Whole Foods - Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookie - May 9, 2015

Chocolate of the Day: 

Whole Foods Market
Gluten-Free Bakehouse
Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies
Good +
Weight: 1.25 oz. (35.5 g.) / 10 oz. (284 g.) in total package
Calories: 180 calories in 1 cookie
Cost: $7.49 in 1 package of 8 cookies
Purchased from: Whole Foods Market, Los Altos, CA

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

There is nothing like the smell of hot baked goods with walnuts, right out of the oven. I re-heated a Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookie from Whole Foods Market (Austin, TX), to reproduce this wonderful aroma and flavor. And I was not disappointed.

These gluten-free cookies were a great blend of thick, chewy, chocolatey, nutty, buttery and crunchy.

Hats off to Whole Foods and the team at the Gluten-Free Bakehouse (Morrisville, NC), a dedicated facility that's been making good-tasting, gluten-free versions of cookies, cakes and breads for more than a decade.

Whole Foods - 70% Dark Chocolate Walnuts - May 8, 2015

Chocolate of the Day: 

Whole Foods
70% Dark Chocolate Walnuts
Good +
Weight: 2.5 oz. (71 g.) / 10 oz. (284 g.) in total container
Calories: 375 calories (estimate) in 1/4 container
Cost: $7.99 for 1 container
Purchased from: Whole Foods Market, Los Altos, CA

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

Immersing walnut halves in dark chocolate is a simple and direct way to enjoy this bittersweet combination.

These glossy, generously sized 70% Dark Chocolate Walnuts from Whole Foods Market (Austin, TX) were surrounded by a generous coating of smooth dark chocolate. The soft crunchy walnuts inside tasted fresh and added satisfying nutty texture.

Julian Bakery - Paleo Ecuador bar - May 7, 2015

Chocolate of the Day: 

Julian Bakery
Paleo Chocolate Ecuador 82% bar
Good
Weight: 1.125 oz. (32 g.) / 2.25 oz. (64 g.) total bar
Calories: 120 calories (estimate) for 1/2 bar
Cost: $4.99 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Sprouts Farmers Market, Mountain View, CA

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

Today's single origin Paleo Chocolate Ecuador bar from Julian Bakery, Inc. (Oceanside, CA) didn't contain any walnuts, but the tasting notes did. The description read: "Hints of Walnut, Banana and Toffee."

Julian Bakery is to be commended for creating several paleo chocolate (and other food) offerings -- that are lower in certain sugars and carbohydrates, and made from relatively unadulterated ingredients. For example, there was no added soy or other lecithin or preservatives added to this bar.

This 82% cacao, dairy-, soy- and gluten-free, stevia*-sweetened bar was bittersweet. The erythritol, stevia and vanilla bean made it difficult to taste the precise nuances of the underlying cacao, and may have contributed to a slight bitter note (also a common aftertaste in walnuts, in part due to beneficial phenolic acids, tannins and other substances/flavonoids/anti-oxidants).

This chocolate was also undeniably sweet, with a hint of banana-floral-marshmallow taste and texture (sometimes associated with some Ecuador cacao). You'll definitely get a sweet fix, for fewer calories and less sugar with this bar.

*Stevia is a great plant-based natural sweetener, but can be challenging to work with re: flavor profile.

Barr Necessities - Walnut It'sa Meal cookie - May 6, 2015

Chocolate of the Day:

Barr Necessities
Walnut It'sa Meal cookie
Good +
Weight: 3.7 oz. (105 g.) in 1 cookie
Calories: 200 calories (estimate) for 1 cookie
Cost: $4.95 (estimate) for 1 cookie
Purchased from: SweetE Organic, Mill Valley, CA

Today was Day #1 of Chocolate and Walnut Theme Week.

Walnuts* are less likely to be found in chocolate bars than some other nuts. Almonds* are everywhere. Walnuts and chocolate combinations in California are more likely to be found in trail mixes, the occasional walnut brownie or cookie, and chocolate covered nuts.

Thank you to Elana at SweetE Organic (Mill Valley, CA) for introducing me to these "It'sa Meal" cookies made with organic almond flour and flaxseed meal from Barr Necessities (Berkeley, CA).

These substantial and satisfying cookies, including today's Vegan Chocolate Walnut flavor, are gluten, grain and soy free. They're made with just enough raw coconut nectar to add some sweetness. (Coconut palm sugar scores lower on the glycemic index than white cane or beet sugar.) I love the fact that these cookies are less sweet; I can eat one without a trace of a sugar buzz.

The soft crunch of the chopped walnuts and the rich flavor of the chocolate chips were great additions as well.

