Lucky Spoon - Chocolate Buttercream Cupcakes; Dagoba xocolatl drinking cocoa - Jan. 27, 2020

Chocolate(s) of the Day: 

1.) Lucky Spoon Bakery
Chocolate Buttercream Cupcakes
Good + - Good ++
Weight: 2 oz. (57) / 8 oz. (228 g.) in total container of 4
Calories: 220 calories in 1 cupcake
Cost: $3.49 (sale) for 1 container of 4
Purchased from: Safeway, Palo Alto, CA

2.) Homemade chocolate brownie with...
Dagoba Xocolatl Drinking Chocolate
Whiskey-soaked cacao nibs and cinnamon and fig

Welcome to Day #6 of Chocolate Brownie Theme Week.

One can satisfy a chocolate brownie craving via many forms of chocolate, including in rich chocolate cakes, chocolate bars and in homemade brownies.

Today's double entry features a mini chocolate cupcakes that satisfied a brownie craving in the morning, and a mad scientist (homemade) brownie with several toppings.

Lucky Spoon Bakery
The first chocolate, a petite chocolate cupcake topped with buttercream frosting was from Lucky Spoon Bakery (Salt Lake City, UT). This perfectly sized cupcake satisfied chocolate brownie and cake/sugar cravings. It was relatively moist and light, and not too crumbly...in other words, you might never know this chocolate cupcake was gluten free.

Dagoba Xocolatl spicy brownie
The second chocolate, was a homemade brownie, sprinkled with Dagoba* xocolatl drinking chocolate (cocoa/dry mix), and topped with whiskey-marinated cacao nibs and marinated fig, and sliced almonds. It was very satisfying.

A brownie buffet table with unlimited toppings might have also had fresh whipped cream, grated orange peel, allspice and additional items suitable to add this teetering tower of flavors.

*Dagoba's xocolatl drinking chocolate mix (with chili, cinnamon and pieces of dark chocolate) was likely inspired by the original Dagoba xocolatl bar (chocolate with a subtle, warm spicy kick to it).

Note: Dagoba Organic Chocolate, founded in 2001 by Frederick Schilling, has been owned by the Hershey Company since 2006.

Eat Like a Woman - Love Chocolate Brownie - Jan. 26, 2020

Chocolate of the Day: 

Eat Like a Woman, Inc.
Love Chocolate Brownie
Good 
Weight: 1.59 oz. (45 g.) in 1 bar
Calories: 180 calories in 1 bar
Cost: 2 bars for $1 (sale)
Purchased from: Grocery Outlet Bargain Market, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #5 of Chocolate Brownie Theme Week.

Today's Love Chocolate Brownie was distributed by Eat Like a Woman, Inc. (Burbank, CA).

The company targets their nutrition bars, shakes and books to women, who, they point out, have different nutritional and health requirements. (Women develop heart disease differently than a man might, or metabolize food differently, have different digestive needs, experience different life phases, experience stress differently, etc.)

The look and feel of today's "customized women's nutrition bar" was a cross between a compressed energy/protein bar and a thin brownie.

Ingredients that provided the chocolate brownie flavor included 85% cacao chocolate chips, almond butter and coconut oil, and "cocoa natural flavors."

This bar was slightly chewy, with finely ground ingredients like brown rice protein (#1 ingredient) chicory root fiber, and seeds (chia and hemp) adding some texture.

The sweetness level was relatively balanced. Sweeteners included brown rice syrup, clover honey and stevia leaf extract. 

Tone It Up - Plant Based Protein Bites Chocolate Brownie - Jan. 25, 2020

Chocolate of the Day:

Tone It Up
Plant Based Protein Bites - Chocolate Brownie
Good
Weight: 1.27 oz. (36 g.) / 5.07 oz. (144) in 1 package
Calories: 140 calories in 2 pieces (1 serving)
Cost: $4.99 for 1 package
Purchased from: Grocery Outlet Bargain Market, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #5 of Chocolate Brownie Theme Week.

Today's Chocolate Brownie Protein Bites were from Tone It Up (Manhattan Beach, CA).

These small, individually-packaged chocolate brownie protein "bars" had a slightly chewy texture and were very satisfying—thanks to the 9 grams of protein contained in a single serving (of 2 small bars).

Bob's Red Mill - Gluten Free Brownie Mix - Jan. 24, 2020

Chocolate of the Day: 

Bob's Red Mill
Gluten Free Brownie Mix
Good ++
Weight: 1.76 oz. (50 g.) / 21 oz. (595 g.) in total package of dry mix
Calories: 330 calories (estimate) for brownie (+ add ice cream)
Cost: $5.99 for 1 package
Purchased from: The Store House, San Francisco, CA

Welcome to Day #3 of Chocolate Brownie Theme Week.

Gluten free brownies can be delicious. For those who have suffered through dry, crumbly, dense/heavy gluten free baked goods before, you may have your doubts. However, brownies are more dependent on ingredients like chocolate, sugar and butter (or fat of your choice) and eggs than the type of flour used. 

