Trader Joe's - Chocolate Chip Cookies - January 26, 2013

Chocolate of the Day:

Trader Joe's
Crispy Crunchy Chocolate Chip Cookies
Good
Weight: 3.5 oz. (99 g.) / 7 oz. (198 g.) total package
Calories: 490 calories in 1/2 package
Cost: $3.99 total package
Purchased from: Trader Joe's, Menlo Park, CA

Today was Day #3 of Chocolate and Gluten-Free Cookie Theme Week.

These Gluten Free Crispy Crunchy Chocolate Chip Cookies from Trader Joe's (Monrovia, CA) were relatively thin and golden brown, with softer morsels of rich chocolate.

Well executed, with just a hint of vanilla, these cookies may appeal to those who prefer thinner, wafer style treats over thicker, mounded cookies loaded with sweet lumps. As with other natural tasting wafer cookies, butter and brown sugar helped create just the right crunchy texture.

The cookies provided further evidence that gluten free doesn't have to mean sodden or crumbly when it comes to baked goods. Trader Joe's started offering gluten free products many years ago, and they've continued to be a reliable source of chocolates and tasty gluten, free offerings.

Aleia's - Chocolate Macaroon Cookies - January 25, 2013

Chocolate of the Day:

Aleia's Gluten Free Foods, LLC
Chocolate Coconut Macaroon Cookies
Good
Weight: .28 oz. (8 g.) / 12 oz. (340.2 g.) total package/bag
Calories: 15 calories in 1 cookie
Cost: $12.49 total package/bag
Purchased from: Paradise Foods, Corte Madera, CA

More chocolate macaroons today for Day #2 of Chocolate and Gluten Free Cookie Theme Week.

These diminutive Chocolate Coconut Macaroon Cookies from Aleia's Gluten Free Foods (Branford, CT) provided a small, sweet bite-sized, coconut flavored snack, with a light cocoa flavor. At $12.49 a bag, they were not inexpensive, but they were also made in a certified, dedicated gluten free facility, and the bag did contain a fairly generous 12 oz. (340.2 g.) worth of cookies.

Aleia's founder, Kimberly Snow, found she couldn't eat gluten, and used her culinary chef training to create a line of gluten free products including bread and cookies.

Mrs. Crimble's - Chocolate Macaroons - January 24, 2013

Chocolate of the Day:

Mrs. Crimble's
Chocolate Macaroons
Good
Weight: 1.3 oz. (36.8 g.) / 7.8 oz. (220 g.) in total package of 6
Calories: 130 calories in 1 macaroon
Cost: $3.69 total package of 6
Purchased from: Miki's Farm Fresh Market, Palo Alto, CA

Today was Day #1 of Chocolate and Gluten-Free Cookie Theme Week.

The first gluten-free cookies I remember eating were coconut and almond flour macaroons. It was just a matter of time before I found ones dipped in, or coated with, chocolate. I remember macaroons being sugary sweet, rich and chewy, so much so that one was quite satisfactory.

Today's macaroons were much like the ones I remember from childhood. Chocolate covered the backs and a few thin chocolate stripes ran across the tops of these Mrs. Crimble's Chocolate Macaroons (affiliated with Stiletto Foods, in Odiham, England). They were fresh, stuffed with sweetened coconut; the darker chocolate helped balance out the sweetness. In short, everything you'd want in a macaroon.

I ate half of one macaroon, and chopped up the other half to make a coconut and berry parfait in a shot glass*. Other recipes using Mrs. Crimble's products are available on their website.)

My own recipe consisted of layering chocolate macaroon crumbs with cultured coconut yogurt and some award-winning Wild Thimbleberry Jam from American Spoon (Petoskey, MI).

*My new rule for eating dessert in 2013 is -- one serving of dessert should contain at least one interesting, tasty ingredient, and should fit in a shot glass. You'll probably be seeing more shot glass desserts soon. 

shokomonk - coconut bars - January 23, 2013

Chocolate of the Day:

shokocrown GmbH
shokomonk bars

1.) kokos bar - 50% chocolate with coconut
Good
Weight: .586 oz. (16.6 g.) / 1.76 oz. (50 g.) in 1 bar
Calories: 88.5 calories in 1/3 bar
Cost: $ N/A - sample from shokomonk
Purchased from: N/A - sample; shokomonk booth, Fancy Food Show, San Francisco, CA

2.) kokos bar - 31% white chocolate with coconut
Good
Weight: .586 oz. (16.6 g.) / 1.76 oz. (50 g.) in 1 bar
Calories: 97 calories in 1/3 bar
Cost: $N/A - sample from shokomonk
Purchased from: N/A - sample; shokomonk booth, Fancy Food Show, San Francisco, CA

Today was Day #9 of Chocolate and Coconut Theme Week. Once again, I'm extending the conventional 7-day week, because chocolate offerings expand beyond time and space -- or at least geography -- in today's shokomonk bars from Germany (adorned with an illustration of a smiling monk). This line may be expanding into the U.S. soon.

A few days ago, I stopped by the shokomonk booth at the Fancy Food Show in San Francisco, CA, and picked up a set of bars to try, including two with coconut. The first bar was a 50% zartbitterschokolade mit kokosflocken (plain chocolate with coconut); the second was a 31% weisse schokolade mit kokos (white chocolate with coconut).

