J. Street Chocolate - Olive The Thyme 70% Dark Chocolate (bar) - April 15, 2024

Chocolate of the Day

J. Street Chocolate 
Olive The Thyme 70% Dark Chocolate (bar)

Good ++ - Good +++

Weight: .88 oz. (25 g.)/ 1.76 oz. (50 g.) in total bar

Calories: 136.4 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $11.00 (web site price today) for 1 bar
Purchased from: J. Street Chocolate, online order

Welcome to Day #3 of Chocolate and Umami Theme Week--and time to feature a few chocolate bars from J. Street Chocolate (San Francisco, CA). 

J. Street founder and bean-to-bar chocolate maker (Julia Street) explores chocolate "through the world of fermentation, upcycled food, and single origin bars." 

Today's bar includes one of my favorite fermented and umami foods: olives. There aren't many chocolates with olives (although there are some good ones made with olive oil). So, I was delighted to find this bar -- made less than 35 miles from where I live.

Olives are fermented. And the process of fermentation often enhances umami and other flavors (think miso soup, kimchi, marmite, parmesan cheese, etc.). Almost all chocolates are made with fermented and roasted cacao. I'm fond of umami flavor inclusions in (and pairings with) chocolate.

Aroma notes for today's "Olive The Thyme" 70% dark chocolate (Batch # OTT11) included: dark chocolate, faint lemon-green herb (oxalis) and very faint salt/savory. The olives were harvested in/from Healdsburg (California)--and cured--by the maker.

Texture: smooth dark chocolate with crunchy textural accents from roasted almond bits. (The almonds were roasted just right.)

Flavor notes included: bright, slightly acidic but balanced fruity dark chocolate, and slightly savory (olive) and very faint almond (mostly in the texture, a wee bit in the taste). The toasted almond bits helped balance the fruit/acidity. The olive and the thyme were both very subtle. Soft, complex ripples of flavor--slightly more present in some bites than others--made this a mellow, well-executed, chocolate umami treasure.

A doff of the hat to the maker for her choices, including the complementary cacao origin/variety and  highlighting fermented and umami flavors and ingredients (olives + chocolate + almonds + thyme in this case). I like chocolate and umami flavors (apart and together); and I've also foraged and made olives before. I could imagine and appreciate the process that went into the creation of this bar; and that was fun.

Maker's description/tasting notes: "Bright fruity chocolate paired with locally cured black olives, toasted almonds, and lemon thyme...The fruitiness of the Tanzanian beans pairs...with the bright citrus-y butter-y olives..."

Ingredients: "cacao beans from Kokoa Kamili in Tanzania*, cane sugar*, almonds*, locally cured black olives, cocoa butter*, lemon thyme (*Organic)

Allergen-related information: (Contained almonds.) (No other allergen information was listed on the packaging.)

Megan's Candied Lemon Blossom Dark Milk Chocolate + Lemon Cookies - April 14, 2024

Chocolate of The Day

Megan's Homemade Chocolate
Candied Lemon Petal Dark Milk Chocolate (bar)
Good +++
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) / 3 oz. (85 g.) (estimate) in total bar
Calories: 155 calories in 1 oz. (28.3 g.) of bar
Cost: N/A - gift from family
Purchased from: N/A - gift from family (Thank you Megan!)

Tate's Bake Shop
Gluten Free Lemon Cookies
Good ++ - Good +++
Weight: 1.02 oz. (29 g) / 7 oz. (198 g.) total package
Calories: 150 calories in 2 cookies
Cost: $ Missing information
Purchased from: The Market at Edgewood, Palo Alto, CA 

Welcome to Day #5 of Baked Goods with Chocolate Series; and Day #2 of Chocolate and Umami Theme Week.*

Lemon items ruled the day and included: candied lemon blossoms in chocolate; lemon oil and flavoring in lemon cookies; umami-like preserved (salted, fermented)* lemons (with umami vegetable side dishes and chicken and mushrooms); and smoked lemonade. 

