The Piping Gourmets - Chocolate Raspberry Whoopie Pies - Aug. 18, 2015

Chocolate of the Day: 

The Piping Gourmets
Chocolate Raspberry Whoopie Pies
Good - Good +
Weight: 2 oz. (57 g.) / 8 oz. (226.8 g.) (per label) for 1 box of 4
Calories: 210 calories for 1 pie
Cost: $7.99 for 1 box of 4 pies
Purchased from: Piazza's Fine Foods, Palo Alto, CA

Today was Day #4 of Chocolate and Frozen Dessert Theme Week.

Yesterday, I tried a Double Chocolate Whoopie Pie from The Piping Gourmets (Miami, FL). Two rounds of moist chocolate cake (sandwiched together) held a chocolate frosting filling. Today I tried the company's Chocolate Raspberry flavor (chocolate cake with raspberry frosting).

Both these Whoopie Pies were made with gluten-free, dairy-free chocolate cookie-shaped cakes -- and were surprisingly good given what they'd left out or artfully substituted. The vegan raspberry "cream" frosting filling was not too heavy or sweet, which I liked.

Whoopie and moon pies in the U.S. are "hand pies" that have the frosting on the inside, making cake suitable for eating fork-free, with your hands. And these were very nice eaten cold, like an ice cream sandwich, as well.

While technically not meant to be a frozen dessert, like yesterday's Double Chocolate flavor, I ate this individually-wrapped Chocolate Raspberry Whoopie Pie right out of the freezer. It was great treat to beat the heat.

These pies were certified gluten free, vegan and kosher, and were Non GMO Project verified.

The Piping Gourmets - Chocolate Chocolate Whoopie Pies - Aug. 17, 2015

Chocolate of the Day: 

The Piping Gourmets
Whoopie Pies - Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Frosting
(Double Chocolate)
Good+
Weight: 2 oz. (57 g.) / 8 oz. (226.8 g.) in total box of 4 pies
Calories: 210 calories in 1 pie
Cost: $7.99 for 1 box of 4 pies
Purchased from: Piazza's Fine Foods, Palo Alto, CA

Today was Day #3 of Chocolate and Frozen Desserts Theme Week.

On a hot August afternoon, there's nothing like a tall glass of ice water and some ice cream. A close second might be an ice cream sandwich. Or, today's chocolate -- a frozen chocolate Whoopie Pie.

The first Whoopie Pies probably originated with the Pennsylvania Amish, and are round cake-like sandwiches filled with a creamy filling.

Today's frozen "Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Frosting" Whoopie Pie was from The Piping Gourmets (Miami, FL). Co-founders Leslie Kaplan and Carolyn Shulevich developed a gluten-free and dairy-free version of what looks a bit like a cookie ice cream sandwich.

Sold frozen, and packaged in boxes of 4 individually-wrapped sandwiches, these Whoopie Pies were technically not a frozen dessert. They were meant to be thawed and eaten at room temperature. However, I thought they were good right out of the freezer, especially on a hot day.

Today's Double Chocolate flavor was one of a half dozen different flavors sold by the company. Each individually wrapped Double Chocolate cookie-cake sandwich was filled with chocolate frosting.

The Piping Gourmets Whoopie Pies were made in a dedicated gluten-free facility and were also Non-GMO, Vegan, Dairy-Free, Nut-Free, and Kosher.

Mars - Dove Unconditional Chocolate Ice Cream - Aug. 16, 2015

Chocolate of the Day:

Mars
Dove Unconditional Chocolate Ice Cream
Good +
Weight: 1/2 cup (72 g.) / 15.1 fl. oz. (447 mL) in total container
Calories: 200 calories in 1/2 cup serving
Cost: $2.00 (estimate) for 1 container
Purchased from: Grocery Outlet Bargain Market, Palo Alto, CA

Today was Day #2 of Chocolate and Frozen Desserts Theme Week.

It's August and it's hot. Perfect for a week of "cold" chocolate -- in the form of ice cream and frozen desserts.

Today's Dove brand Unconditional Chocolate Ice Cream (distributed by Mars, Hackettstown, NJ) was loaded with concentrated chocolate flavor -- shards and flecks of chocolate were buried in a chocolate ice cream base.

I ate this chocolate ice cream in the morning. But it was already so hot, that the ice cream started to melt within seconds after I scooped it into a glass to eat. It still tasted refreshingly great.

NadaMoo - Gotta Do Chocolate - Aug. 15, 2015

Chocolate of the Day: 

NadaMoo
Gotta Do Chocolate - Non-Dairy Frozen Dessert
Good - Good +
Weight: 1/4 cup (35.5 g.) / 1 Pint (473 mL)
Calories: 60 calories in 1/4 cup serving
Cost: $2.00 (estimate) for 1 Pint container
Purchased from: Grocery Outlet Bargain Market, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to the first day (Day #1) of Chocolate and Frozen Desserts Theme Week.

