Flour Craft - Salted Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies - Nov. 30, 2013

Chocolate of the Day: 

Flour Craft Bakery
Salted Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Good - Good +
Weight: unknown
Calories: unknown
Cost: $6.00 for 1 bag of 2 cookies
Purchased from: Flour Craft Bakery, Marin Civic Center Farmers Market, San Rafael, CA

Today was Day #1 Chocolate and Caramel Theme Week, and I enjoyed a Salted Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie, from gluten free Flour Craft Bakery (San Anselmo, CA), with a cup of caramel tea. The cookie also had a hint of caramel flavor.

It is hard to go wrong with a mixture of salted caramel + chocolate.

St. Amour Chocolate Wafers - Nov. 29, 2013

Chocolate of the Day: 

St. Amour
Gluten Free Chocolate Wafers
Good - Good +
Weight: 1.09 oz. (30.9 g.) / 6 oz. (170.09 g.) in 1 package/bag of cookies
Calories: 110 calories for 2 cookies (plus lavender and rose ice cream filling)
Cost: $4.99 total package
Purchased from: Piazza's Fine Foods, Palo Alto, CA

Today was Day #7 of Chocolate and Flower Theme Week. Lavender, rose, saffron -- these are some of my favorite floral flavorings. Today, I made ice cream sandwiches (using gluten-free cookies) that incorporated these flavors.

To make bite-sized chocolate cookie sandwiches with lavender rose ice cream* filling, I used Gluten Free Chocolate Wafers from St. Amour (Costa Mesa, CA). These small chocolate cookies stayed crispy and crunchy after being topped with ice cream.

I also experimented with Lemon Lavender cookies from The Inspired Cookie, filled with saffron ice cream, and chocolate cookies from Grindstone Bakery filled with kewra (pandan) flower infused vanilla ice cream. All good.


*I was inspired to make this lavender rose ice cream when I stumbled upon this lovely recipe on Elizabeth LaBau's site SugarHero.com. 

Sjaak's Almond and Peanut Butter Bites - Nov. 28, 2013

Chocolate of the Day: 

Sjaak's Organic Chocolates
1.) Almond Butter Bites - Good - Good +
2.) Peanut Butter Bites - Good +
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) in 2 pieces
Calories: 150 calories (estimate) in 2 pieces
Cost: $1.71 for 2 pieces (with discount)
Purchased from: SweetE Organic, Mill Valley, CA

Happy Thanksgiving to all in the U.S.!

I'm now completely stuffed. The Thanksgiving feasting started with breakfast, and a small bag of chocolates.

Breakfast consisted of a tiny gluten-free pumpkin pie from Natural Decadence (Eureka, CA), topped with a mini-scoop of homemade saffron vanilla ice cream with freshly grated nutmet; toasted almonds and walnuts; and two flower-shaped Almond Butter (silver foil) and Peanut Butter (gold foil) chocolate "bites" from Sjaak's Organic Chocolates (Petaluma, CA).

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

Cocopotamus - Rosie Posy Rose Fudge Truffle - Nov. 27, 2013

Chocolate of the Day: 

NYDC Chocolate, LLC
Cocopotamus
Rosie Posy Rose Fudge Truffle
Very Good
Weight: .56 oz. (16 g.) / 2.82 oz. (80 g.) total package of 5
Calories: 56 calories in 1 piece
Cost: $10.75
Purchased from: SweetE Organic, Mill Valley, CA

Today was Day #5 of Chocolate and Flower Theme Week.

The bright flowers adorning the package caught my eye. And the name Cocopotamus made me smile. But, what sent me to the moon was the taste of a Cocopotamus Rosie Posy Fudge Truffle, from NYDC Chocolate (Albuquerque, NM).

Individually wrapped in pink foil, each Mediterranean rose water infused truffle had a creamy chocolate center. However, instead of being encased in a hard chocolate shell, the center was surrounded by a mantle of pliable chocolate fudge, and rolled in pink sugar -- creating a multi-layered texture and taste experience. The raspberry rose-colored sugar finish provided a sugar sparkle, without the whole truffle being overly sweet.

Max and Ally Sinclair have created an updated* spin on an American tradition (fudge). The personality of the Rosie Posy Fudge truffle is described as: "the most exotic charmer in our chocolate harem." If you like floral flavors, think Roses, with a capital "r," in 3D, on a chocolate rocket, coming at you, right now.

*No preservatives; gluten and corn syrup free; slightly dialed back sweetness

John and Kira's - White Tea Rose wildflower - Nov. 26, 2013

Chocolate of the Day: 

John and Kira's
Chocolate Wildflowers - White Tea and Rose ganache
Good + - Very Good
Weight: .66 oz. (18.6 g.) in 2 pieces / 3 oz. (85 g.) total box of 9 pieces
Calories: 99 calories (estimate) for 2 pieces
Cost: $29.00 for 1 box of 9 pieces
Purchased from: John and Kira's, online order

I opened up a 9-piece box of flower-shaped chocolates from John and Kira's (Philadelphia, PA) Enchanted Forest Collection.

This box contained two different flavors: a White Tea and Rose and a Rum-Pecan Caramel.

I bit into the pink one first; and I couldn't really taste the white tea in the creamy ganache (filling); but I loved the rose flavor. Both the White Tea and Rose chocolate (and its yellow, wildflower-shaped rum pecan caramel companion) provided a welcome spot of color in an otherwise overcast day.

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

B.T. McElrath - Blood Orange Blossoms - Nov. 25, 2013

Chocolate of the Day:

B.T. McElrath Chocolatier, Inc.
Blood Orange Blossoms
Good - Good +
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) total package of 2 pieces
Calories: 145 calories (estimate) in 2 piece(s)
Cost: $6.50 total package of 2 pieces (favor size)
Purchased from: B.T. McElrath (online order)

Were it not for the warm and sunny weather, I would have pinned one of these dark chocolate covered Blood Orange Blossom beauties from B.T. McElrath (Minneapolis, MN) to my hat before going out. They certainly would make good table favors.

Filled with fuschia-colored, blood orange and white chocolate ganache, and encased in hand-painted, 70% dark chocolate shells, these flowers were pleasing to the eye and palette, with a subtle sweet, citrus finish.

Today was Day #3 of Chocolate and Flower Theme Week.

Compartes Chocolatier - Meyer Lemon Lavender truffle - Nov. 24, 2013

Chocolate of the Day: 

Compartes Chocolatier
Meyer Lemon Lavender
Good + - Very Good
Weight: unknown
Calories: 58 calories (estimate) for 1 truffle
Cost: $25.00 for 10-piece assortment box
Purchased from: Compartes Chocolatier, Los Angeles, CA

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

Chocolate is an "alpha" flavor that can bury timid tasting playmates. So, I celebrated Jonathan Grahm's bold but balanced truffles. Timid they are not. Grahm is the chocolatier behind Compartes Chocolatier (Los Angeles, CA).

Jonathan's 10-piece Signature Collection is a good introduction to Compartes Chocolatier's bright and beautiful line-up. Today's Meyer Lemon Lavender truffle, stenciled across the top with lavender-colored butterflies, had just the natural tasting Meyer lemon + lavender floral punch I wanted.

My only quibble: the 10-piece Signature Collection box was a good sampler, but I would have liked the option to pick my own flavors. (Also, understandably, some intriguing flavors are seasonal and/or may not be available year-round.) I do hope to try the Cactus and other truffles in the future. I'm betting an in-person visit to the company's storefront shop in L.A. might allow for some of these options.