Today's beautiful and tasty Candied Lemon Petal Dark Milk Chocolate bar was made especially by Megan, using a hamsa hand-shaped mold. (Thank you Megan!)

Candied Lemon Blossom Dark Milk Chocolate (bar)

Aroma notes included very appealing lemon/citrus floral and dark chocolate.

Texture: creamy smooth dark milk chocolate interspersed with delicately textured candied floral petal bits.

Flavor notes included: smooth dark chocolate and pleasing, lemon floral complexity (undulations of nuanced lemon fruit, lemon blossom, light lemon pulp/rind).

Ingredients: Dark chocolate, candied lemon blossom petals

Allergen-related information: Contained milk.

Gluten Free Lemon Cookies

Today's Gluten Free Lemon Cookies were from Tate's Bake Shop (Southampton, NY).

Aroma notes included: baked, buttery, sweet lemon cookie/cake.

Texture: thin cookie with crispy texture and buttery mouthfeel.

Flavor notes included: sweet, crispy, lemony, buttery cookie and a very faint touch of salt. This is the kind of gluten-free cookie I like. Fresh, flavorful and not bulky, bland and doughy.

Ingredients: "Rice flour, Sugar, Butter, Liquid egg white, Natural flavor, Milk, Lemon oil, Baking powder, Xanthan gum, Salt."

Allergen-related information: "Contains Milk and Eggs. May contain tree nuts and soy."

*Foods high in "umami" flavor include tomatoes, mushrooms, peas, cheeses, certain meats, foods with MSG, and other items that are high in glutamate (or contain MSG) and/or that have savory flavor. Fermented foods (included preserved, salted lemons) also tend to be higher in umami-like flavor.

 

Gnosis Chocolate 80% Dark Turkey + Cardamom Tea Cookies - April 13, 2024

 Chocolate of The Day

Gnosis Chocolate
80% Dark Chocolate Turkey
Good ++
Weight: 1 oz. (28 g.) / 2 oz. (56.6 g.) (estimate) entire piece  
Calories: 155 calories (estimate) in 1 oz. of turkey
Cost: $10.00 for 1 piece/turkey
Purchased from: Gnosis Chocolate, online order

Welcome to Day #4 of Baked Goods with Chocolate Series, and the first day of Chocolate and Umami Week. In the past, umami and savory chocolates have included ingredients like mushrooms, meats, cheeses and other high-glutamate items.

Today's 80% Dark Chocolate Turkey from Gnosis Chocolate (Astoria, NY) was more metaphorical...it was a chocolate homage to a turkey (meat in likeness only). 

The turkey was the main course. Side dishes for this meal included a mushroom soup and a savory salad; and for dessert a gluten-free baked cardamom tea cookie.* 

Aroma and flavor notes for today's 80% turkey included dark chocolate (true chocolate; very faint, smooth/balanced earth and faint, fleeting sweet-tart/lemon green (oxalis), and a diffuse natural sweetness (warm spice, coconut/brown sugar, cookie). 

I liked that this bar was made with only two ingredients: raw cacao and coconut sugar. The coconut sugar added a tiny, pleasing bit of warmth and flavor depth.

The use of raw cacao (lower temperatures in the processing) meant more of the natural flavors were preserved, and other chocolate flavors weren't as "developed;" i.e., it didn't have a fiery, roasted, ultra-dark personality--which some dark chocolate fans will appreciate. 

Each batch of cacao is treated a bit differently by chocolate makers; fermentation, roasting and conching times may vary. However, if you're starting out with great cacao with great flavors, there's a case to be made against over-heating or over-processing.

Ingredients: Raw Cacao, Coconut Sugar.

*Today's baked good: Gluten Free Vegan Cardamom Tea Cookie from New Bread, a Gluten-Free Lifestyle Company, LLC, based in Alameda. CA. 

