Raaka - Coconut Milk 60% Cacao bar - June 30, 2017

Chocolate of the Day: 

Raaka Chocolate
Coconut Milk - Dominican Republic - 60% Cacao bar
Good - Good +
Weight: .9 oz. (25.47 g.) / 1.8 oz. (50.94 g.) in total bar
Calories: 135 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $7.95 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Raaka (part of larger online order), Brooklyn, NY

Welcome to Day #2 of Chocolate and Coconut Theme Week.

What better way to celebrate this week than with a small batch dark 60% chocolate Coconut Milk bar from Raaka Virgin Chocolate (Brooklyn, NY)?

Raaka makes their gluten and soy free, organic chocolate with un-roasted cacao.

Today's single origin (Oko Caribe Co-operative, Dominican Republic) bar offered a concentrated blend of authentic cacao and coconut flavor. Added cocoa butter gave it a relatively smooth texture and slightly buttery melt.

This Coconunt Milk (shredded coconut ground with cacao) dark bar offered a less sugary sweet and more flavorful cacao experience than most chocolate coconut treats.

Made in Nature - Figgy Pops Choco Crunch Energy Balls - June 29, 2017

Chocolate of the Day: 

Made in Nature, LLC
Figgy Pops - Choco Crunch Supersnacks
Good
Weight: 1.06 oz. (30 g.) / 4.2 oz. (119 g.) in total package
Calories: 130 calories in 2 pops
Cost: $4.99 for 1 package
Purchased from: Sprouts, Mountain View, CA

Welcome to Day #9 of Chocolate and Cacao Nibs, and Day #1 of Chocolate and Coconut Theme Week.

Today's Figgy Pops Choco Crunch Supersnacks* were distributed by Made in Nature, LLC (Boulder, CO). They're part of a growing number of "energy ball" offerings in the market in recent years.

Moist and crunchy don't often co-exist in the same food item. However, these organic, round Figgy Pops pulled it off. They were moist and fruity (dates, figs, tart cherries), with a hint of cocoa and coconut flavor. And they had a slight, satisfying crunch (pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, cacao nibs). They were lightly sweetened (apple juice) and seasoned (Madagascar Bourbon vanilla, cinnamon, sea salt).

*These Organic, Non-GMO Project Verified Unbaked Energy Balls also had one of the longer descriptive product names this week.

Empact Bars LLC - Chocolate Cherry Bling protein bar -

Chocolate of the Day: 

Empact Bars LLC
Chocolate Cherry Bling with cacao nibs and dates bar
Good +
Weight: 1.26 oz. (36 g.) in 1 bar
Calories: 130 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $0.99 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Grocery Outlet Bargain Market, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #8 of Chocolate and Cacao Nibs Theme Week.

Today's Chocolate Cherry Bling with cacao nibs and dates bar was distributed by Empact Bars LLC (Boulder, CO).

This protein* and energy bar was a small, cheery package of dense goodness. The "Goal Digger" tagline, on the shiny gold polka-dotted black and pink packaging was a play on gold digger. I'll take it either way.

The bar had well-balanced dried fruit (dates, unsweetened tart cherries), chocolate brownie (cocoa powder, cocoa nibs) and protein (whey protein, golden flaxseeds, white chia seeds) flavor and textures, compressed into a classy dark protein bar.

Today's bar had great natural flavor with less sugar than most other bars. And it was also gluten free. (Thank you!)

*This bar contained 10 grams of protein.

Sunbiotics - Organic Probiotic Raw Chocolate Bar - June 28, 2017

Chocolate of the Day: 

Windy City Organics
Sunbiotics - Organic Probiotic Raw Chocolate Bar
Good
Weight: 1.25 oz. (35 g.) in total bar
Calories: 164 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $missing information
Purchased from: Country Sun Natural Foods, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #7 of Chocolate and Cacao Nibs Theme Week.

Today's Sunbiotics Organic Probiotic Raw Chocolate Bar was distributed by Windy City Organics (Northbrook, IL).

The 65% cacao dark chocolate bar was just the right size for a single serving. It had a sweet and mild, authentic raw (un-roasted) chocolate flavor with a hint of vanilla bean marshmallow.

Even though this chocolate bar came loaded with "10 billion active probiotics," there was nothing different about the flavor. And if you didn't get enough "biotics," Yacon* root powder added some prebiotics.

*Yacon is a plant that grows wild in parts of South America. It is grown for its edible root. The older/previous technical name for Yacon was Polymnia sonchifolia (Edible Goddess).

Trader Joe's - Cocoa Nibs bar - June 26, 2017

Chocolate of the Day: 

Trader Joe's
Cocoa Nibs bar
Good+
Weight: 1.06 oz. (30 g.) / Part of 12-bar portfolio package
Calories: 170 calories in 1 small bar
Cost: $7.99 - part of a 12-bar assortment
Purchased from: Trader Joe's, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #6 of Cacao Nibs Theme Week.

Today's Cocoa Nibs bar was part of a special Trader Joe's Milk Chocolate Portfolio assortment (12 individually-wrapped milk chocolate bars—2 each of 6 different flavor inclusions).

This bar was made with sweet, rich milk chocolate, with added flavor from cacao nibs incorporated into the bar.

Vosges - Super Dark 80% Smoked Salt bar - June 25, 2017

Chocolate of the Day: 

Vosges IP, LLC
Super Dark 80% Cacao Smoked Salt bar
Good+
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) / 3 oz. (85 g.) in total bar
Calories: 151.3 calories in 1/3 bar
Cost: $8.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Vosges kiosk in O'Hare airport, Chicago, IL

Welcome to Day #5 of Cacao Nibs Theme Week.

Today's Smoked Salt Super Dark 80% Cacao bar was from Vosges IP, LLC (Chicago, IL).

This bittersweet chocolate bar had a pleasant subtle chocolate aroma. It was smooth and even for an ultra-dark bar, and was suffused with a subtle, even touch of Alderwood smoked salt from the Pacific Northwest.

A light smattering of cacao nibs from Ghana on one side provided additional, authentic chocolate flavor depth—more than I remember tasting with other Vosges bars (that would have had more sugar and no nibs).

Vosges started producing chocolate in 1998; and Katrina Markoff, Vosges founder and the brand behind the Vosges brand, seems to exude creative sophistication, as does the packaging for her bars and confections.

Betty Lou's - Nuts about Energy Balls - Paleo Java - June 24, 2017

Chocolate of the Day: 

Betty Lou's Inc.
Nuts about Energy Balls - Paleo Java
Good
Weight: 1.5 oz. (42 g.) in 1 package
Calories: 140 calories in 1 package
Cost: $2.99 (guesstimate) for 1 package
Purchased from: Village Market, SF Ferry Building, San Francisco, CA

Welcome to Day #4 of Chocolate and Cacao Nibs Theme Week.

Today's Paleo Java energy snack was created by Betty Lou's Inc.(McMinnville, OR) and was part of the company's "Nuts about Energy Balls" line of snacks.

Made with dates, pumpkin seeds, cacao nibs, honey, raisins, coffee and hazelnuts, this certified gluten-free energy ball tasted authentic and satisfying—without the sugar buzz that can result from energy bars with added sugars.

This energy ball was also labeled as Non-GMO and Vegetarian. (If you're vegan, these do contain some honey.)