ChocolateBet: February 22, 2012

Chocolate of the Day:

Sir Francis Bacon
Chocolate Peanut Brittle
Very Good
Weight: 3 oz. (85 g.) total box
Calories: 450 calories (estimate)
Cost: $N/A - sample
Purchased from: N/A - The National Peanut Board table, Fancy Food Show, San Francisco, CA

Surprise! That is to say, welcome to Day #1 of Chocolate Surprise Theme Week.

I discovered today's entry while making my way through the packed aisles of the Fancy Food Show in San Francisco recently. The folks at the National Peanut Board table were very helpful, and introduced me to a few of peanut and chocolate products I hadn't tried.

These generous squares of Sir Francis Bacon Chocolate Peanut Brittle were sweet-and-savory-tasty with a bacon and crunchy brittle center, a 32% milk chocolate coating, and  a dusting of peanut pieces.

ChocolateBet: February 22, 2012

Chocolate of the Day:

Give Bars, LLC
Two Degrees Chocolate Peanut Food Bar
Good +
Weight: 1.6 oz. (44 g.) total bar
Calories: 190 calories
Cost: $ (info not available)
Purchased from: Whole Foods, Cupertino, CA

Today was the last day (Day #7) of Chocolate and Seed Theme Week.

Give Bars, LLC (San Francisco, CA) offered a line of several Two Degrees bars. This Chocolate Peanut Food Bar incorporated Quinoa, Chia and Millet seeds. Again, as yesterday, there was a very thin layer of gel around the Chia seeds, barely detectable when packaged with other flavorful ingredients such as chocolate, prune puree, raisins, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, rice syrup and peanuts and peanut butter.  This healthy vegan option with heritage grains was a far cry from commonly sold chocolate and peanut butter candy options, and very satisfying. 

ChocolateBet: February 20, 2012

Chocolate of the Day:

Fearless Chocolate
Super Seeds! Hemp Chia Flax bar
Good+
Weight:.8 oz. (22.64 g.) / 2 oz. (56.7 g.) total bar
Calories: 97 calories
Cost: $6.49 total bar
Purchased from: Alameda Natural Grocery, Alameda, CA

Today was Day #6 of Chocolate and Seeds Theme Week. This raw, organic Super Seeds! dark chocolate (70% cacao) bar from Fearless Chocolate (San Francisco/Oakland) incorporated three different types of seeds: hemp, chia and flax. Each type of seed added a slightly different texture and taste. The base dark chocolate tasted rich and complex up front with a relatively hard snap; and it had a mild finish with a few seed notes trailing after the chocolate flavor had subsided.

Remember those chia pets -- with the little green sprouts growing as "hair" or "fur" out of clay/ceramic heads and animals? Well, chia seeds are also edible, and they have a slightly nut-like taste and gel-like textural quality that you may detect if you eat enough of them. All three seeds in this bar are reputed to have beneficial nutritional properties on top of those found in raw dark chocolate.

What does raw chocolate mean? Fearless crafted this bar (and others in their product line) from unroasted cacao, and with low heat under 118 degrees, to help preserve nutritional, mineral and anti-oxidant content that might be otherwise lost in conventional processing.

ChocolateBet: February 19, 2012

 

Chocolate of the Day:

NewTree
Flax bar
Good+
Weight: 1.06 oz. (30 g.) in 1 bar
Calories: 119 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $ (not available)
Purchased from: Piazzas Fine Foods, Palo Alto, CA

Today was Day #5 of Chocolate and Seeds Theme Week.
This dark (65% cocoa solids) bar from NewTree (San Anselmo, CA/Belgium) with toasted, golden flaxseeds and crisped rice was a perfect single serving, snack-sized bar. 

ChocolateBet: February 18, 2012

Chocolate(s) of the Day:


1.) Landgarten
Pumpkin Choco-Snack
Good - Good+
Weight: 1.9 oz. (53.7 g.) in 1 package
Calories: 306 calories
Cost: $1.99
Purchased from: N/A - gift - Thank you Megan!

2.) Gnosis Chocolate
Passion Collection - Set of 3 pieces
Cupuacu truffle
Good + - Very Good
Weight: 1 oz. (28 g.) (estimate)
Calories: 148 calories (estimate)
Cost: $10.49 for 3-pc box
Purchased from: Gnosis Chocolate, New York, NY

Today was Day #4 of Chocolate and Seed Theme Week.

Yesterday I enjoyed the dark chocolate version of Pumpkin Choco-Snack(s) from Landgarten (Austria). Today, I sampled the company's milk Pumpkin Choco-Snack flavor -- roasted pumpkin seeds covered with 37% Belgian milk chocolate. No surprise, this version was quite a bit sweeter; it also had a slightly floral taste. You could still taste the pumpkin seeds though -- a definite plus.

I also tried the Cupuacu (aka Cupassao, and many other spellings) truffle from Gnosis Chocolate, one of a three-piece "Passion Truffle Collection" package that also included Wild Rose (made with white chocolate and topped with a rose petal), and Cherry Vanilla.

The Cupuacu is a tropical fruit that is a relative of the cacao tree. There is more fruit surrounding the seeds in a Cupuacu fruit than what can be found in cacao fruit (pods), and the seeds have a slightly different flavor. However, there are a few chocolate makers experimenting with making Cupuacu confections (e.g. Nat at Madre Chocolate in Hawaii) and making bars and truffles with it.

This Gnosis Cupuacu truffle also contained passion fruit -- and had a slightly smokey and mildly tart passion fruit flavor. These Gnosis truffles were made with no refined sugar, dairy, gluten or peanuts. They did contain cashew butter.

ChocolateBet: February 17, 2012

Chocolate of the Day: 

Landgarten
Pumpkin Choco-Snack
Good+ - Very Good
Weight: 1.9 oz. (53.2 g.) total package/bag
Calories: 292 calories in 1 package
Cost: $N/A - gift
Purchased from: N/A - gift - Thank you Megan

Today was Day #3 of Chocolate and Seed Theme Week. These roasted Styrian pumpkin seeds covered in dark chocolate from Landgarten (Austria) fit this theme perfectly. They were crunchy without being overdone. And, the smooth, 62% dark chocolate coating was not overly sweet (a plus), and complemented the seeds without overwhelming the pumpkin seed flavor (even better). This product was GMO free, Peanut free, and Gluten free.

ChocolateBet: February 16, 2012

Chocolate of the Day:

Organic Food Bar Inc.
Chocolatey Chocolate Chip
Good
Weight: 1.76 oz. (50 g.) total bar
Calories: 220 calories
Cost: $1.59 total bar
Purchased from: Piazza's Fine Foods, Palo Alto, CA

Today was Day #2 of Chocolate and Seed Theme Week. It was a bit of a stretch to say that the raw flax seed sprouts were seeds...But, I went with the flax, and the other raw and organic ingredients in this Chocolatey Chocolate Chip bar from Raw Organic Food Bar (Fullerton, CA).

In addition to a few dark chocolate chips, and the aforementioned flax sprouts, this bar also contained cashew butter, dates, agave nectar, brown rice protein and quinoa sprouts. While not the most attractive and glossy bar, it sounded and tasted healthy. My only comment: I would have added a few more organic dark chocolate chips.