New Bread - Double Chocolate Crinkle Cookie - April 12, 2024

Chocolate of The Day

New Bread
Gluten Free Vegan Double Chocolate Crinkle Cookie
Good ++
Weight: 1.41 oz. (40 g) / 2.82 oz. (80 g.) total container
Calories: Unknown calories (not listed) in 2 cookies
Cost: $7.99 for 1 container
Purchased from: Missing information (on store)

Welcome to Day #3 of Baked Goods with Chocolate Series.

Today's Gluten Free Vegan Double Chocolate Crinkle Cookie(s) were from New Bread, a Gluten-Free Lifestyle Company, LLC, based in Alameda. CA. 

Like many gluten-free product companies, the New Bread founders had family members with specific food sensitivities/preferences, and started their own gluten-free baked goods business after finding existing gluten-free offerings wanting in some way (too dry, crumbly, bland, etc.). 

Aroma notes for these petite, soft, chocolate cookies included: chocolate (brownie), cookie; and faint warm spice (vanilla).

Flavor notes for these powdered sugar-coated chocolate included chocolate (cake, brownie), powdered sugar and very faint spice (vanilla, anise). I shook off most of the powdered sugar; the cookies themselves had a pleasing, sweet but rich chocolate (cake-style brownie, cocoa) flavor and had a coherent (non-crumbly), soft texture.

Ingredients: Organic oat flour, brown sugar, chocolate chips (sugar, unsweetened chocolate, cocoa butter, dextrose, sunflower lecithin), cocoa powder, olive oil, egg replacement (potato starch, tapioca flour, baking soda, psyllium husk fiber), vanilla, baking powder (corn starch, sodium bicarbonate, monocalcium phosphate), baking soda, sea salt. Frosting: Powdered sugar, cane sugar.

Allergen-related information: "Processed in facility that uses soy, almonds, tree nuts, milk, eggs and sesame"  

New Bread - Gluten Free 100% Keto Chocolate Chip Cookie - April 11, 2024

Chocolate of The Day

New Bread
Gluten Free 100% Keto Chocolate Chip Cookie
Good + Good ++
Weight: 1.41 oz. (40 g) / 2.82 oz. (80 g.) total container
Calories: 220 calories (estimate) in 2 cookies
Cost: $7.99 for 1 container of 4-5 cookies
Purchased from: Missing market information (Palo Alto, CA)

Welcome to Day #2 of Baked Goods with Chocolate Series.

Today's Gluten Free 100% Keto Chocolate Chip Cookies were from New Bread, a Gluten-Free Lifestyle Company, LLC, based in Alameda. CA. 

Like many gluten-free product companies, the founders had family members with food sensitivities, and started their own operations after finding existing gluten-free baked goods dry, crumbly, or wanting in some regard. 

Aroma notes included: subtle baked good (cookie, cake); very faint chocolate and mild nut notes.

Texture?: soft cookie base that was almost cake-like and that had a non-crumbly (coherent) texture. Very slightly chewy. (what is soft bake?), with a sprinkling of small chocolate chips.

Flavor notes included: soft-baked cookie base with very faint vanilla, eggy cake, and chocolate-y chips. These cookies had a very slight menthol flavor that is sometimes present with artificial sweeteners. (Made my nose run.) 

I liked that they used almond flour and olive oil were the top two ingredients. (I'm not a fan of artificial sweeteners; but it was nice to taste less sugar, and to be reminded just overpowering granulated sugar can be in a baked good. 

Ingredients: Almond flour, olive oil, non-GMO allulose, organic eggs, organic almonds, organic coconut flour, chocolate chips [unsweetened chocolate, chicory root fiber, erythritol, milk fat (rBST free), cocoa butter, sunflower lecithin, stevia extract, vanilla extract], organic almond oil, baking soda, chocolate flavor, sea salt, xanthan gum.