This week will be focused on ice cream and other frozen desserts that incorporate chocolate.

Today's "Gotta Do Chocolate" flavor of Organic, non-dairy ice cream from NadaMoo (Austin, TX) was made with coconut milk instead of milk and cream. This was nothing like the more granular or uncertain, icy melts sometimes present in other non-dairy options. Each chocolate mouthful of NadaMoo melted with a silken creaminess.

NadaMoo is a family business that started after making their coconut milk-based frozen dessert for locals. Now there are several certified organic, gluten free, vegan and kosher flavors more widely available in the U.S.

Probar - Chocolate Cherry Cashew Bar - Aug. 14, 2014

Chocolate of the Day:

Probar LLC
bite Organic Snack Bar
Chocolate Cherry Cashew
Good
Weight: 1.62 oz. (46 g.) in 1 bar
Calories: 190 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $2.25 for 1 bar
Purchased from: REI, San Carlos, CA

Today was Day #10 of Chocolate, Fruits and Nuts Theme Week.

There are many snack bars, energy bars and trail mixes that have incorporated chocolate into fruit, nut and seed products, for example, this Chocolate Cherry Cashew flavored bar from Probar LLC (Park City, UT).

This snack bar is one of six different flavors in the company's Bite Organic Snack Bar line of dairy-, gluten- and soy-free, individually wrapped bars.

The bar had 6 grams of protein which may have contributed to a more satisfying tasting experience. Cashew butter, cashews, flax and chia seeds, and oats helped contribute some protein. Unlike some other ultra-sweet snack bars (this one had 10-11 grams of sugar), I didn't feel like I'd be suffering from a post sugar high crash a few hours later. (Thank you Probar.) It had a soft, chewy and slightly malty or grainy texture as well.

The bar contained cocoa, chocolate liquor and cocoa butter; but the chocolate flavors were almost too subtle to detect. However, better this than an overload of chocolatey sweetness in a snack bar that I take on a hike or might eat any time of day. Odd how sweetness levels are great for one item but not for others.

Mamma Chia - Cherry and Dark Chocolate Bar - Aug. 13, 2015

Chocolate of the Day: 

Mamma Chia
Cherry and Dark Chocolate with Chia bar
Good
Weight: 1.4 oz. (40 g.) in 1 bar
Calories: 190 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $1.79 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Safeway, Palo Alto, CA

The Mamma Chia website is filled with pictures of healthy, beautiful athletic people. I could aspire to look more like them, but today I just want to enjoy some chocolate and think about "test driving" one of these bars on a hike in the near future.

Welcome to Day #9 of Chocolate, Fruits and Nuts Theme Week.

Today's Cherry and Dark Chocolate (with Chia) bar from Mamma Chia (Carlsbad, CA) had the same moist-but-not-messy texture as the company's Blueberry and Dark Chocolate bar I had earlier this week. This Cherry bar contained both blueberries and cherries, making it relatively fruity and sweet. Pecan and almond pieces added a chewy crunch, as did chia seeds. The dark chocolate was more of an accent flavor to the seeds, fruit and nuts.

The bar was BPA Free, Non GMO and Gluten Free. The company supports giving back to  community(ies), e.g., by being a member of 1 Percent for the Planet.

Ghirardelli Chocolate - Cherry Tango bar - Aug. 12, 2015

Chocolate of the Day:

Ghirardelli Chocolate Company
Cherry Tango bar
Good - Good +
Weight: 1.75 oz. (50 g.) / 3.5 oz. (100 g.) in total bar
Calories: 225 calories (estimate based on label) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $3.49 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Walgreens, Mountain View, CA

Welcome to was Day #8 of Chocolate, Fruits and Nuts Theme Week at Chocolate Banquet -- where the definition of a week is an elastic concept. A "chocolate week" here often stretches from 7 to as many as 14 days (and chocolates). I appreciate chocolate, and life in general. I am truly grateful to have access to so many different chocolates, including quite a few with fruit and nuts.

Today's Cherry Tango bar from Ghirardelli Chocolate Company (San Leandro, CA) was part of the company's "Intense Dark" bar series. If you're wary about deep dark or bitter chocolate, don't let the phrase "Intense Dark" scare you; this Ghirardelli semisweet chocolate bar was quite mellow and a bit of added cocoa butter added to the smoothness.

This Cherry Tango bar was studded with tiny almond chips, and had a uniform cherry flavor (dried cherries and "natural flavors"), that reminded me of sweet cherry chocolate candies that had whispers of vanilla and a subtle marzipan/almond extract flavor notes. I have fond childhood memories of these cherry chocolate confections, and this bar evoked some of those memories. The bar was a bit on the sweet side, but not overly so.