Trader Joe's - Dark Chocolate Orange Sticks - April 9, 2018

Chocolate of the Day: 

Trader Joe's 

Dark Chocolate Orange Sticks

Good

Weight: 1.06 oz. (30 g.) / 10 oz. (284 g.) in total package

Calories: 120 calories in 5 sticks (1 serving)

Cost: $3.99 (estimate) for 1 package

Purchased from: Trader Joe's, Menlo Park, CA

Welcome to Day #1 of Chocolate and Orange Theme Week.

Today's Dark Chocolate Orange Sticks were from Trader Joe's (Monrovia, CA). 

These small sticks were filled with a luminous, orange, soft jelly-like center, and covered in a thin layer of dark chocolate. The naturally tart, orange flavor and dark chocolate balanced the sweetness nicely.

The Dark Chocolate Orange Sticks were also labeled gluten free.

Chloe's - Chocolate Soft Serve Fruit Pops - April 8, 2018

Chocolate of the Day:

Chloe's Soft Serve Fruit Co.
Chocolate Soft Serve Fruit Pops
Good
Weight: 2.5 fl. oz. (74 mL) / 10 fl. oz. (296 mL) in total box of 4 pops
Calories: 60 calories in 1 pop
Cost: $1.99 (estimate) for 1 box of 4 pops
Purchased from: Grocery Outlet Bargain Market, Milpitas, CA

Surprise. This is a second, bonus chocolate entry for today (April 8, 2018).

Occasionally, there are too many chocolate items to fit in one day; or a planned chocolate may not have turn out exactly as planned. Either way, sampling and featuring another chocolate is the solution.

This evening's Chloe's Soft Fruit Pops (New York, NY) were made with just a few ingredients: fruit (bananas), cocoa and organic cane sugar. The Chocolate pop had an authentic cocoa flavor, and was smoother than one would expect given the lack (hurray) of vegetable gums or dairy.

These Chloe's pops were a great way to enjoy chocolate on a warm day—at only 60 calories per pop.

And, joining the Chocolate flavor, were two more Chloe's flavors: Strawberry and Tangerine (with orange). The fruit flavors were light, authentically flavored and delicious.

These Soft Serve Fruit Pops also served as a bridge between Day #7 of Chocolate and Strawberry Theme Week and Day #1 of Chocolate and Orange Theme Week. And they provided a refreshing end-of-day snack after a hike in the hills.

Godiva - Milk Chocolate Strawberry bar - April 8, 2018

Chocolate of the Day: 

Godiva Chocolatier, Inc.

Milk Chocolate Strawberry bar

Good

Weight: .375 oz. (10.75 g.) / 1.5 oz. (43 g.) in total bar

Calories: 52.5 calories in 1/4 bar

Cost $2.96 for 1 bar

Purchased from: Kohl's, Mountain View, CA

Welcome to last day (Day #7) of Chocolate and Strawberry Theme Week.

This very sweet* Milk Chocolate Strawberry Flavored with Other Natural Flavors bar was from Godiva Chocolatier, Inc.** (New York, NY). 

Scored into four squares (with each square stamped with a "G" for Godiva), the milk chocolate contained a creamy strawberry flavored filling. This bar may appeal to those who like chocolate candy and sweet fruit flavors.

A note about this week's outdoor photos of chocolates...Green spring grass lasts but a few months in the arid west, and it makes a good backdrop for early morning photographs of chocolate when the sun hasn't found its way inside yet.

*This bar contained sugar, corn syrup, high-fructose corn syrup and invertase (an enzyme produced by yeast that helps break down sugar) commonly used in the candy industry with liquid fillings, to help prevent crystallization. An unintentional situation that seemed to prove this point: this Godiva bar we bought had obviously been exposed to heat and was covered with white patchy "bloom" spots as a result; however, it still had a flawless, unified flowing strawberry cream center. 

**Godiva was founded in Belgium in 1926; and the Godiva brand has been owned by a few different large companies in recent decades (including Campbell Soup and Turkish Yildiz Holding—owner of the Ulker Group).

Larabar - Limited Edition Strawberry Chocolate Chip bar - April 7, 2018

Chocolate of the Day: 

Small Planet Foods, Inc.
Limited Edition Larabar Strawberry Chocolate Chip bar
Good+
Weight: 1.6 oz. (45 g.) / 8 oz. (226 g.) in total box of 5 bars
Calories: 190 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $3.99 (estimate) for 1 box of 5 bars
Purchased from: Target Stores, Mountain View, CA

Welcome to Day #6 of Chocolate and Strawberry Theme Week.