Allergen-related information: Contains: milk, egg, almond, coconut. "Processed in facility that uses soy, almonds, tree nuts, milk, eggs and sesame" 

Good Hope Bakery - Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free Chocolate Brownie - Apr. 10, 2024

Chocolate of the Day

Good Hope Bakery
Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free Chocolate Brownie
Good ++
Weight: 2.89 oz. (82 g.) in 1 brownie
Calories: 330 calories in 1 brownie
Cost: N/A - sample provided. ($4.00 for 1 brownie)*
Purchased from: N/A - sample from Gluten-Free Good Hope Bakery

Welcome to Day #1 of a Baked Goods With Chocolate Series.

Today's Gluten Free and Dairy Free Chocolate Brownie was from Good Hope Bakery (Springvale, UT).

The company specializes in gluten free cookies, brownies and other treats, that are made in a dedicated gluten-free facility. Their offerings can be ordered online and shipped nationwide (anywhere in the U.S.). (The individually-wrapped brownies were well-sealed.)

Aroma notes for today's individually-wrapped chocolate brownie included: chocolate-y (brownie); very faint vanilla; and other delicate wafts of other baked goods (freshly baked chocolate chip cookie; very faint, fig (cookie) and chocolate souffle).

Texture: An appealing blend of a relatively light, cake-like brownie interspersed with firmer, chocolate-y chips/pieces with a rich melt. This hearty brownie landed squarely in the "Goldilocks" zone for me: not too gooey, not too dry. Just right.

Flavor notes included: chocolate-y (brownie), chocolate chips, and faint cocoa with vanilla accented with a pinch of salt that helped balance the sweetness. It was made with oat flour; there was no "oat-y" taste (a good thing in my book when it comes to certain chocolate items.)

Each generously-sized brownie contained 6 grams of protein; and 50 grams of carbohydrates. I ate this brownie with some California walnuts and almonds, and plenty of water, before a hike outdoors; and it provided satisfying taste (and fuel) for the day.

Ingredients: Granulated Sugar, Certified Gluten Free Oat Flour, Dairy Free Chocolate Chips, Eggs, Canola Oil, Cocoa, Water, Vanilla Extract, Salt, Baking Powder.

Allergen-related information:  Contains Egg. Gluten Free (Made in a dedicated gluten-free facility.) Dairy Free. 

*Pricing for multi-packs is also available. Five-brownie packs are currently $18.50 and packages of 10 are $35.00. Check with Good Hope Bakery/website for most up-to-date information. At the time of this writing, the company provided both online order and pickup options.

Anarchy Chocolate - 100% Dark Chocolate (bar) - April 9, 2024

Chocolate of the Day

Anarchy Chocolate
100% Dark Chocolate (bar)
Good ++ 
Weight: 1.41 oz. (40 g.) / 2.82 oz. (80 g.) in total bar
Calories: 220 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $5.55 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Anarchy Chocolate, online order 

Welcome to Day #10 of Chocolate and Thailand Theme Week.

Today's 100% Dark Chocolate (bar) was made by Anarchy Chocolate (at Anarchy (Cocoa) Farm in Trat, Thailand). 

The family-owned, small-batch chocolate maker sells a variety of Thai cacao-based offerings (chocolate bars, cacao nibs, cacao husk tea).

Aroma notes for today's 100% cacao chocolate included: ultra-dark chocolate with rich, balanced earth tones (peat) and authentic, deep chocolate-y cacao; and very faint (almost undetectable), diffuse fruit, spice, and mild tart-green (lemony herb, oxalis).

Texture: appealing, creamy, smooth texture with a slight astringency in the finish (consistent with, and less than, most 100% chocolates).

Flavor notes included: bold, well-balanced 100% dark chocolate, with rich creamy smooth texture, medium acidity, and relatively low level of bitterness (for a 100%er). Subtle earth and other aroma notes (listed above) were also present in the background.

Ingredients: No information listed on packaging. (Likely just cacao and cocoa butter)

Allergen-related information: No information.