Vanilla Espresso Caramels - March 17, 2013

Chocolate of the Day:

Her Coconess Confections
Vanilla Espresso Caramels
Good - Good +
Weight: .375 oz. (10.6 g.) in 1 piece / 1.5 oz. (42.45 g.) total package of 4
Calories: 56 calories (estimate) in 1 piece
Cost: $not available
Purchased from: Serendipity, San Carlos, CA

There was a lot going on today, Sunday, March 17th. It was a sunny, St. Patrick's Day* with green grass and flowers on display. This beautiful day caused me to immediately postpone all other activities, in favor of taking a hike and searching for wildflowers.

A good hike starts with a good breakfast. Along with protein, fruit and vegetables, I included a (gluten free) Vanilla Espresso Caramel from Her Coconess Confections (Belmont, CA), to help kick-start the day.

This fairly intense vanilla bean salt caramel with just a hint of butter, was infused with Italian espresso and covered in 72% cacao dark chocolate. Each piece was topped with a mix of Australian pink flake salt crystals and caramelized cacao nibs. When bitten into, the caramel had just the right "gooey" factor.

Just like today, this caramel had a lot going on. You'd be forgiven if you missed the vanilla, but it did seem to help blend together this group of strong flavors. Sweet, mellow, tropical vanilla, ever the diplomat.

Today was Day #5 of Chocolate and Vanilla Theme Week, and Day #1 of Chocolate and Espresso Theme Week. Vanilla, chocolate and coffee seem to play well together, although the vanilla is often relegated to a supporting role when these three are combined.

*St. Patrick's Day and Chocolate
Saint Patrick's Day is not one of the top chocolate holidays in the U.S. The holy chocolate trinity of Halloween, Easter and Valentines Day all rank ahead of this Irish- and emerald green-themed holiday in chocolate sales and consumption, as do Christmas holidays.

However, chocsimiles (chocolate facsimiles) of four-leafed clovers, pots-of-gold, and leprechauns do exist if you hunt for them -- along with St. Patrick's Day staples such as green beer and  corned beef, cabbage and potatoes.

Chobani bite, vanilla yogurt - March 16, 2013

Chocolate of the Day: 

Chobani, Inc.
"bite" coffee yogurt with dark chocolate chips
Good
Weight: 3.5 oz. (100 g.) in 1 serving / 14 oz. (400 g.) in total 4-pack
Calories: 100 calories for 1 serving
Cost: $3.79 for 4-pack
Purchased from: Safeway, Palo Alto, CA

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

Everything seemed diminutive about today's coffee yogurt with chocolate chips from Chobani, Inc. (New Berlin, NY). The small size was convenient for a 100-calorie snack on the go, or a lunchbox dessert. (I ate mine for breakfast.) I was happy to see a relatively small list of natural ingredients. The coffee flavor was relatively mild, and the dark chocolate chips were small -- making it easier for me to taste the non-fat, gluten free yogurt at the heart of this product.

I mixed this Chobani "bite" sized coffee and chocolate chip Greek yogurt with a slightly larger (6 oz., 170 g.) container of Chobani Vanilla Non-fat yogurt. In the future, I might sprinkle these yogurts with a pinch of cocoa powder and/or cacao nibs, if I'm in the mood for a little more chocolate flavor.

A Pie Sundae

Greek yogurt is a favorite of mine; but it's hard to compete with ice cream. Later today I was enjoying dinner at a little place known for its pies, when I was offered a special, off-menu, ice cream sundae: made with homemade, fresh ollalieberry pie filling, layered with vanilla ice cream and chocolate sauce. Thank you to Duarte's Tavern and restaurant for this custom-made, gluten-free pie sundae with just the right amount of chocolate and vanilla, and berry pie guts. 

