ChocolateBet: September 17, 2011

Chocolate of the Day: 

1 piece
Godiva Chocolatier, Inc.
Milk Chocolate Caramel Apple Truffles
OK+ - Good
Weight: .38 oz. (10.75 g.)/ 3.5 oz. (99 g.) total bag
Calories: 47.5 calories
Cost: $4.79 total package/bag
Purchased from: Walgreens, in Palo Alto, CA

Fall is upon us. The first leaves are turning colors. Soon it will be time for pumpkins and candy corn. As part of this shift of seasons, Caramel Apple Truffles sounded appealing. These Limited Edition milk chocolates (part of Godiva's "Gems" line), were individually wrapped in shiny apple green. They were rather sweet, and did not really taste that much like real apple.

Poor things fell short of the memories I have of homemade caramel apples. Childhood memories are sweet and carefree. Despite our "help" my poor mother was likely the one who was stuck with the mess in the kitchen after a boatload of kids spent the afternoon swabbing gooey melted caramel all over fresh green apples on wax-paper lined trays.

Today was Day #6 of Chocolate and Caramel Theme Week. 

ChocolateBet: September 16, 2011

Chocolate of the Day:

1/2 serving
Aussie Crunch, LLC
All Natural Fudge Caramel - Gourmet Popcorn
Good
Calories: 65 calories
Cost: $4.29 total bag
Purchased from: Mollie Stone's, Palo Alto, CA

There's nothing like a tiny handful of chocolate popcorn after a nice dinner and a walk -- and maybe a few youtube clips -- on a Friday night. The simple pleasures in life brought to you in part by Aussie Crunch, LLC (Nashville, TN).

Today was Day #5 of Chocolate and Caramel Theme Week.

ChocolateBet: September 15, 2011

Chocolate of the Day:

1/4 bar
World's Finest Chocolate
Caramel (bar)
Good - Good+
Weight: .37 oz. (10.6 g.)/ 1.5 oz. (42.5 g.) total bar
Calories: 52.5 calories
Cost: $N/A
Purchased from: N/A - given to me; thank you Karen G.

Today was Day #4 of Chocolate and Caramel Theme Week. World's Finest Chocolate (based in Chicago, IL) manufactures chocolate bars that are primarily sold to support fund-raising activities. This particular milk chocolate bar, when broken into segments, displayed a nice thin layer of viscous caramel in the middle.

The company mentions that they have an experimental cacao farm on the island of St. Lucia (in the Caribbean), and that they make chocolate from cacao beans. I would be interested in trying a bar with a higher cacao content -- so I can taste a bit more of the cacao bean flavor.

ChocolateBet: September 14, 2011

Chocolate of the Day:
1 bar
Lake Champlain Chocolates
Caramel - Five Star Bar
Good +
Weight: 2 oz. (56 g.) total bar
Calories: 299 calories (estimate)
Cost: $3.99
Purchased from: Piazza's Fine Foods, Palo Alto, CA

Today was Day #3 of Chocolate and Caramel Theme Week. Ooey, gooey caramel -- the kind that stretches out in the middle when you cut a caramel-filled milk chocolate bar in half. There is a very delicious aspect to this kind of texture and taste. In the end, it was a bit too sweet for my taste; however the almonds suspended in the caramel added some crunchy texture and helped cut the sugary sweetness a little.

And I liked the small bar shape and size of this Caramel Five Star Bar from Lake Champlain Chocolates (Vermont). Although the shape was deceptive, as this was a 2 oz. (56 g.) bar. Some chocolates are better if they're quite thin. Others need room for hearty fillings and additions, like this one.

ChocolateBet: September 13, 2011

Chocolate of the Day:

1 serving
Amport Foods/American Importing Co. Inc.
Caramel Nut Crunch
Good - Good+
Weight: 1.06 oz. (30 g.)/ 12 oz. (340 g.) total package
Calories: 170 calories
Cost: Information not available
Purchased from: Information not available

I planned on walking a local trail this evening after work; and I was looking for a trail mix that I could take along with me. This Caramel Nut Crunch blend from Amport Foods (Minneapolis, MN) contained peanuts, caramel and chocolate chips, cashews, almonds, raisins and walnuts, and certainly fit the bill.

Today was Day #2 of Chocolate and Caramel Theme Week.

ChocolateBet: September 12, 2011

Chocolate of the Day: 

Stonyfield Farm, Inc.
Oikos
1.) Chocolate nonfat yogurt - OK+- Good
2.) Caramel nonfat yogurt - Good
Weight: 4 oz. (113 g.) each cup
Calories: 200 calories (total for 2)
Cost: $ not available
Purchased from: information not available

Time to get some culture today -- yogurt culture that is. New Hampshire-based Stonyfield Farm is behind the Oikos Organic Greek Yogurt brand. Today I sampled two Oikos nonfat yogurt flavors: Chocolate and Caramel.

Chocolate flavored yogurt is a bit of a challenge in my experience. Fresh, unsweetened Greek yogurt topped with dark chocolate shavings, dried figs and toasted walnuts is my favorite rendition of this flavor; and it's unfair to compare a custom favorite with any standard item purchased in a grocery store. But, you could gussy up your Oikos yogurt with your own toppings. Hats off to Stonyfield for their contribution to their contribution to sustainable and organic practices on a large scale over time.

Today was Day #1 of Chocolate and Caramel Theme Week.

Chocolate of the Day:

1/2 bar
Madre Chocolate
Very Good - Very Good +
Weight: .75 oz. (21.5 g.) / 1.5 oz. (43 g.) total bar
Calories: 112 calories (estimate)
Cost: $12.00 (estimate)

Purchased from: The Chocolate Garage, in Palo Alto, CA


Today was a good day to celebrate life and chocolate. Thank you to friends and family who joined me for a walk around San Francisco Bay (mile 955), lunch, and a celebratory chocolate tasting to mark the fifth year since I've been eating a different chocolate each day. (Thank you Toni for the lovely Vosges Assortment box -- fresh from Chicago no less.)

The Triple Cacao bar from (Hawaii based) Madre Chocolate was a great way to experience cacao, and a perfect choice for a five-year anniversary chocolate. This dark bar contained cocoa solids, toasted cacao nibs (beans), and small pieces of dried cacao fruit (the whiteish pulpy fruit surrounding the seeds).

It's difficult to obtain fresh cacao fruit in the U.S., as it is only grown in Hawaii (and Caribbean and Latin nearby countries); and the slightly slimy, stringy texture of this fruit may not be appealing to everyone. Cacao fruit is also quite perishable, but I highly recommend trying it if you get the chance. It is has lovely, light citrus flavor.

Thank you to all who have been part of this chocolate adventure.  I'm looking forward to another five years of chocolate research.