ChocolateBet: August 17, 2012

Chocolate of the Day: 

Ginger Elizabeth Chocolates
Vanilla Bean Toffee Almond Dessert Bar
Good + - Very Good
Weight: .5 oz. (14.15 g.) piece/ 3.5 oz. (100 g.) total bar
Calories: 75 calories (estimate) in 1/2 oz. piece
Cost: $7.95 total bar
Purchased from: Fog City News, in San Francisco, CA

The (70% cocoa content) Vanilla Bean Toffee Almond bar from Ginger Elizabeth Chocolates (Sacramento, CA) was a tiny symphony of caramelized butter, sugar, Tahitian vanilla beans and toasted almond bits in bittersweet chocolate. This dessert bar was a treat by itself, and also paired with a small mocha, gluten-free brownie square and a mini-scoop of high-quality, vanilla ice cream.

Today was Day #11 of Chocolate and Caramel and Toffee Theme Week.

ChocolateBet: August 16, 2012

Chocolate of the Day:

Chocolats Genevieve Grandbois
Caramel a la fleur de sel
Very Good
Weight: .39 oz. (11.32 g.) (estimate) for 1 piece
Calories: 58 calories (estimate) for 1 piece
Cost: $ N/A - gift/share
Purchased from: N/A - gift/share

Today was Day #10 of Chocolate and Caramel and Toffee Theme Weeks.

I've enjoyed chocolates during the past few weeks that have run the gamut between caramel and toffee. Sometimes a caramel was like a toffee, and a toffee was like a caramel. Both involved fusions of sugars and usually some fat or butter. Caramel in the U.S. is often gooey, and toffee is often more like a crunchy brittle. Both can be made lovely by a dark chocolate covering and a little fleur de sel. And such was the case today.

Today's thin, Caramel a la fleur de sel from Chocolats Genevieve Grandbois (Montreal, Quebec, Canada) was, despite the simple plastic bag enclosure, elegant, and also well balanced and satisfying. Not too sweet, not too salty. Just the right textures -- a crunchy caramel layer, a smooth, dark chocolate covering, with just a hint of crispness from a few, well placed, tiny shards of sea salt.

Thank you to Sunita for bringing back this chocolate from Montreal to share.

ChocolateBet: August 15, 2012

Chocolate of the Day: 

Amy's Kitchen Inc.
Crispy bar - Andy's Dandy Candy
Good +
Weight: 1.5 oz. (43 g.) total package
Calories: 200 calories for 2 pieces
Cost: $2.79 total package (2 bars/pieces)
Purchased from: Country Sun Natural Foods, in Palo Alto, CA

If you're in the mood for a higher quality candy bar, you might want to try the Crispy bar, part of Andy's Dandy Candy bar line from Amy's Kitchen Inc. (Petaluma, CA). The product line moniker was inspired by Amy's father, Andy -- who was the son of a candy maker.

Today I enjoyed both Crispy bars (there were 2 bars in one package), part of the relatively new organic Andy's Dandy candy bar product line. Organic and gluten free, the Crispy bar contained rice crisps and almonds for a bit of texture, caramel, and a milk chocolate coating. The tiny amount of sea salt used was barely detectable, but was enough to enhance the caramel. Also notable: no high fructose corn syrup, preservatives or GMOs.

Today was Day #9 of Chocolate and Caramel and Toffee Theme Weeks. 

ChocolateBet: August 14, 2012

Chocolate of the Day: 

Vosges
Bapchi's Caramel Toffee Bar
Good - Good +
Weight: 1.5 oz. (42.5 g.) / 3 oz. (85 g.) total bar
Calories: 230 calories in 1/2 bar (4 squares)
Cost:  $7.99 (estimate)
Purchased from: Vosges

Today was Day #8 of Chocolate and Caramel and Toffee Theme Weeks.

Indoors, away from the hot sun and ready to take a work break, I unwrapped this Vosges bar. The 45% cacao "deep milk chocolate" Bapchi's Caramel Toffee Bar contained little pieces of crunchy toffee, and traces of walnut and pecan nut bits. (No gluten ingredients.)

I liked the thickness (or I should say the thinness) of this bar. Some bars are so thick it's hard to access the flavor profile. One bite of this caramel toffee bar melted easily in my mouth.

ChocolateBet: August 13, 2012

Chocolate of the Day: 

Coracao Confections
Kaffir Lime Caramel Bar - Dark Chocolate
Very Good - Very Good +
Weight: 2.5 oz. (71 g.) in 1 bar
Calories: 360 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $10.00 (estimate)
Purchased from: Country Sun Natural Foods, in Palo Alto, CA

I loved this exotic, strangely refreshing Kaffir Lime Caramel bar from Coracao Confections (Emeryville, CA). Made with organic, raw coconut palm sugar, cashew butter and cacao butter, the caramel filling in this vegan, gluten and dairy free, bar was surrounded by 81% raw cacao dark chocolate. The combination of the dark chocolate and the coconut and the kaffir lime leaves was well executed -- the best of its kind that I've sampled to date.

Today was Day #7 of Chocolate and Caramel and Toffee Theme Weeks.

ChocolateBet: August 12, 2012

Chocolate of the Day:

Tootsie Roll Industries
Tootsie Roll - Caramel - Limited Edition
Good
Weight: .6 oz. (17 g.) / 7.2 oz. (204 g.) total bag
Calories: 60 calories in 1 Tootsie Pop
Cost: $0.99 total package
Purchased from: 99 Cents Only Store, Pinole, CA

Today I reached into the chocolate past to taste a sentimental favorite -- a Tootsie Pop from Tootsie Roll Industries (Cambridge, MA). Today was Day #6 of Chocolate and Caramel and Toffee Theme Weeks.

Somewhere between 65 and 70 licks, I gave in to the urge to bite into the artificially flavored caramel candy shell to get to the chewy, fudge center. If I'm not mistaken, the fudge center was smiling back at me. One bag of these economical and satisfying Pops was on sale for 99 cents; and each one was only 60 calories.

ChocolateBet: August 11, 2012

Chocolate of the Day:

Trader Joe's
Dark Chocolate Bar - toffee with walnuts and pecans
Good +
Weight: 1.5 oz. (42.5 g.) / 3 oz. (85 g.) total bar
Calories: 250 calories (per label) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $1.99 total bar
Purchased from: Trader Joe's, in Mountain View, CA

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

The packaging for today's 70% cacao dark chocolate bar with toffee and tree nuts, from Trader Joe's (Monrovia, CA), included an image of a squirrel in a tree -- a perfect tie-in with my squirrel walk this afternoon near the shores of Lake Merritt, in Oakland, CA.

While there weren't quite as many oak trees or native squirrels as there once was in Oakland, there were plenty in the park today, including three small squirrel babies, being fostered after they lost their mother. (Thank you to Wild Oakland and Lila for leading this afternoon's squirrel walk.)

The bar was a welcome post walk treat. The dark chocolate base offered enough acidity to balance the tiny, sugary and slightly crunchy, toffee bits. The nut particles were fairly small, but also added interest and flavor notes.