe's - ABC Bars - Almond Butter Cacao - Oct. 1, 2018

Chocolate of the Day: 

Trader Joe's
ABC Bars - Almond Butter Cocoa Bars
Good ++
Weight: 1.2 oz. (35 g.) / 7.4 oz. (210 g.) in total box/package of 6
Calories: 160 calories for 1 bar
Cost: $2.99 for 1 box/package of 6
Purchased from: Trader Joe's, San Francisco, CA

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

Today's box of six individually-wrapped ABC Bars - Almond Butter Cocoa Bars (flavored with other natural flavors) was from Trader Joe's (Monrovia, CA).

The bars were composed of a substantial, sweet and chewy chocolate "dough" and a soft almond butter filling. The outside had a subtle fig texture and sweetness and an almond extract flavor accent.

Sorbabes - Coffee Almond Frozen Dessert - Sept. 30, 2018

Chocolate of the Day: 

Sorbabes Gourmet Sorbet
Coffee Almond Frozen Dessert with Espresso Bark
Good
Weight: 5 fl. oz. (147 mL) total container
Calories: 160 calories in 1 container
Cost: $0.50 for 1 container
Purchased from: Grocery Outlet Bargain Market, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #10 of Chocolate and Ice Cream Theme Week; and Day #1 of Chocolate and Almond Theme Week.

Sorbet is not ice cream; but this offering was a frozen dessert, and it served as a transitional item into Today's Coffee Almond Sorbet with Espresso Bark and other natural flavors was from Sorbabes Gourmet Sorbet (Le Mars, IA).

This frozen dessert was rich, sweet and refreshing, and was made with no soy or gluten; and it was labeled Non-GMO.

So Delicious - Cashew "Milk" Double Chocolate Delight non-dairy frozen dessert (bars) - Sept. 29, 2018

Chocolate of the Day: 

So Delicious Dairy Free
Cashew "Milk" Double Chocolate Delight non-dairy frozen dessert
Good
Weight: 2.3 fl. oz. (68 mL) / 9.2 fl. oz. (272 mL) in total box/package of 4 bars
Calories: 180 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $4.99 for 1 box/package of 4 bars
Purchased from: Sprout's Farmers Market, Mountain View, CA

Welcome to Day #9 of Chocolate and Ice Cream Theme Week.

While not "ice cream," today's Cashew "Milk" Non-Dairy Double Chocolate Delight frozen dessert (bars) from So Delicious Dairy Free (Eugene, OR) had much of the same creamy texture of a conventional ice cream bar.

These frozen bars had a rich, chocolate coating and had a slight processed nut flavor.

*The company has been dedicated to making dairy-free offerings for 30 years. They also offer coconut, almond and soy "milk" products.

Ben and Jerry's - Vanilla Peanut Butter Cup Pint Slices - Sept. 28, 2018

Chocolate of the Day: 

Ben and Jerry's Homemade, Inc. (Unilever)
Vanilla Peanut Butter Cup Pint Slices
Good
Weight: 2.86 oz. (81 g.) / 9 fl. oz. (266 mL) in total package of 3
Calories: 300 calories in 1 "slice"
Cost: $ missing information 
Purchased from: missing information

Welcome to Day #8 of Chocolate and Ice Cream Theme Week.

Today's Vanilla* Peanut Butter Cup Pint Slices from Ben and Jerry's Homemade, Inc. (Burlington, VT) were comprised of vanilla ice cream and peanut butter cup pieces, and covered in a Dark Chocolatey Coating.

These individually-wrapped Pint Slices contained a pleasant vanilla ice cream, and fleeting glimpses and bites of peanut butter cups.

*The vanilla in these slices came from Fairtrade Certified farms in Uganda.