Protein Puck - Almond Butter Dark Chocolate - June 30, 2016

Chocolate of the Day: 

Manufactured for Inland Coffee Retailers LLC
Protein Puck - Almond Butter Dark Chocolate
Good
Weight: 3.25 oz. (92 g.) in total puck/package
Calories: 240 calories in 1 puck
Cost: $2.99 for 1 puck/package
Purchased from: Vista House, Crown Point, OR

Welcome to Day #5 of Chocolate Cookie Theme Week.

While I haven't seen these cookie-shaped Protein Pucks where I live in the San Francisco Bay Area, I was able to find and purchase some on recent trip to Oregon, at a scenic site called Vista House at Crown Point, overlooking the Columbia River Gorge.

And across the gorge, lies Washington, the state where this Almond Butter Dark Chocolate Protein Puck was manufactured for Inland Coffee Retailers LLC (Spokane, WA).

The Almond Butter Dark Chocolate Protein Puck/bar contained small chunks of dark chocolate (not immediately visible from the package), and was substantial and filling.

This gluten free and vegan bar contained almond butter, agave, gluten free oats, flax seeds, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, almonds, dark chocolate, coconut and sunflower oil.

Jo-sef's Gluten Free - Chocolate O's cookies - June 29, 2016

Chocolate of the Day:

Jo-sef's Gluten Free
Chocolate O's Gluten Free cookies
Good
Weight: 1.41 oz. (40 g.) / 8.5 oz. (240 g.) for 1 box of cookies
Calories: 190 calories in 2 cookies (1 serving)
Cost: $ unknown
Purchased from: unknown

Welcome to Day #4 of Chocolate Cookie Theme Week.

Today's Chocolate O's Gluten Free cookies from Jo-sef's Gluten Free (Brooklyn, NY) were an allergy-free take on the classic, crunchy, creamy American chocolate sandwich cookies.

They were "Egg Free, Wheat Free, No Chemical Preservatives; Nut Free, Lactose/Dairy Free, Casein Free, Vegan."

Mary's Gone Crackers - Minis Cocoa bites - June 28, 2016

Chocolate of the Day:

Mary's Gone Crackers, Inc.
Minis - Cocoa bites
Good
Weight: 11 pieces - .53 oz. (15 g.) / 4.5 oz. (127 g.) in total box
Calories: 70 calories in 1 serving
Cost: $ unknown
Purchased from: unknown

Welcome to Day #3 of Chocolate Cookies Theme Week. (All gluten free folks.)

Today's Minis—Cocoa* bites from Mary's Gone Crackers, Inc. (Gridley, CA)—were tiny organic cookies made with a gluten-free flour blend, and contained crunchy bits of whole grain quinoa flakes and chia seeds.

Lightly sweetened, a single serving (22) of these vegan 1-bite shapes would likely allow you to enjoy the sun, the moon and the stars. (And the hearts too.)

Just like Mary's seed crackers, a few of these Minis left me feeling like I'd eaten something substantial and satisfying. Thank you to the team at Mary's for continuing to develop nutritious snacks that contain whole grain, with no wheat or gluten. (Mary herself has Celiac disease, a big reason why she got into the gluten-free cracker business.)

*Mary's Minis (bites) also come in vanilla and graham flavors.

Tin Pot Creamery - Chocolate Walnut Cookie - June 27, 2016

Chocolate of the Day:

Tin Pot Creamery
Chocolate Walnut Cookie
Very Good
Weight: unknown
Calories: unknown
Cost: $ mission information
Purchased from: Tin Pot Creamery, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #2 of Chocolate Cookie Theme Week.

What a great gluten-free chocolate cookie I had today.

It was made by the Tin Pot Creamery (Palo Alto, CA), a local 2-shop enterprise (with Palo Alto and Los Altos locations) that is better known as a scoop shop with high-quality ice creams and sorbets.

This individually-wrapped, rich, dark chocolate cookie with embedded pieces of walnut, had almost brownie-like richness. It was substantial, moist, very slightly chewy, and hung together well without being crumbly.

Liz Lovely - Cowgirl Cookie Truffles - June 26, 2016

Chocolate of the Day: 

Liz Lovely, Inc.
Cowgirl Cookie Truffles
Good
Weight: 1.13 oz. (32 g.) / 6.7 oz. (190 g.) in total container
Calories: 150 calories in 1 cookie
Cost: $8.99 (estimate) for 1 container of 6 truffle cookies
Purchased from: SweetE Organic, Mill Valley, CA

Welcome to Day #1 of Chocolate Cookie Theme Week. As with all other chocolate items on this site, these Cowgirl Cookie Truffles—manufactured and distributed by Liz Lovely, Inc. (Waitsfield, VT)—were gluten free.

