Clif Bar - Chocolate Brownie bar - Mar. 14, 2016

Chocolate of the Day: 

Clif Bar and Company
Chocolate Brownie bar
Good - Good +
Weight: 2.4 oz. (68 g.) in 1 bar
Calories: 250 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $1.00 (sale) for 1 bar
Purchased from: Safeway, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #7 of Chocolate Brownie Week.

Today's Chocolate Brownie bar was from Clif Bar and Company (Emeryville, CA).

The company's line of substantial bars, made with rolled oats, have long been found in outdoor stores, where they've been popular for years with climbers, cyclists, hikers and other active types. I found this one in the local supermarket.

Gary, the founder and owner of Clif Bar and Company, named the company after his father, Clifford. The creation of the first bars was driven by a desire for a better energy bar. And, Gary remembers, after a 175-mile bicycle ride (where other energy bars failed to satisfy), and "countless hours in mom's kitchen," the company was founded (in 1990) and Clif bars came into being.

There are now more than 20 different Clif bar flavors plus a few seasonal ones.

This slightly chewy Chocolate Brownie bar provided a hearty way to start the day. Made with organic, rolled oats it had some of the characteristic texture and heft of an "oat" bar, and some of the chocolate richness of a brownie, without as much sugar.

The content and images in this post belong to ChocolateBanquet.com.

Godiva - Caramel Nut Brownie Truffles - Mar. 13, 2016

Chocolate of the Day: 

Godiva Chocolatier, Inc.
Caramel Nut Brownie Dessert Truffles
Good
Weight: .74 oz. (21 g.) / 4.4 oz. (125 g.) in total package
Calories: 95 calories in 2 pieces
Cost: $1.99 (sale) for 1 package
Purchased from: Grocery Outlet Bargain Market, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #6 of Chocolate Brownie Week.

Today's package of individually-wrapped Caramel Nut Brownie Dessert Truffles were created by Godiva Chocolatier (New York, NY).

These truffles contained two flavor layers: caramel and fudge blended with hazelnuts—surrounded by a dark chocolate shell.

Care must be taken when biting into these truffles. The flowing, sweet, caramel filling may ooze out. The bottom "fudge brownie" layer of filling helped balance the very sweet caramel. There was a barely detectable hint of hazelnut chocolate (spread) flavor in the finish.

The content and images in this post belong to ChocolateBanquet.com.

Continental Mills - Krusteaz Gluten Free Fudge Brownie Mix - Mar. 12, 2016

Chocolate of the Day: 

Continental Mills
Krusteaz Gluten Free Fudge Brownie Mix
Good + - Good ++
Weight: 3 Tb. (28 g.) of dry mix / 48 oz. (3 lb.) (1.36 kg.) in total box of 3 packages
Calories: 120 calories in 1 small (2-inch) brownie
Cost: $3.99 for total box (of three mix packages)
Purchased from: Grocery Outlet Bargain Market, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #5 of Chocolate Brownies Week.

The Krusteaz Gluten Free Fudge Brownie Mix from Continental Mills (Seattle, WA) produced a set of individual-serving sized* brownies with commendably even, classic brownie, cake-like texture.

There was a very slightly salty dough flavor note, but otherwise these were quite good.

*The brownies were cooked in individual serving sized silicone molds.

The content and images in this post belong to ChocolateBanquet.com.

Wholesome Chow - Organic Gluten Free Brownie Mix - Mar. 11, 2016

Chocolate of the Day: 

Wholesome Chow
Organic Gluten Free Brownie Mix
Good ++
Weight: 1.55 oz. (44 g.) / 17.8 oz. (504.7 g.) in total package of mix
Calories: 153 calories (estimate) in 1 brownie
Cost: $5.79 in one package
Purchased from: Country Sun Natural Foods, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #4 of Chocolate Brownie Week.

Today's Organic Gluten Free Brownie Mix was created by Wholesome Chow (Los Osos, CA).

These brownies had a pleasing cocoa aroma, a crisp brownie "crust," and a moist, almost gooey filling. (Made sure to let these cool fully before cutting into them.)

The mix was Organic Certified, Kosher, Non-GMO Project Verified, and Vegan Verified. And, so long to wheat, soy, egg, corn and nuts. You won't find these in the mix.

If you'd prefer to use "real" dairy butter you can. The directions also accommodated using flaxseed meal or one egg. And, since I hadn't cooked with flaxseed meal before (and was interested in trying it), I went with the flaxseed meal.

Thank you to Wholesome Chow founders for being part of a new wave of gluten-free bakers and mix creators. I will never forget the first time I tried the company's chocolate lavender cake—that I topped with a little fresh whipped cream and dried lavender buds. Bliss me.

The content and images in this post belong to ChocolateBanquet.com.

