ChocolateBet: July 20, 2012

Chocolate of the Day:

Enjoy Life Natural Brands, LLC
Crunchy Double Chocolate cookies
Good +
Weight: 1.37 oz. (39 g.) in 3 cookies/ 6.3 oz. (179 g.) total box
Calories: 165 calories - 3 cookies
Cost: $3.99 total box of cookies
Purchased from: Whole Foods Market, in Palo Alto, CA


Today was Day #2 of Crunchy Chocolate Theme Week.

These Crunchy Double Chocolate cookies from Enjoy Life (Schiller Park, IL) were crunchy, as advertised. The double chocolate moniker referred to chocolate chips that were embedded in a gluten-, dairy- and nut-free chocolate cookie base.

I liked the size of these chocolate cookies. Two or three were just right as a light snack.

Enjoy Life specializes in "allergy friendly" foods. Rice, buckwheat and millet flours were used as a gluten-free alternative mix for these double chocolate cookies.

ChocolateBet: July 19, 2012

Chocolate(s) of the Day:

1.) Mountain House
Chocolate Strawberry Crunch
Good
Weight: N/A - see explanation below
Calories: N/A
Cost: lost info
Purchased from: lost info, probably REI

2.) Kraft Foods
Temptations by Jell-O - Double Chocolate Pie flavor
Good - Good+
Weight: 3.916 oz. (111 g.)/11.75 oz. (333 g.) in package of 3 pie snacks
Calories: 120 calories in one snack
Cost: $
Purchased from: Safeway, in Palo Alto, CA

Best laid plans often go awry. After eating a different chocolate every day for six years, I've learned to be adaptable and to have a sense of humor about the unexpected. I had planned that today would be Day #1 of Crunchy Chocolate Week. I opened a pouch of Chocolate Strawberry Crunch -- a dehydrated dessert from Mountain House (a division of Oregon Freeze Dry, Inc. - based in Albany, OR).

This pouch contained three smaller packets -- one silver envelope of crunchy toffee bits, and two sealed, white packets filled with freeze dried strawberry pieces -- instead of one packet of strawberry bits, and one packet of chocolate pudding mix. Gasp. No chocolate.

No problem. I quickly called in a chocolate pudding stunt double. A small container of Jell-O Double Chocolate Pie flavor snack filled in for the missing pudding. And I topped this cup of creamy chocolate dessert with the crunchy strawberry and toffee bits. Voila. Crunchy chocolate.

ChocolateBet: July 18, 2012

Chocolate of the Day:

Chocolat Moderne
Peach Persimmon
Good
Weight: .5 oz. (14.1 g.)/ 2.5 oz. (70 g.) total set of 5 pieces
Calories: 75 cals. (estimate)
Cost: $15.95 (estimate)
Purchased from: Fog City News, in San Francisco, CA

Today was Day #11 of Chocolate and Fruit Theme Week.

The Kimono Collection from Chocolat Moderne (New York, NY) was a box of five different, attractively stenciled, blossom-shaped, Japan-themed chocolates that I picked up during a recent trip into downtown San Francisco (from Fog City News).

The soft, almost caramel-like center of the Peach Persimmon piece that I selected for today contained very subtle hints of peach and persimmon fruit puree flavor. The dark chocolate shell tasted a bit waxy or reinforced -- as molded chocolates often are, to keep their shape.

My favorite chocolate of the five-piece set was the Soy - Miso chocolate. The salty/umami flavored ganache was a flavorful complement to the dark chocolate. I hope to include this flavor in a future post if it's still available.

ChocolateBet: July 17, 2012

Chocolate of the Day:

Safeway Select
Super Premium Chocolate Covered Strawberry Ice Cream
Good +
Weight: 1/2 cup (236 mL) / 1 Pint (473 mL) in total container
Calories: 260 calories in 1/2 cup
Cost: $2.50 (estimate - sale price)
Purchased from: Safeway, in Palo Alto, CA

Happy National Ice Cream Day, and Day #10 of Chocolate and Fruit Theme Week here on Chocolate Banquet. To celebrate, I enjoyed a small bowl of Chocolate Covered Strawberry Ice Cream from Safeway (Pleasanton, CA).

A ribbon of chocolate flowed through a base of strawberry ice cream studded with ripe strawberry fruit bits. Garnished with a few fresh strawberries, this ice cream became a great warm summer evening dessert -- eaten slowly while listening to crickets chirping outside in the backyard garden.

ChocolateBet: July 16, 2012

Chocolate of the Day: 

Julie's Organic
Gluten Free Cherry Cheesecake Ice Cream Sandwich
Good - Good +
Weight: 3.5 fl. oz. (103 mL) in 1 sandwich/ 14 fl. oz. (414 mL) total container
Calories: 200 calories in 1 sandwich
Cost: $6.99 total container of 4 sandwiches
Purchased from: Whole Foods, Los Altos, CA

Today was Day #9 of Chocolate and Fruit Theme Week. Julie's Organic, gluten free ice cream sandwiches -- petite rounds made with Glutenfreeda (Burlington, WA) gluten free, organic chocolate cookies -- tasted cheesecake-rich, but only tipped the scale at 200 calories each. A trace of organic cherry sauce was swirled throughout the cheesecake ice cream filling.

ChocolateBet: July 15, 2012

Chocolate of the Day:

Maison Bouche
Pomme d' Amour - Noir (bar)
Good
Weight: .5 oz. (14.1 g.) / 2 oz. (56 g.) (estimate - no weight list on label)
Calories: 74 calories (estimate - no calorie information listed)
Cost: $4.95 (estimate)
Purchased from: Piazza's Fine Foods, in Palo Alto, CA

This "Apple of Love" candied apple flavored, dark chocolate (55%) bar from Maison Bouche (Oakland, CA) was unique. The dark chocolate bar base was smooth and pleasant, and I always enjoy Maison Bouche's pretty label designs.

I enjoy trying new flavored bars; however, I couldn't tell whether this apple flavoring came from natural or artificial sources. It could have been either one. Mixing apple with chocolate can be a challenging combination.

Today was Day #8 of Chocolate and Fruit Theme Week.

ChocolateBet: July 14, 2012

Chocolate of the Day: 

The Good Bean LLC
Chocolate Berry! bar
Good
Weight: 1.4 oz. (40 g.) in 1 bar
Calories: 140 calories
Cost: $1.39 in 1 bar
Purchased from: Whole Foods, in Los Altos, CA

Bon Bastille Day to my French friends, and Happy Day #7 of Chocolate and Fruit Theme Week!

This gluten and nut free, Chocolate Berry! bar (made with white-ish beans, and red and blue berries), from The Good Bean LLC (Berkeley, CA), was the closest chocolate I could find that matched both today's French holiday (or at least the colors of the French flag) and this week's chocolate and fruit theme.

If you don't mind chickpeas with your chocolate, this bar may offer you a good, high fiber alternative to other protein bars.