*Both walnuts and almonds are great healthy snacks. Walnuts have more Omega-3s (alpha-linolenic fatty acids) than almonds, but almonds have a bit more protein, fiber and calcium than walnuts. 

Charm School Chocolate - 70% Belize bar with Jalapeno - May 5, 2015

Chocolate of the Day

Charm School Chocolate
70% Dark Belize with Jalapeno, Nibs and Salt bar
Good
Weight: 1.05 oz. (30 g.) / 2.1 oz. (60 g.) in 1 bar
Calories: 158 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $11.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: The Chocolate Garage, Palo Alto, CA

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

This 70% Dark Belize bar from Charm School Chocolate (Baltimore, MD) had a subtle dark chocolate aroma and initial flavor. Then the jalapeno pepper after-burn kicked in; but this spicy sizzle left no lasting damage.


The 70% Dark Belize bar was crafted from Maya Mountain Cacao* organic cacao; organic cane sugar, cacao butter and jalapeno pepper. A pinch of French sea salt helped balance the bitter, sweet and spicy flavors in this chocolate.

A light sprinkling of cacao nibs (pieces of cacao bean) across the back of the bar added an authentic, unsweetened cacao bean flavor and soft crunchy texture.

This Charm School Chocolate bar was certified vegan and also soy free. In keeping with the goal of creating vegan chocolates, the company also offers some very good coconut milk chocolate bars,  made with Belize cacao as well. (Some of these bars were reviewed earlier this week.)

*Maya Mountain Cacao sources cacao from farmers in Southern Belize for premium chocolate makers. 

Ritual Chocolate - Belize 75 percent bar - May 4, 2015

Chocolate of the Day

Ritual Chocolate
Belize Toledo 75 percent cacao bar
Good ++ 
Weight: 1.5 oz. (42.5 g.) in total bar
Calories: 225 calories (estimate) in 1 bar
Cost: $8.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: The Chocolate Garage, Palo Alto, CA

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

The label on this Belize 75% Cacao dark chocolate bar from Ritual Chocolate indicated the company was based in Denver, Colorado.

However, the craft chocolate industry moves quickly, and by the time of this write-up, company founders Robbie Stout and Anna Davies had relocated their factory to, and opened a cafe in, Park City, Utah. So, Ritual Chocolate bars are now considered "Utah Craft Chocolate."

Ritual Chocolate's Belize bar (Batch #004, Harvest Year 2014) was made with two ingredients: organic cacao (a blend of indigenous heirloom and Trinitario cacao beans from the Toledo district of Southern Belize) and organic cane sugar.

Tasting notes on the packaging let us know that we could expect a "balanced chocolate with notes of dried fig, cherry and a hint of tobacco."

I thought this bar had a pleasant chocolatey, dried fruit, almost smoky aroma. It wasn't too sweet, which I very much liked. The bar had a relatively balanced, complex flavor profile with hints of tart dried sour cherry -- so, in other words, the taste mirrored the tasting notes. The chocolate had a shine to it, and a smooth, cocoa buttery texture and mouthfeel.

The company has attractive packaging and each bar is adorned with an illustration of an animal that resides within the country of cacao origin. In today's case, the animal looks to be a young Tapir, a large endangered herbivore that lives in Central and South America.

Charm School - Coconut Milk Maple Pecan bar - May 3, 2015

Chocolate of the Day:

Charm School Chocolate
Coconut Chocolate with Maple Candied Pecans bar
Good +
Weight: 2.1 oz. (60 g.) in total bar
Calories: 315 calories (estimate) in 1 bar
Cost: $11.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: The Chocolate Garage, Palo Alto, CA

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

Joshua Rosen, owner and chocolate maker at Charm School Chocolate (Baltimore, MD) crafts non-dairy chocolate bars from scratch. And the bars I've tried have all been made with cacao from Belize. The beans are "stone ground in small batches from single origin cacao," according to information on the company's website.

Today's 49% cacao Coconut Milk Chocolate Maple Candied Pecans bar was made with cacao beans from Maya Mountain Cacao (in the Toledo district of Southern Belize), Georgia pecans, and maple syrup. Subtle hints of sea salt, cinnamon and grains of paradise* help round out the flavor profile. Crispy, crunchy and flavorfully sweet nutty texture harmonized with smooth underlying coconut milk chocolate.

Coconut milk takes the place of cream and/or milk -- and if you didn't know this fact, you could be easily fooled. There is no strong coconut taste to these bars.

Charm School Chocolate bars are soy free, certified vegan and made with organic ingredients.

*Grains of Paradise (Aframomum melegueta) is the name of a spice, related to ginger (with flavor notes often likened to black pepper and/or cardamom), native to West Africa but also found in the Caribbean and Latin America.