Simple MIlls - Almond Flour Mix Chocolate (brownie) - Mar. 10, 2016

Chocolate of the Day: 

Simple Mills
Gluten Free Almond Flour Mix - Chocolate Muffin and Cupcake
(Almond Walnut Chocolate Brownie)
Good++-Very Good
Weight: 1.06 oz. (30 g.) / 9.4 oz. (266 g.)
Calories: 137 calories (estimate) in 1 serving
Cost: $3.99 for 1 package
Purchased from: Grocery Outlet, Palo Alto, CA

Today was Day #3 of Chocolate Brownie Week.

It's rare that I find a gluten-free chocolate cake that I like as much as a well-executed brownie. Why is that? Brownies are closer to the true essence of chocolate; and cakes often contain flour(s) that dilute the rich, pure taste of chocolate.

It's possible to "convert" a cake recipe to a brownie recipe, by adding a little more butter or oil, and decreasing the flour and egg.

Or, you could start with today's Gluten Free Almond Flour - Chocolate Muffin and Cupcake mix from Simple Mills (Chicago, IL), a chocolate cake and cupcake mix that was rich and brownie-like already. And, happily, it was made without a long list of additives and preservatives.

I topped this "brownie" cupcake some raw walnut pieces that became toasty brown in the baking process—amplifying the rich sweet, nutty aroma.

Simple Mills and Gluten Free 

Thank you to Simple Mills founder, Katlin Smith, for creating her line of "simpler" gluten-free mixes.

Katlin suspected that we didn't really need baking mixes with 25 ingredients. (Today's mix had 7 ingredients, and they were all items I'd want to eat.) On the company's website, Katlin talks about her early formative experience with diet. She got rid of her joint pain when she changed what she ate.

Amen to that. I'm grateful I can enjoy gluten free offerings like this, and still walk and hike the next day.

The content and images in this post belong to ChocolateBanquet.com.

SOMA Chocolatemaker - Milk Old School - Mar. 9, 2016

Chocolate of the Day: 

SOMA Chocolatemaker
Milk Old School
Very Good
Weight: 1.59 oz. (45 g.) / 3.18 oz. (90 g.) in total package
Calories: 235 calories (guesstimate) in 1/2 package
Cost: $12.00 (estimate - member pricing may apply) 
Purchased from: The Chocolate Garage, Palo Alto, CA

Today was Day #2 of Chocolate Brownie Week.

Technically, this "Milk Old School" heart from SOMA Chocolatemaker (Toronto, Canada) was not a brownie. Nor was it a single origin bar, or a cookie. It was the best of all three of these combined.

Hats off to the busy and creative folks at SOMA. I love all that you do, and continuing to provide innovative and natural flavors and form factors.

Today's 38% cacao offering was crafted from Chuao* cacao nibs, some of the best in the world. The partially ground nibs were combined with milk and whole crystals of organic cane sugar, and pressed into a heart-shape, resembling a cookie.

The result: It smelled great, and had a wonderful rich chocolate "brownie" flavor, and crunchy cookie texture. This was a seasonal offering created for Valentines Day last month; but I hope there are more single-origin, old school bar/cookie offerings like this to come.

*Chuao is the name of a village area in northern Venezuela. This area is known for its cacao plantations and prized cacao.

The content and images in this post belong to ChocolateBanquet.com.

Fruits In Chocolate - Cherry in Dark Chocolate - Mar. 8, 2016

Chocolate of the Day: 

Chocolate Printing Company, Inc.
Fruits in Chocolate - Cherry in Dark Chocolate
Very Good
Weight: 1.3 oz. (36 g.) / 6 oz. (170 g.) in total package
Calories: 150 calories in 2 pieces
Cost: $3.99 for 1 pkg. of 9 pieces
Purchased from: Safeway, Mountain View, CA

Today was Day #8 of Chocolate, Cherry and Raspberry Week.

Fresh cherries are tough to find in Winter where I live. And frozen ones (if you can find them) can be extremely expensive.

So, today I dreamt of fresh cherries in the summer. And in the meantime, this week I sampled chocolates with dried cherries in various forms.

Today, I got lucky, with these individually-wrapped Cherry Fruits in Chocolate from the Chocolate Printing Company, Inc. (Inwood, NY).

Instead of chewy, or sodden, red bits of fruit crystallized in sugar, or entombed in corn syrup and confectioners glaze, these chocolates contained a much more authentic, moist, real cherry filling.

In other words, these were fruits in chocolate vs. chocolate-covered fruit pieces. A great find.

And the chocolate covering had a subtle, but rich chocolate brownie aroma that was quite satisfying and delightful as well.

I also made a personal-sized brownie, embedded with two of these chocolates. It was incredibly rich, flavorful and satisfying.

The content and images in this post belong to ChocolateBanquet.com.