ChocolateBet: October 9, 2009

Chocolate of the Day:

1 serving - 7 pieces
Hammond's Candies (Since 1920)
Peanut Butter Jewels
Good - Good +
Weight: 1.41 oz. (40 g.)/8 oz. (226 g.) total bag
Calories: 160 calories in one 7-piece serving
Cost: $7.50 for total bag
Purchased from: Gourmet Works in Los Altos, CA

The old-time candy shop packaging was attractive and cheerful -- and appropriate for a business that has been in operation since 1920. (Hat's off to that accomplishment.)

These particular candies contain hydrogenated fats, which I'm not fond of; but the quality seemed high, and they tasted fine otherwise.

My apology to Hammond's, as this is not the best picture of the candies, but it is hard to scan three-dimensional objects.

ChocolateBet: October 8, 2009

Chocolate of the Day:

4/5 bar
Dove (Mars)
Silky Smooth Dark Chocolate bar
Good + - Very Good
Weight: 1.04 oz. (29.52 g.)/1.3 oz. (36.9 g.) in total bar
Calories: 152 calories in 4/5 bar
Cost: $0 (free - via the Mars Real Chocolate Relief Act)
Purchased from: Walgreens, in midtown Palo Alto, CA

Someone at Mars had fun designing this Real Chocolate Relief Act* marketing campaign. In any case, I certainly enjoyed being a participant. And, given the current recession, I'm sure others did as well.

I shared the wealth and gave a piece away to my daughter Megan. As described, this chocolate bar was very smooth. It was a bit sweet, but then my palette has moved distinctly to the darker side over the years. My daughter really liked her piece.

* Logo pictured is a trademark of Mars, Incorporated 2009 

ChocolateBet: October 7, 2009

Chocolate of the Day:
3 servings (6 small cookies)
General Mills
Betty Crocker Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookie Mix
Very Good
Weight: ~2.86 oz. (81 g.) mix in 3 servings/19 oz. (539 g.) total box of mix
Calories: 450 calories in 3 servings (prepared mix - 6 cookies)
Cost: $3.79 (sale)
Purchased from: Safeway, in Palo Alto, CA

It's ironic that distant relatives of my family were involved in founding General Mills - maker of flour, cereal, baking mixes, and other products based on wheat. And I can't eat wheat. So, I was delighted when Betty Crocker, that fabulous, fictitious homemaker, started making gluten free chocolate chip cookie mix (and other mixes). These cookies were very tasty, hot out of the oven. (Adding that stick of real butter to the mix didn't hurt either.)

ChocolateBet: October 6, 2009

Chocolate of the Day:
1 bar
MaryJanesFarm
"Ginger Jive" bar
Very Good - Very Good +
Weight: 1.25 oz. (35 grams) in 1 bar
Calories: 193 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $3.50 for 1 bar
Purchased from: REI, in San Carlos, CA

I picked up some tasty shrimp and mushroom take-out food from Chinatown last night (in San Francisco, on the way home from a trip up north). There was just the right touch of ginger. This dish inspired me to try this dark chocolate (66% cacao) organic bar with crystallized ginger. Also, I like smaller bars like this. (I'm not always able to share leftover chocolate with others, so I hate the thought of wasting extra chocolate often left from larger 3 oz. bars.)

ChocolateBet: October 5, 2009

Chocolate of the Day:
1 bar
Green & Black's Chocolate Ltd.
Very Good + - Yum
Weight: 3.5 oz. (100 grams) in 1 bar
Calories: ~ 520 calories (estimate)
Cost: $3.79
Purchased from: Gualala Supermarket, in Gualala, CA

Good, professional execution on texture, ingredients, and taste is the way I would describe this organic, dark chocolate bar. The bar tasted freshly made as well, which always helps.

And where is Gualala you might ask? (It is a small town on the Pacific Ocean, a few hours North of San Francisco.)

ChocolateBet: October 4, 2009

Chocolate of the Day:
1 piece
Sonoma Chocolatiers
Spicy Peanut Butter
Very Good
Weight: ~.6 oz. (17 g.) in 1 piece
Calories: ~ 90 calories (estimate)
Cost: $2.20
Purchased from: Infusions Tea House, Sebastopol, CA

The Infusions Tea House carries several interesting flavored chocolates from Sonoma Chocolatiers (and a few from Love Bird Chocolates). This individual Spicy Peanut Butter chocolate has a ganache (filling) made with 62% cacao and peanut butter. (If you're looking for a Reese's style peanut butter center, this is not it. It's more dark cacao than peanut butter.) The ganache is surrounded by a 75% cacao coating, and finally rolled in chopped peanuts. The hot, spicy flavor is more of a slight aftertaste than a full-on burn.

Note: the image above is from the Sonoma Chocolatiers website: http://sonomachocolatiers.com/flavors

ChocolateBet: October 3, 2009

Chocolate of the Day:
1/2 bar
Choco-Lina
Sheep Milk Chocolate bar
Good +
Weight: 1.51 oz. (45 grams)/3.17 oz. (90 g.) in total bar
Calories: 226 calories (estimate)
Cost: $7.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Chocolate Covered, in San Francisco, CA

The actual name for this bar from Vienna, Austria, is "Schafmilchschokolade" (Sheep Milk Chocolate). I am always impressed when I see words this long. I couldn't really detect any strong sheep milk taste. However, milk chocolate can be very sweet, and this sweetness can mask flavors almost as well as the taste of very dark chocolate. I liked the individual sheep stamped in each square of the chocolate bar.

Today's chocolate choice was inspired by a trip I'm making today up to The Sea Ranch, along the Northern California Coast. Grassy fields that once held sheep now contain (mostly vacation/second) homes, and occasionally small groups of deer. Although there were small design concessions made to honor a sheep ranch past. The Sea Ranch logo is based on a ram's horns, and unpainted wood siding on homes seems like a nod to old sheep ranch structures. Digression: I have yet to hear about any deer milk chocolate, although I would not be surprised to hear that someone, somewhere in the world is considering this. Maybe reindeer milk?

Note: Chocolate eating will continue while I'm gone for the next several days, but posting will be delayed, due to lack of Internet connectivity.