Coracao cacao + vanilla syrup - March 15, 2013

Chocolate(s) of the Day:

Coracao Confections
1.) "Live" Almond Heart
Good - Good+
Weight: .658 oz. (18.6 g.) (estimate for 1 piece, 1/5 box) / 3.29 oz. (93 g.) total box of 5 pieces
Calories: 99 calories (estimate) in 1 piece
Cost: $11.19 for 5-piece collection box
Purchased from: Coracao Confections, Emeryville, CA

2.) Raw Fudge Truffle
Good + - Very Good
Weight: .658 oz. (18.6 g.) (estimate for 1 piece, 1/5 box) / 3.29 oz. (93 g.) total box of 5 pieces
Calories: 99 calories (estimate) in 1 piece
Cost: $11.19 for 5-piece collection box
Purchased from: Coracao Confections, Emeryville, CA

3.) Vanilla Palm Syrup
Very Good +
Weight: .5 oz. (14.1 g.) / 6 oz. (.18 L) in 1 bottle
Calories: 36 calories (estimate) in 1/2 oz. (14.1 g.)
Cost: $10.99 for 1 bottle
Purchased from: Coracao Confections, Emeryville, CA

Today I sampled two raw chocolates from a 5-piece collection, made by Coracao Confections (Emeryville, CA). Coracao founders (Matthew Rogers and Daniel Korson) set out to craft bars, truffles, filled chocolates and other confections from raw chocolate and the purest ingredients they could find in 2008.

Today's collection, sweetened with coconut palm sugar, tasted less sugary sweet than other chocolates -- a refreshing change of pace, and a bonus if you want to taste the earthier, authentic flavors of cacao.

How much of enjoying chocolate confections is due to the sugar buzz? It's hard to know for sure. But, I recommend tasting Coracao chocolates to see what higher quality, lower glycemic chocolate options have to offer. You may not miss that sugar spike.

The Coracao Live Almond Heart was chock full of hearty, crunchy almonds. The Raw Fudge Truffle had a wonderfully moist and slightly chewy, fudge brownie like filling, covered in dark chocolate, and topped with crunchy cacao nibs. (I also re-sampled a third piece, the Caramel Cup, that I featured previously. I'll try the last two, Espresso Ganache and Hazelnut Mousse, truffles later this month.)

Vanilla Syrup Heaven
If you really want to get your sweet on, I highly recommend trying Coracao's Vanilla Palm Syrup. This mahogony-toned, honey-textured syrup (made from organic coconut sugar, "wildcrafted" vanilla bean and filtered water) was rich and naturally wonderful.

I envisioned stirring this vanilla syrup into my tea, or using it to make a healthier sundae. Spoon vanilla syrup over vanilla bean ice cream and organic whipped cream, and top with roasted cacao nibs, cashew nuts and a pinch of cardamom. 

Congo Vanilla Nib bar - March 14, 2013

Chocolate of the Day:

Theo Chocolate
Congo Vanilla Nib bar
Good - Good +
Weight: 1 oz. (28 g.) in 1/3 bar / 3 oz. (84 g.) in 1 bar
Calories: 133 calories in 1/3 bar
Cost: $3.99 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Whole Foods, Los Altos, CA

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

Theo Chocolate (Seattle, WA) produced this Congo Vanilla Nib dark chocolate (65% cacao) bar as part of an Eastern Congo Initiative (ECI). (Bar packaging included a word from ECI founder, Ben Affleck.) Part of the proceeds of this bar go toward supporting farmers and sustainable farming practices in this large, but conflict-affected nation that is the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

Theo Chocolate and ECI teamed up with Congolese cocoa farmers to make this fair trade chocolate offering. The resulting bar included roasted cacao nibs, and ground vanilla bean pieces from the Rhenzori Mountains in Eastern Congo.

The bar was a mix of smooth dark chocolate and crunchy textures (from the roasted cacao nibs and the vanilla bean pieces), with creamy and smoky flavor notes.

The vanilla taste was partially obscured by the dark chocolate, but added a mellow complement to this richer, slightly more acidic base. There were a few crunchy bits that were roughly textured (not as coarse as particles in stone-ground chocolate, but getting there); however, overall the flavors and textures were fairly well balanced.