Today's gluten free brownie mix was from Bob's Red Mill (Milwaukie, OR). The results: a pan of thick, medium rare, slightly gooey, hot, fresh-out-of-the-oven brownies...Add a small scoop of Three Twins vanilla ice cream on the side. Heaven.

Julia's Table - Bright Brownie (gluten free) - Jan. 23, 2020

Chocolate of the Day: 

Julia's Table
Bright little Brownie (gluten free)
Good + - Good ++
Weight: 4 oz. (114 g.) / 8 oz. (228 g.) in total package of 6
Calories: 360 calories in 3 small brownies
Cost: $6.99 for 1 package of 6 small brownies
Purchased from: Safeway, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #2 of Chocolate Brownie Theme Week.

Not all gluten-free baked goods can measure up to their gluten-based original versions. However, brownies make the transition more successfully than most other chocolate baked goods.

There are many fine gluten-free brownies on the market, including today's vegan Bright Brownies from Julia's Table (Salt Lake City, UT).

These miniature, muffin-shaped, brownies were light with chocolate cake-like texture and mouthfeel, with classic rich chocolate brownie flavor.

Ingredients: Organic cane sugar, water, canola oil, white rice flour, cocoa powder, sorghum flour, tapioca starch, potato starch, pure Madagascar vanilla extract, baking powder (corn starch, sodium bicarbonate, monocalcium phosphate), psyllium husk powder, sea salt.

Mariposa Baking Co. - Chocolate Chunk Cookies, Pain au Chocolat, Ginger Spice Biscotti - Jan. 22, 2020

Chocolate(s) of the Day:

Mariposa Baking Co.
(All items listed below were gluten free.)
1.) Chocolate Chunk Cookies - Good ++
2.) Ginger Spice Biscotti - Good - Good +
3.) Pain au Chocolat - Good ++
4.) Bagel with seeds (toasted with cream cheese)
Weight: unknown
Calories: unknown
Cost: $18.00 for multiple items
Purchased from: Mariposa Baking Co., Ferry Building location, San Francisco, CA

Welcome to the last day of Chocolate and Ginger Theme Week, and Day #1 of Chocolate Brownie Theme Week.

Mariposa Baking Co. offers great tasting, gluten-free baked goods that taste like the real deal. (They are not overly heavy, dense, dry or crumbly.)

Today's assortment of gluten-free chocolate and ginger baked goods, purchased at the Ferry Building in San Francisco, CA, were indulgent pleasures.

Previously, ChocolateBanquet.com featured Mariposa's triple chocolate brownies and walnut brownies. Today's Chocolate Chunk cookies were dark, thick and fudge-y with chewy rich brownie-like texture and mouthfeel.

These cookies—and a buttery pain au chocolat (chocolate-filled pastry)—were paired with ginger spice biscotti. And speaking of ginger...Mariposa's ginger molasses cookies were also very tasty, and could easily be dipped in almost any favorite chocolate (fondue, hot chocolate, melted dark chocolate, etc.)

Askinosie Chocolate - Davao, Philippines - Dark Chocolate and Ginger bar - Jan. 21, 2020

Chocolate of the Day: 

Askinosie Chocolate
Davao, Philippines - Dark Chocolate and Orange bar
Good +
Weight: 1 oz. (28 g.) / 3 oz. (85 g.) in total bar
Calories: 153 calories in 1/3 bar
Cost: $8.95 for 1 bar
Purchased from: SweetE Organic, Mill Valley, CA

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

Pairing yesterday's dark chocolate and salt bar with fresh ginger and honey tea yielded such a surprisingly successful result, I decided to try a Ginger juice blend with today's dark bar.

I sampled today's Dark Chocolate and Orange bar from Askinosie Chocolate (Springfield, MO) bar, first by itself, and then with a sip of Ginger 100% juice shot from Odwalla Inc. (Half Moon Bay, CA). This "small but mighty" bottle of concentrated flavor contained ginger, beet, carrot and cranberry juices, which explained why this pairing was not quite as magical as yesterday's. Too much going on.

The Askinosie bar by itself was quite good, with smooth dark chocolate and a light, authentic orange/sweet tangerine aroma and flavor. Organic orange (peels and fruit) provided the citrus note. And a faint hint of vanilla added a bit of mellow warmth. (Think high-end Creamsicle*.)

The Trinitario cacao (beans) used to make this bar were grown in Davao, in the Philippines. And like most Askinosie bars, today's package featured an image of (and information about) a real person working to produce the cacao beans from the actual source country for a given bar.


*A Creamsicle (R) is currently a Unilever-owned branded product. This frozen dessert is a blend of vanilla ice cream surrounded by frozen fruit juice) on a stick. The orange and vanilla flavor was very popular in California where I grew up. Creamsicles/Popsicles were first invented by a young man named Frank Epperson over a century ago when (legend has it) when he was only 11 years old. Epperson later patented the idea.