Nirvana - Organic Belgian Milk Chocolate sea salt and caramel bar - May 14, 2016

Chocolate of the Day: 

Nirvana Belgian Chocolates
Organic Belgian Milk Chocolate (sea salt and caramel) bar
Good
Weight: 1.5 oz. (43 g.) / 3 oz. (85 g.) in total bar
Calories: 250 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $5.95 for 1 bar
Purchased from: SweetE Organic, Mill Valley, CA

Welcome to Day #7 of Chocolate and Salted Caramel Theme Week.

Today's Organic Belgian Milk Chocolate (sea salt and caramel) bar, was festooned with a sea of caramel and sea salt pieces.

This Nirvana Belgian Chocolates bar was made in Belgium, with Organic and Fairtrade Certified ingredients, for Belgium's Chocolate Source (Milton, MA). Oh, did I mention this was Belgian chocolate?

Note: The bar contains glucose syrup, but is labeled as gluten-free. Glucose syrup can be made from corn, tapioca, potato, sorghum or wheat starch. However, even if made from wheat starch, this sweetener is fairly heavily processed, and the processing generally reduces any gluten to very low levels.

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

Bissinger's Dulce de Leche bar - May 13, 2016

Chocolate of the Day: 

Bissinger's
Dulce de Leche 38% milk chocolate bar
Good
Weight: 1.5 oz. (43 g.) / 3 oz. (85 g.) in total bar
Calories: 200 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $2.99 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Grocery Outlet Bargain Market, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #6 of Chocolate and Salted Caramel Theme Week.

Dulce de Leche is a cooked down caramel confection (made with either milk and sugar, or sweetened condensed milk).

This caramel featured prominently in today's Dulce de Leche bar from Bissinger's (St. Louis, MO).

This "38% milk chocolate, creamy caramel, cinnamon and a touch of smoked fleur de sel" bar contained pockets of soft caramel—the kind of filling that forms tiny, sweet golden brown "icicles" after you bite into the chocolate.


On the back of this gluten free, bar made with Non-GMO ingredients was a constellation of tiny, twinkling smoked sea salt (fleur de sel) crystals.

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

Baron Chocolatier - Milk Chocolate with Sea Salt Caramel bar - May 12, 2016

Chocolate of the Day: 

European Chocolate, Ltd., a division of Milano Group
Excellent Baron Chocolatier
Milk Chocolate with Sea Salt Caramel bar
Good
Weight: 1.41 oz. (40 g.) / 3.5 oz. (100 g.) in total bar
Calories: 210 calories in 4 pieces (2/5 of bar)
Cost: $1.49 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Grocery Outlet Bargain Market, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #5 of Chocolate and Salted Caramel Theme Week.

Today's Baron Chocolatier Milk Chocolate with Sea Salt Caramel bar was brought to us by European* Chocolate, Ltd. (a division of Milano Group).

This bar had a pleasant milk chocolate aroma and flavor, and contained a lively texture trio: sweet, smooth milk chocolate, with crispy crunchy pieces of caramel and sparkles of sea salt.

The GMO Free and Kosher bar was relatively slim, allowing ready access to flavors and textures.

*This bar was made in Europe (Product of Poland).

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

Pretzel Perfection - Salted Caramel Clusters - May 11, 2016

Chocolate of the Day:

Pretzel Perfection
Salted Caramel Clusters
Good
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) / 3 oz. (85.1 g.) in total package
Calories: 140 calories in 1 oz. (28.3 g.) serving
Cost: $2.99 for 1 package
Purchased from: Ross (store), Mountain View, CA

Welcome to Day #4 of Chocolate and Salted Caramel Theme Week.

Today's (gluten free) Salted Caramel Clusters were crunchy, melty, sweet and salty confections from Pretzel Perfection (Vancouver, WA).

There are a few gluten-free items that may actually approach, or dare I say exceed, conventional wheat-based baked good flavor and texture. Gluten-free brownies, flourless chocolate cakes and certain gluten-free pretzels fall into this category.

So, I'm happy to say there were no sacrifices because today's pretzel-based confection pieces were gluten free.

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

Alter Eco - Dark Salted Burnt Caramel bar - May 10, 2016

Chocolate of the Day: 

Alter Eco
Dark Salted Burnt Caramel bar
Good+
Weight: 1.41 oz. (40 g.) / 2.82 oz. (80 g.) in total bar
Calories: 220 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $4.00 (sale)
Purchased from: Country Sun Natural Foods, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #3 of Chocolate and Salted Caramel Theme Week.

This Dark Salted Burnt Caramel bar from Alter Eco (San Francisco, CA - Americas Div.) was made with fair trade certified, organic chocolate.

The 70% cocoa bar was flavorful with a fully roasted dark flavor, and had a "deep salty crunch."


Today's bar was gluten free, soy free, and Non-GMO.

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

Salazon Chocolate - 57% Dark Chocolate Sea Salt Caramel bar - May 9, 2016

Chocolate of the Day:

Salazon Chocolate Co. LLC
57% Organic Dark Chocolate with Sea Salt and Caramel bar
Good - Good +
Weight: 1.37 oz. (39 g.) / 2.75 oz. (78 g.) in total bar
Calories: 187 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $4.50 for 1 bar
Purchased from: SweetE Organic, Mill Valley, CA

Welcome to the second day of Chocolate and Salted Caramel Theme Week.

Today's Organic Dark Chocolate with Sea Salt and Caramel bar was from Salazon Chocolate Co. LLC (Eldersburg, MD).

Salazon crafts their chocolate from organic, single origin, Rainforest Alliance and Fair Trade Certified, Hispaniola cacao beans from the Dominican Republic.

The 57% cacao dark chocolate in this bar encased a buttery and slightly salty, liquid caramel filling; so if you're out on the trail, take care when you're breaking this bar open to eat or share.

A relief map of the world was embossed across the top side. And the construction of this bar created a dimensional layering of flavors: chocolate, liquid caramel, and a sprinkle of sea salt on the back.

Today's bar was a Salazon Trail Series bar—meaning, in this case, that at least 2 percent of gross proceeds of this bar will support the Appalachian Trail Conservancy.

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

thinkThin - Dark Chocolate Salted Caramel Protein Nut Bar - May 8, 2016

Chocolate of the Day:

thinkThin
Dark Chocolate Salted Caramel Protein Nut Bar
Good - Good +
Weight: 1.41 oz. (40 g.) in 1 bar
Calories: 190 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $ missing information
Purchased from: missing information

Welcome to Day #1 of Chocolate and Salted Caramel Theme Week—the third week of a chocolate + salt-themed trifecta of bars and confections.

thinkThin, LLC (Los Angeles, CA) distributes a family of protein bars, including today's Dark Chocolate Salted Caramel Protein Nut Bar.

This gluten-free bar was a crunchy, crispy crumbly amalgam of nuts (almonds and peanuts); seeds (pumpkin and sunflower); soy crisps (protein); chocolate; and other items; and it was suffused with a hint of caramel flavor and sea salt.

From what I can recall, thinkThin bars like this have more whole and/or lightly processed ingredients than several years ago—and, if true, this is a positive move.

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