ChocolateBet: October 13, 2009

Chocolate of the Day:

1 bar
Enjoy Life Natural Brands, LLC
Cocoa Loco snack bar
Good +
Weight: 1 oz. (28 g.)/5 oz.(141 g.) total box of 5 bars
Calories: 120 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $4.29 for box of 5 bars
Purchased from: Raley's, in Incline Village, Nevada

These bars are nut and gluten free. I bought these to take on a hike when up in the Sierra mountains last weekend. I liked the relatively small bar, the right size for me.

ChocolateBet: October 12, 2009

Chocolate of the Day:

1 bar
Klondike (Unilever)
Klondike 100 calorie Vanilla bar
Good - Good +
Weight: 2 fl. oz. (59 mL)/16 fl oz. (473 mL) in total package of 8 bars
Calories: 100 calories
Cost: $3.99 for a box of 8 bars
Purchased from: Safeway, in Palo Alto, CA

Today the cool weather moved in, and it rained. This got me thinking of polar bears and other animals that live in cold climates. I prefer warmer climates, but I have thought about traveling up to Northern Canada or Alaska to see the wildlife and Northern Lights. That said, the closest I may get to a polar bear may be looking at one in the zoo, or on a Klondike box of ice cream bars. I liked the smaller size of these bars.

ChocolateBet: October 11, 2009

Chocolate of the Day:
1/3 bar
Askinosie Chocolate
Davao, Philippines Dark Milk + Fleur de Sel bar
Good +
Weight: ~1 oz. (28.3 g.)/3 oz. (85 g.) in total bar
Calories: ~ 150 calories (estimate)
Cost: $8.50
Purchased from: Chocolate Covered, in San Francisco, CA

Askinosie Bars come complete with information about the cacao beans (Variety: Trinitario; Origin: Davao, Philippines; and Cocoa content: 62% dark milk chocolate) -- as well as a picture of the lead farmer (Peter V. Cruz, in this case). And, additional information on the bean-to-bar journey of this, and other offerings, is available on the Askinosie website.

ChocolateBet: October 10, 2009

Chocolate of the Day:
1 serving
Gourmet Works of Los Altos
dark chocolate toasted almond bark
Very Good
Weight: ~ 2 oz. (56.6 grams)
Calories: ~ 300 calories (estimate)
Cost: $?
Purchased from: Gourmet Works of Los Altos, in Los Altos, CA

I like dark chocolate with toasted almonds. The almonds help to cut the sweetness and offer some crunchy texture. Unfortunately, she says with mock sorrow, natural great pairings like this tend to vanish before I can scan or photograph them. I offer as evidence what is left - an image of an empty clear plastic bag and a gold twist-tie.

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.)