Theo Pink Salt Caramels - March 13, 2013

Chocolate of the Day:

Theo Chocolate
Pink Salted Vanilla Caramels
Good - Good +
Weight: .228 oz. (6.5 g.) / 1.83 oz. (52 g.) total package of 4 pieces
Calories: 26 calories for 1/2 piece
Cost: $8.95 for 1 package of 4
Purchased from: SweetE Organic, Mill Valley, CA

Today's dark chocolate covered lovelies from bean-to-bar maker, Theo Chocolate (Seattle, WA), were filled with vanilla-infused caramel. This caramel was, according to information on the Theo website, crafted in small batches, in copper pots, and hand-stirred. Each chocolate-covered, rectangular caramel was decorated with a diagonal stripe of pink sea salt crystals.


After a first bite, the very smooth vanilla caramel flowed ever so slowly out onto a plate. Just the right texture for a fresh caramel filling. If I'd waited too long to eat this, this caramel may have become tougher and chewier -- more dense, but probably not as fresh and flavorful.

Chocolate and vanilla: two classic, elemental flavors in the periodic table of sweets. These caramels were sparkled up with the right amount of pink sea salt.

Salt Crystals: Size Matters

Salt crystal size matters. Theses pink salt crystals were large enough to stay intact (smaller, finer crystals can melt into the chocolate creating overly homogeneous salty patches); and the crystals were small enough to provide interesting flavor bursts throughout the tasting experience without being too overpowering.

Today was the first Day of Chocolate and Vanilla Theme Week. 

Lemon Mint bar - March 12, 2013

Chocolate of the Day:

Heidi Grand'Or
Dark Chocolate Mint and Lemon bar
Good
Weight: .705 oz. (20 g) in 1/4 bar / 2.82 oz. (80 g.) total bar
Calories: 110 calories in 1/4 bar
Cost: $3.99 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Piazza's Fine Foods, Palo Alto, CA

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

Embedded in this 50% cocoa dark chocolate Mint and Lemon bar from Heidi Grand'Or (Produced by S.C. Chocolat S.A.; Product of Romania) were crunchy flecks of candied lemon. The hint of mint was quite mild and refreshing, and harmonized well with the other flavors.

This bar was softened after being exposed to sunlight this morning. The daffodils are in bloom, and the sun is bright enough in my office to melt chocolate -- sure signs that spring is right around the corner. However, despite the heat, the bar retained its shape and flavor rather admirably.

Nuttyness Lemon Ginger bar - March 11, 2013

Chocolate of the Day: 
Nuttyness, LLC
Lemon Ginger bar
Good - Good +
Weight: 2.5 oz. (71 g.) total bar
Calories: 322 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $N/A - sample
Purchased from: N/A - Nuttyness

Today was the 6th Day of Chocolate and Lemon Theme Week.

This Lemon Ginger, chocolate covered, marzipan bar from Nuttyness, LLC (Oakland, CA) was a great bar to pack up for lunch today.

Founder and "Chief Nuttyness Officer," Kristian Salvesen, grew up in Norway, and had fond memories of marzipan from childhood. After living in California for some time, he realized that he could create his own high-quality version of the almond fragranced candy with flavors (such as lemon and ginger).

The marzipan in this bar was made from blanched almonds (from California) ground into a paste with a bit of bitter almond oil. (I liked that this marzipan was not overly sweet.) Lemon zest and organic ginger were added to this doughy almond mixture that had a texture that was just right: not too dry, and not too syrupy. And the bar was wrapped in a smooth coat of dark chocolate.

Chocolate, lemon and ginger sounded like a nice triad of flavors -- dark chocolate and ginger pair well together, as do chocolate and lemon. The dark chocolate and nutty almond flavors in this bar were made more interesting by a sparkle of tart/sweet lemon and a warm zing of ginger. For those who are sensitive to foods like ginger and cilantro, you may experience a very slight soapy flavor note.

This chunky bar could be sliced, and served on a small plate for a lunch, after school, holiday or picnic dessert; or it could be eaten right out of the wrapper, anytime.