Open Nature - Dark Chocolate Cherry fruit and and nut bar - May 2, 2019

Chocolate of the Day: 

Open Nature
Dark Chocolate Cherry - fruit and nut bar
Good
Weight: 1.4 oz. (40 g.) in 1 bar
Calories: 190 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $ missing information
Purchased from: Safeway, Palo Alto, CA

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

Today's Open Nature Dark Chocolate Cherry fruit and nut bar was distributed by Lucerne Foods, Inc. (Pleasanton, CA).

The flavorful bar was chewy, sweet and fruity (dried cherry and cranberry bits) blended with chocolate and nuts (almonds, cashews, peanuts).

The label called out that the bar contained: "Vitamins A, C and E."

Sanders Candy - Milk Chocolate Cherry Almond Caramels - May 1, 2019

Chocolate of the Day: 

Sanders Candy - Sanders fine chocolatiers
Milk Chocolate Cherry Almond Caramels
Good - Good +
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) / 1.5 oz. (43 g.) in total package 3 pieces
Calories: 120 calories in 2 pieces
Cost: $1.99 for 1 package of 3 pieces
Purchased from: Draeger's Market, Menlo Park, CA

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

Today's Milk Chocolate Cherry Almond Caramels were made by Sanders Candy (Clinton Township, MI).

Yes, these milk chocolate confections were sweet, but the chewy, chocolate-covered caramels were full of cherry and almond bits which helped slow down the sugar rush. And they were substantial and satisfying after a long hike.

The Madelaine Chocolate Company - duets double-filled chocolate truffles Chocolate Cherry - Apr. 30, 2019

Chocolate of the Day: 

The Madelaine Chocolate Company
duets - double filled chocolate truffles - Cherry and Dark Chocolate Truffle
Good +
Weight: 1 oz. (28 g.) / 5 oz. (142 g.) in total package of 11 pieces
Calories: 140 calories in 2 servings (pieces)
Cost: $4.99 for 1 package of 11 pieces
Purchased from: Draeger's Market, Menlo Park, CA

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

Today's duets - double-filled chocolate truffles - Cherry and Dark Chocolate Truffle hailed from The Madelaine Chocolate Company, a family-owned company in (Rockaway Beach, NY).

These individually-wrapped chocolate orbs contained two flavors (fillings) in one chocolate: a chocolate truffle filling in one half and a more liquid, cherry filling in the other half.

You might want to have a napkin handy if it's a warm day for the cherry filling. Yes, these were sweet, and also quite tasty.

Tru Fru - Whole Cherries freeze-dried in Dark Chocolate - Apr. 29, 2019

Chocolate of the Day: 

Tru Fru, LLC
Whole Cherries freeze-dried fresh and immersed in Dark Chocolate
Good +
Weight: 1/4 cup (30 g.) / 4 oz. (113 g.) in total package
Calories: 150 calories in 1 serving
Cost: $5.99 for 1 package
Purchased from: Piazza's Fine Foods, Palo Alto, CA

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

Today's Whole Cherries freeze-dried fresh and immersed in Dark Chocolate* were distributed by Tru Fru, LLC (South Jordan, UT).

These glossy dark chocolate rounds were filled with airy, freeze-dried concentrated authentic cherry flavor.

More chocolatiers are adding freeze-dried, real fruit and/or freeze-dried fruit powders to their chocolates to add a bit of natural fruit zing. Let this trend continue! The results are much better than processed fruit pieces or manufactured flavors.

*Ingredients: Dark Chocolate (sugar, chocolate liquor, cocoa butter, milk fat, soy lecithin, natural vanilla flavor); Tart Cherries; Tapioca Dextrin; Confectioners Glaze

Tony's Chocolonely - Meringue Cherry Dark Chocolate bar - Apr. 28, 2019

Chocolate of the Day:

Tony's Chocolonely
Dark Chocolate Meringue Cherry bar
Good - Good +
Weight: 1.06 oz. (30 g.) / 6.35 oz. (180 g.) in total bar
Calories: 160 calories in 1 serving (1/6 bar)
Cost: $3.99 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Whole Foods Market, Los Altos, CA

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

This Dark Chocolate Meringue Cherry bar was made in Belgium and distributed by Tony's Chocolonely Inc. (Portland, OR/Netherlands). The company's vision is 100% slave free chocolate (starting with their own company).

This thick, dark chocolate (51% cacao dark chocolate) bar was studded with pieces of light, sweet meringue and freeze-dried cherry. It was a bit on the sweet side but the chocolate was of better quality than many commercial dark chocolates.

Note: This was a special bar made for Valentines Day earlier this year; so it's unlikely you can find this bar on store shelves near you.

Ingredients: cocoa mass, sugar, cocoa butter, meringue (sugar, egg white, corn starch), cherry, soy lecithin.

barkThins - Dark Chocolate Cherry with Granola Crunch - Apr. 27, 2019

Chocolate of the Day: 

barkTHINS
Dark Chocolate Cherry with Granola Crunch
Good+
Weight: 1.4 oz. (40 g.) / 4.7 oz. (133 g.) in total package
Calories: 180 calories in 1 serving
Cost: $ missing information
Purchased from: missing information

Greetings and welcome to the first day of Chocolate and Cherries Theme Week.

Today's barkTHINS Dark Chocolate Cherry with Granola Crunch was manufactured for Ripple Brand Collective, LLC (New York, NY).

These pieces of bark were a great textural blend of smooth dark chocolate bark, chewy dried cherry pieces, and sweet, crunchy oat granola bits.

Cherry Love
As summer approaches, thoughts turn to cherry orchards that used to grow here in Silicon Valley in Northern California, and childhood memories of fresh cherries in the late spring and summer.

Fresh cherries may not be as locally grown anymore, but we can't wait until they're in stores and farmers markets starting next month (May).

In the meantime, let's enjoy chocolate offerings with cherries (be they Bing, Michigan or other varieties, and whether they're incorporated dried, fresh, frozen, or freeze-dried).

Map Chocolate - Starry Night Belize 60% Dark Milk with Mugolio Pinebud Syrup - Apr. 26, 2019

Chocolate of the Day:

Map Chocolate Co., LLC
Starry Night - Belize 60% Dark Milk with Mugolio Pinebud Syrup
Good ++
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) / 2 oz. (57 g.) in total bar
Calories: 150 calories (estim.) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $12.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Chocolate Covered, San Francisco, CA

Welcome to Day #12 of Chocolate, Plants and Herbs Theme Week. Like yesterday's chocolate, pine trees figure into today's offering. We love Douglas Fir tip tea and related foodstuffs, so we were excited to taste this bar. And it delivered.

Today's "Starry Night" Belize 60% Dark Milk (with) Mugolio Pinebud Syrup* (bar) was from Map Chocolate Co., LLC (Eugene, OR).

The bar had a pleasing chocolate and slight herbal, pine bud (light pine with lemon floral notes) aroma; a creamy melt and smooth texture.

At first the rich tasting milk chocolate seemed a bit too sweet (after eating darker bars this past week). However, after two bites of this 60% cacao bar—like all good dark single origin milks—the sugar ceased to matter quite so much as we fell under its flavor spell.

The light pine taste from powdered Douglas Fir tips (the edible, new growth portion, which can be seen on the back side of the bar) combined with the pine bud syrup, and the occasional crystal of sea salt, tasted great to us.

*According to Google, Mugolio Pinebud Syrup was created by a woman, Eleonora Cunaccia of Primitivizia, in the Alps in Trento, Italy.