Bakeology - Chocolate Chip Crunchy Cookie Bites - Mar. 28, 2019

Chocolate of the Day: 

Bakeology, LLC
Formula 1: Chocolate Chip Crunchy Cookie Bites
Good
Weight: 1 oz. (28 g.) / 6 oz. (170 g.) in total package
Calories: 130 calories in 1 serving
Cost: $ missing information
Purchased from: missing information

Welcome to Day #9 of Chocolate and Starches Theme Week. Some starches are delightful, in the cake and cookie form. When creating gluten-free baked goods, alternatives to wheat flours and starches often play an important role.

For example, today's "Formula 1: Chocolate Chip Crunchy Cookie Bites," manufactured and distributed by Bakeology, LLC (Malibu, CA), had organic rice flour and organic tapioca starch to thank for their success.

These small crunchy, gluten-free chocolate chip cookies were also vegan and contained no trans fats.

Gracie Jones, Jessica's, Paleonola, Sunfood - Three Granolas - Mar. 27, 2019

Chocolate(s) of the Day:

Gracie Jones Bake Shop
Granola

Good +

Jessica's Natural Foods, LLC
Gluten Free Chocolate Hazelnut Granola
Good +

Paleonola Granola
Chocolate Fix (Grain Free Granola)
Good

Sunfood Super Foods
Raw Organic Chocolate Rice Protein (powder)
OK+ - Good

Welcome to Day #8 of Chocolate and Starches Theme Week—a good day for a Granola fest. It was gray, rainy and sad-looking outside. Time for some upbeat music and bowlfuls of fun.

Today, we're celebrating three gluten-free granolas and one chocolate rice protein beverage. These three granolas each had their own flavor profile. Oats and rice provided our "starches" today.

The Granola from Gracie Jones Bake Shop (Palo Alto, CA) was fruit-forward and beautiful to look at (with golden raisins and red goji berries). It also contained diced/snipped pieces of other fruits (that looked like pears and peaches). It did not contain cacao from what I could tell, but it was too pretty to leave out of this crunchy granola sampler trio.

Chocolate Hazelnut Granola from Jessica's Natural Foods, LLC (Birmingham, MI) was naturally nutty with rich and authentic hazelnut and chocolate flavors. (You could see and taste whole hazelnuts.) Chocolate chips added extra chocolate flavor; and pumpkin seeds gave it some additional soft crunch and pleasant seed flavor.

And, the Chocolate Fix Granola from Paleonola (Pawtucket, RI) was made with a variety of nuts (almonds, pecans, walnuts, hazelnuts), seeds (pumpkin, sunflower, flax) and fruits (cranberries, apple juice). It was grain, soy and dairy free (made without oats or grains). And this honey and fruit-sweetened granola was the most chocolate-forward of the three granolas. Made with chocolate chips and a chocolate cookie like flavor with a faint coconut note.

We also tried some Raw, Organic, Vegan and Gluten-Free Chocolate Rice Protein Powder from Sunfood Super Foods (El Cajon, CA) that we mixed with water, to create a chocolate rice milk beverage to accompany these breakfast granolas.

It had an authentic rice flavor with a subtle and balanced hint of cacao and was high in protein (17 grams of protein per serving). However, don't expect this dairy/whey-free and soy-free powder to taste like the dairy milk you may be used to pouring on cereal.

Cru Chocolate - Flor de Maiz (bar) - March 26, 2019

Chocolate of the Day: 

Cru Chocolate
Flor de Maiz (bar)
Good
Weight: .44 oz. (12.5 g.) / 1.76 oz. (50 g.) in total bar
Calories: 66 calories in 1/4 bar
Cost: $12.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Chocolate Covered, San Francisco, CA

Welcome to Day #7 of Chocolate and Starches Theme Week.

Today's attractively packaged Flor de Maiz (bar) was created by Cru Chocolate (Roseville, CA). The bar capitalized on the long cultural and culinary history of maize (corn) and cacao in the Americas.

The bar was a fusion of Nicaraguan cacao and heirloom roasted and stone ground corn (seasoned with a tiny pinch of spices). This dark chocolate blend was inspired by pinole, a traditional corn and cacao beverage from Central America.

W3 Chocolates - I Am Grounded Candied Quinoa bar - Mar. 25, 2019

Chocolate of the Day: 

W3 Chocolate

I Am Grounded - Candied Quinoa Dark Chocolate bar

Good+++

Weight: 1.6 oz. (46 g.) in total bar
Calories: 240 calories (estimate) in 1 bar

Cost: $8.00 for 1 bar

Purchased from: Chocolate Covered, San Francisco, CA 

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

Today's "I Am Grounded - Candied Quinoa Dark Chocolate" bar was the creation of the women at W3 Chocolate (Pittsburgh, PA), and is part of a line of bars from the company.