Today's Larabar Limited Edition Strawberry Chocolate Chip bar from Small Planet Foods, Inc. (Minneapolis, MN) was constructed with a relatively short list of ingredients: Dates, Almonds, Semisweet Chocolate Chips, Strawberries, Apples, Cocoa Powder and Sea Salt.

The original Larabar fruit and nut bar line was launched in May 2000 by founder Lara Merriken.

Natural tasting, not too sweet and very satisfying, this gluten-free, dairy-free, Non-GMO and vegan bar had balanced, rich dried fruit, cocoa and strawberry flavor.

Bissinger's - Strawberry Caramel with Peanuts bar - April 6, 2018

Chocolate of the Day: 

Bissinger's 

Strawberry Caramel with Peanuts bar

Good - Good +

Weight: 1.5 oz. (42.5 g.) / 3 oz. (85 g.) in total bar

Calories: 225 calories in 1/2 bar

Cost: $6.00 for 1 bar

Purchased from: Chocolate Covered, San Francisco, CA

Welcome to Day #5 of Chocolate and Strawberry Theme Week.

Today's Strawberry Caramel and Peanuts bar from Bissinger's (St. Louis, MO) was a balanced, sweet confection of a bar with a smooth dark chocolate base. The bar was made using cocoa and cocoa butter from Rainforest Alliance Certified Cocoa farms.

The 60 percent dark chocolate encased a thin layer of flowing caramel that was infused with a light strawberry (puree) flavor. A sprinkle of roasted peanut pieces adorned the back of the bar and added a slight nutty flavor and crunchy texture accent.

The bar contained milk, peanuts and soy (lecithin), but no gluten-containing ingredients.

Nathan Miller - Strawberry & Rye Whiskey bar - April 5, 2018

Chocolate of the Day: 

Nathan Miller

Strawberry and Rye Whiskey bar

Good - Good +

Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g. ) / 2 oz. (56.6 g.) in total package

Calories: 150 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar

Cost: $12.00 for 1 bar

Purchased from: Chocolate Covered, San Francisco, CA

Welcome to Day #4 of Chocolate and Strawberry Theme Week.

Nathan Miller is one of the few chocolate makers brave enough to incorporate buttermilk* into some of his craft chocolate bars. Buttermilk adds a tart sweet and salty freshness to milkshakes and desserts, so why not chocolate bars? 

Today's Strawberry and Rye Whiskey bar from Nathan Miller (Chambersburg, PA)—wrapped in festive yellow, green and orange (what looked to be handmade) paper and sky blue foil—had an intriguing dark chocolate aroma with fresh strawberry aroma.

The 55% dark chocolate had a relatively smooth, almost creamy melt and texture, and a slightly complicated flavor profile. It had a somewhat unexpected earthy (dirt, mushrooms) flavor spike about a 1/3 of the way through the tasting experience. However, on the back side of this note, there was a very faint hint of what was likely whiskey, followed be a pleasant slight strawberry and buttermilk ice cream finish. 

Ingredients: 55% buttermilk chocolate made with Oko-Caribe direct trade organic Hispaniola cacao, organic buttermilk, raw fair trade organic cane sugar, organic strawberry, organic cacao butter, organic rye whiskey.

*The company also sells a bar made with camel milk.

Chocolita - Strawberry Passion 78% raw dark chocolate bar - April 4, 2018

Chocolate of the Day: 

Chocolita

Strawberry Passion 78% Raw Dark Chocolate bar

Good - Good +

Weight: 1.25 oz. (35 g.) in 1 bar

Calories: 140 calories (per label) in 1 bar

Cost: $4.59 for 1 bar

Purchased from: Country Sun Natural Foods, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #3 of Chocolate and Strawberry Theme Week.

Today's Strawberry Passion 78% Raw Dark Chocolate bar was made by Chocolita (Sedona, AZ). 

The company makes a series of raw, dark chocolate bars with herbs. The herbal ingredients in this Strawberry Passion bar were less off-putting than some can be, making for a more enjoyable tasting experience.

The gluten-free, vegan, fair trade, low-glycemic, chocolate was made with Arriba Nacional Ecuadorian Fino de Aroma Cacao and had a light strawberry fruit note. Attractive bits of strawberry could be found on the back of the bar.

Ingredients: cacao paste*, cacao butter*, coconut palm sugar*, strawberry*, maca*, damiana*, ashwaghanda*, passionflower*, vanilla*, sea salt