The company's two founders are committed to creating a line of bars that are enjoyable and mobile, and the bars I've had so far were made with higher quality ingredients that many traditional bulk candy and chocolate manufacturers. Both coconut bars had a consistent sweet and crunchy texture. The company uses cacao from Ecuador, according to a company rep.

I don't count white chocolate in my "different chocolate every day" approach on this site; but this second bar was the perfect candy playmate for the plain chocolate version. And, happily, cocoa butter (and not cheaper, substitute fat) was the second ingredient, behind sugar, and ahead of coconut flakes (8%); the bar also contained bourbon vanilla.

Note: these two bars do not contain gluten ingredients, but some of their bars do incorporate glucose syrup that contains wheat.

Heavenly Organics - Chocolate Coconut Honey Pattie - January 22, 2013

Chocolate of the Day:

Heavenly Organics
Honey Pattie - Chocolate Coconut
Good - Good +
Weight: .39 oz. (11 g.) in 1 pattie
Calories: 37 calories in 1 pattie
Cost: $ N/A - sample
Purchased from: N/A - Heavenly Organics booth at Fancy Food Show, San Francisco, CA

Hidden in the back of a massive exhibit hall at the Fancy Food Show in San Francisco, were a few reasons why I created this Chocolate Banquet site.

It was here that I had the opportunity to connect with the good people at Heavenly Organics (Fairfield, IA) to hear their story about how they help honor and support sustainable honey farming in rural India; and also Kelapo Coconut.

Heavenly Organics - Honey stories

I imagined a conversation with new or potential honey suppliers, or harvesters, in India that might go as follows: We will buy from you if you don't burn down the tree containing the bee hives; but rather just carefully slice off the top third of the honeycomb mass (during times of day or night when the bees may be less active), so that the queen bee remains in the hive and honey production will continue.

Every chocolate has a story. And, it's great to hear about "everyone wins" practices from half way around the world.

The Heavenly Organics Honey Pattie line comes in different flavors. (I previously tried mint and almond flavors.) Today, I sampled a small, round Chocolate Coconut pattie, similar in appearance to a dark chocolate covered after-dinner mint with a honey-flavored (no added sugar) coconut center. This dairy free, gluten free, organic chocolate came packaged in a single serving packet size, and was also available in a 1.2 oz. (33 g.) bar format.

Kelapo Coconut

Happily, the next booth over from Heavenly Organics at the show, was Kelapo Coconut/Beneficial Blends (Tampa, FL). I've enjoyed experimenting with adding their coconut sugar (and coconut oil), to make different chocolate truffles and cakes, with good results.

On display in their booth: some chocolate truffles, with a hint of coconut and peppermint with a very nice smooth melt, that had been specially created for the show as an example of treats that can be made with their product. Thank you to the chocolatier who made these for a special cause, and shared them here.

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

Taza Chocolate - Coco Besos - January 21, 2013

Chocolate of the Day:

Taza Chocolate
Coco Besos (Coconut Kisses) bar
Good - Good +
Weight: .375 oz. (10.6 g.) / 3 oz. (85 g.) total bar
Calories: 65 calories in 1/8 bar (2 small squares)
Cost: $ N/A - sample
Purchased from: N/A - Taza Chocolate, Fancy Food Show, San Francisco, CA

Today was Day #7 of Chocolate and Coconut Theme Week.

I was fortunate to find two limited edition, seasonal items from Taza Chocolate (Somerville, MA) today in the Taza booth, at the Fancy Foods Show in San Francisco, CA.

The first item was a Coco Besos (translated from Spanish: Coconut Kisses) bar made for Valentines Day. This organic, 70% stone ground dark bar was studded with tiny bits of organic coconut, and flavored with organic vanilla beans.

Taza is known for their stone ground and organic chocolates. The more rustic texture of stone ground chocolate (larger particle size) can help retain some flavor characteristics and "sparkle" that a heavily conched, very smooth chocolate (with smaller particle size) may no longer possess.

Stone ground chocolate also offers a more substantial texture when melted and used to make a drinking chocolate.

The coconut in this bar was a plus, and well balanced with the chocolate in terms of taste and texture.

The second Taza item was a winter holiday item -- a Spiked Eggnog flavored, stone ground chocolate disc (partitioned into wedges) with the taste of freshly grated nutmeg -- that I found very good. I look forward to featuring this item in the near future.

Thank you to Taza for the information and tasting samples.

Five Star - Ocho Coconut bar - January 20, 2013

Chocolate of the Day:

Five Star Organics LLC
Ocho Candy - Coconut Bar
Good +
Weight: 1.5 oz. (42 g.) in 1 bar
Calories: 210 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $1.99 for 1 bar
Purchased from: SweetE Organic, Mill Valley, CA

Dark chocolate and coconut have long been paired together*. Today's Organic Coconut Bar covered in dark chocolate was slightly different than, but similar to, a Peter Paul Mounds bar (owned by Hershey's) -- a product that debuted around 1920.

In the last several years, chocolatiers such as Five Star Organics LLC, also known as Ocho Candy (Lafayette, CA), have been busy re-making the traditional chocolate candy bar, generally by leaving out artificial colors and flavoring agents, and favoring higher quality ingredients. This Coconut Bar is one of several different organic bars in the company's line-up.

This bar was sweet (from organic sugar), although the smooth, dark chocolate coating helped act as a counterweight to the sweetened coconut center.

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

*Regionally popular (in the Northeast U.S.), Maine Needhams may date back to the 1870s.