W3 Chocolatier Amanda Wright hails from California. And, rounding out the team's trio of women, are Naomi Davila (from Switzerland) and Sritha Thayi (from India). 

This bar had a dark chocolate aroma with a faint roasted malt/seeds note. The melt was smooth, and a constellation of candied quinoa, a touch of sesame and salt and vanilla, in dark chocolate created a rich blend of flavors made extra accessible via an ultra-thin bar.

A slight buttery, roasted flavor (cocoa butter, coconut oil, salt) was satisfying, and a light sesame finish rounded out the tasting curve.

The addition of a "starch" (quinoa) combined with the other ingredients mentioned above, gave this bar more of a "meal" feel, while being ultra-light at the same time. This was a nicely balanced dark bar.

One Degree - Gluten Free Sprouted Brown Rice Cacao Crisps - Mar. 24, 2019

Chocolate of the Day: 

One Degree Organic Foods
Gluten Free Sprouted Brown Rice Cacao Crisps (cereal)
Good
Weight: 3/4 cup (35 g.) / 10 oz. (283 g.) in total package
Calories: 140 calories in 1 serving
Cost: $ missing information
Purchased from: missing information



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

These Gluten Free Sprouted Brown Rice Cacao Crisps were manufactured in the U.S. for One Degree Organic Foods (Canada).

Reminiscent of other cocoa crisp rice cereals, these crunchy cereal pieces were suffused with sweet cocoa flavor. (Only these were organic and made with sprouted organic brown rice.)

Ladera Foods - Chocolate Almond Granola - March 23, 2019

Chocolate of the Day:

Ladera Foods
Chocolate Almond Granola
Good+
Weight: 1.06 oz. (30 g.) / 11 oz. (312 g.) in total package
Calories: 130 calories in 1 serving
Cost: $6.99 for 1 package
Purchased from: Safeway, Palo Alto, CA

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

Today's Chocolate Almond Granola was made by Ladera Foods (San Mateo, CA).

It was sweet and chocolate-y, and the oats and almonds helped balance this sweetness out. The maker claims that at 4 grams of sugar (per 1/4 cup serving), the granola contained "40% less (sugar) than leading brands." We believe it. Granolas can be very sweet.*

Note the position of the brown sugar in the ingredients list (below). It's much further down the list. Ingredients: whole grain oats, slivered almonds, maple syrup, olive oil, cocoa powder, brown sugar and salt. It had a light crunchiness and texture, and rich flavor to it.

*Today's granola was based on a family recipe; and their offering is created in the San Francisco Bay Area. Most granola cereals/snacks are oat-based.

When we grew up in the Bay Area, a family we knew had developed their own recipe they developed in 1968 for a three-ingredient granola (oats, butter and brown sugar). 

Their dad lightly stirred these three ingredients together in a frying pan on the stove. Their kitchen smelled like oatmeal cookies. Today's granola is likely healthier without the butter. However, we're also glad our first taste of granola was imbued with good memories from a friend's kitchen, where most granolas were based on homemade recipes as well.

Luna - Peanut Butter Dark Chocolate Chunk (bar) - Mar. 22, 2019

Chocolate of the Day: 

Luna 

Peanut Butter Dark Chocolate Chunk (bar)

Good

Weight: 1.48 oz. (42 g.) bar / box of 6 bars

Calories: 180 calories in 1 bar

Cost: $3.49 for 1 box of 6 bars

Purchased from: Grocery Outlet Bargain Market, Palo Alto, CA

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

Oats are a popular starch and cereal grain, often combined with chocolate chips or chunks, in cookies, granolas, cereals and oatmeal cereals. 

They're also a popular (non-wheat) inclusion in energy, nutrition and cereal bars, such as today's Luna Peanut Butter Dark Chocolate Chunk bar distributed by Clif Bar and Company (Emeryville, CA). 

Oats* can add a bit of substantial cereal oomph and texture/fiber to a bar and, to some extent, can help balance sweetness (if extra sugar isn't added to compensate for this muffling effect). Speaking of sugar this bar was labeled as "low glycemic" (19 grams carbohydrates and 5 grams of sugar).

This bar had mild peanut butter flavor. And small chocolate chunks adhered to one side of the bar, gave it a hint of rich chocolate flavor.

*The first ingredient listed was a Protein Grain Blend (soy protein isolate, organic rolled oats, organic rice flour). This gluten-free bar contained 7 grams of protein.