What are truffle cookies? Well, in this case, these rich confections were thick, soft chocolate chip cookies completely covered in dark chocolate. One was enough to satisfy, so it's possible that this container could be enough to share with five others.

Cookie Truffles (flavors) offered by this company include: Cowgirl, Moose, Sugar and Mint.

These cookies were certified gluten free, vegan and Non-GMO Project Verified.

Lindt - 90 percent Supreme Dark bar - June 25, 2016

Chocolate of the Day:

Lindt and Sprungli
90% Cocoa Supreme Dark bar
Good++
Weight: .7 oz. (20 g.) / 3.5 oz. (100 g.) total bar
Calories: 120 calories in 1/5 bar
Cost: $?.?? for 1/5 bar
Purchased from:

Welcome to the final day (Day #7) of Swiss Chocolate Week.
It would be unfair to exclude Lindt chocolate, for this might be the first Swiss Chocolate that many people in the U.S. taste.

While bean-to-bar aficionados may move on to more bold, hand-hewn bars, there's something to be said for large manufacturing processes that can produce consistent flavor.

Lindt understands this end of the market, and the company has been producing chocolate since 1845. Among the many other accomplishments that Swiss chocolate makers contributed in the 1800s, Rodolphe Lindt has been credited with producing one of the first bars that was creamy and melted in a pleasant way on the tongue.

Today's 90% dark bar had a pleasant, sweet, roasted cocoa* aroma and had a flavor that was smoother and "sweeter" than most other bars that are this dark.

It had a creamy, uniform, chocolate flavor without some of the acidic or bitter harshness* that one might normally expect with a 90% bar.

This is due in part to added cocoa powder that had been processed with alkali. This cuts acidity (and occasional sharpness due to less than optimal fermentation), and also helps boost the cocoa percentage.

There were no spikes* of fruit*, olive, funk or off flavors, except for a very
slight bitter aftertaste, that didn't kick in until about a minute after I swallowed the chocolate.

*"Ingredients: chocolate, cocoa butter, cocoa powder processed with alkali*, sugar, bourbon vanilla beans."

Signature Select - 85% Cacao Dark bar - June 24, 2016

Chocolate of the Day:

Signature Select
(Distributed by Better Living Brands LLC*)
85% Cacao Dark Chocolate bar
Good - Good +
Weight: .7 oz. (20 g.) / 3.5 oz. (100 g.) in total bar
Calories: 115 calories in 1/5 bar
Cost: $2.50 for 1 bar (2 bars for $5.00)
Purchased from: Safeway, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #6 of Swiss Chocolate Week. When people think of Swiss chocolate they often think of milk chocolate, but in the closing days of this theme week, we'll look at a few ultra-dark bars made in Switzerland.

Today's Signature Select 85% Cacao Dark Chocolate bar (made in Switzerland and distributed by Better Living Brands LLC, Pleasanton, CA*) had a dark, complex but well balanced aroma and flavor profile.

Far from being a one-note bar, there was a bit of earth, a bit of chocolate fudge, and even a bit of a sweet green, floral top note. Flavors unfolded nicely without any huge spikes or "off" flavors.

Speaking of flavor, this five-ingredient** bar did contain some "natural flavor," although that doesn't tell us much. It could be natural fruit or nut flavorings; or it could be almost anything really.

There was a tiny bit of granularity in the texture, but nothing too off-putting. (Given a choice, I'd rather have a slightly shorter conch time and retain more volatile flavor elements than have a sub-micron level smoothness with less flavor.)

I don't know what the origin(s) and supply chain were for this ultra-dark bar, but for $2.50, it was a commendable and reasonably-priced bar for eating; and it might be great in a dark brownie mix.

*Better Living Brands LLC is associated with Safeway (Pleasanton, CA). In 2008, Safeway (large U.S. grocery store chain) unveiled the Better Living Brands Alliance to market health brands (e.g., O Organics, Eating Right product lines). Brand and private labeling strategies have continued to evolve since then. Sometimes it's easier to keep brands floating above underlying corporate mergers and acquisitions; although it does make tracking more difficult.

**Ingredients: Chocolate Liquor, Cocoa Butter, Sugar, Cocoa Power, Natural Flavor