Magnum - Dark Chocolate Raspberry ice cream - April 30, 2018

Chocolate of the Day: 

Magnum

Dark Chocolate Raspberry ice cream

Good ++

Weight: 2/3 cup (110 g.) / 14.8 fl. oz. (440 mL)

Calories: 340 calories in 1 (2/3 cup) serving

Cost: $4.49 (estimate) for 1 container

Purchased from: Piazza's Fine Foods, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #7 of Chocolate and Raspberry Theme Week.

Today's Magnum* Dark Chocolate Raspberry ice cream was from Unilever (Englewood Cliffs, NJ).

The container of natural-tasting raspberry ice cream was surrounded by a layer of solid 65% chocolate (that actually smelled like real dark chocolate). 

The novelty of this item was that one squeezed the container to crack the layer of chocolate and then ate both parts together.

*The Magnum brand is part of Unilever. This ice cream was a product of Hungary.

Dick Taylor - Vanilla Raspberry bar - April 29, 2018

Chocolate of the Day: 

Dick Taylor Craft Chocolate

Vanilla Raspberry 73% Dark Chocolate bar

Very Good

Weight: .5 oz. (14.15 g.) / 1 oz. (28.3 g.) in total bar

Calories: 75 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar

Cost: $10.00 for 1 bar

Purchased from: The Chocolate Garage, Palo Alto, CA 

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

Today's Vanilla Raspberry 73% Dark Chocolate bar from Dick Taylor Craft Chocolate (Eureka, CA) was debuted in time for Valentines Day 2018. Happily there were still a few left this spring.

This five-ingredient, 2017 Great Taste Award-winning bar contained: organic cacao, organic cane sugar, organic freeze-dried raspberries, organic vanilla coconut palm sugar, organic vanilla bean.

The makers used their 2018 Good Food Award winning 73% "Northerner Blend" (Madagascan and Brazilian cacao) chocolate to craft this bar. The back side was sprinkled with a layer of organic, freeze-dried raspberries and vanilla coconut palm sugar.

The solid, deep raspberry pink layer of color complemented the flip/front side—a dark mahagony nautically-themed design with the Dick Taylor logo.

The above-mentioned awards were on the mark. This well executed bar was crafted to perfection. The underlying chocolate was full of complex fruit flavor and the raspberry took it up a notch. What a great ride. As the makers said: "The tartness of the raspberry is a stark contrast to the ripe fruit flavors in the Northerner Blend." And the vanilla coconut sugar blended with the raspberries added a very slight, well-rounded sweetness.

Because the duo behind this company embody craftsmanship in all they do: The bar's wrapper "was designed and printed in-house on our letter press, including that hand carved raspberry and the hand lettering on (the) front." 

Breyers Raspberry Fudge Swirl Low Fat Ice Cream - April 28, 2018

Chocolate of the Day: 

Breyers

Breyers Delights - Raspberry Fudge Swirl Low Fat Ice Cream

Good

Weight: 2/3 cup (96 g.) / 1 Pint (473 mL) in total container

Calories: 110 calories in 1 (2/3 cup) serving 

Cost: $4.49 for 1 container

Purchased from: Safeway, Palo Alto, CA

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

Today's Breyers Delights Raspberry Fudge Swirl Low Fat Ice Cream from Breyers* (Englewood Cliffs, NJ).

Products with an ingredients list with longer than 5 items don't usually fare better than their simpler counterparts. For example, ice creams without vegetable gums taste better to us and seem to be easier to digest.

Today's low fat raspberry ice cream was created to respond to changing public tastes, and most of those changes seem to be for the better. In addition to being lower in fat and sugar and higher in protein, this ice cream was infused with natural tasting raspberry juice and flavor that seemed to be lacking in artificial flavoring or coloring. 

A light fudge swirl added a touch of chocolate flavor and rich texture. It was incorporated into an ice cream base that had a very slightly granular texture (due to lower fat and a little extra (milk) protein (about 6.6 g. per serving or 20 g. per container). 

The ice cream was also lighter in terms of sugar. It was sweetened with a combination of corn-based sweeteners and stevia. 

The nutrition labeling was printed large enough to be read and understood. At 110 calories per 2/3 cup serving (approximately 1/3 the calories of many premium ice creams), consumers might be more tempted to each a whole pint vs. just one serving. But, then, that is an issue on the consumer side and not on the producer side.

*Breyers, a brand of frozen desserts/ice cream sold in the U.S. and Canada, was originally founded in 1866 by William A. Breyer, and later became part of Kraft, and then ice cream giant, Unilever.

Straus Family Creamery - Raspberry Chocolate Chip ice cream - April 27, 2018

Chocolate of the Day: 

Straus Family Creamery
Organic Raspberry Chocolate Chip ice cream
Good +
Weight: 2/3 cup (128 g.) / 1 Pint (473 mL) in total container
Calories: 340 calories in 1 (2/3 cup) serving
Cost: $2.49 for 1 container
Purchased from: Grocery Outlet Bargain Market, Palo Alto, CA

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

Today's Organic Raspberry Chocolate Chip ice cream from Straus Family Creamery (Petaluma, CA) offered a satisfying blend of creamy, natural-tasting raspberry ice cream studded with chocolate chips.

Lake Champlain Chocolates - Raspberries and Dark Chocolate 57% Cocoa bar - April 26, 2018

Chocolate of the Day: 

Lake Champlain Chocolates

Raspberries and Dark Chocolate 57% Cocoa bar

Good+

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

Calories: 212.5 calories in 1/2 bar

Cost: $3.99 for 1 bar

Purchased from: Draeger's Market, Los Altos, CA

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

Today's Organic Raspberries and Dark Chocolate 57% Cocoa bar was from Lake Champlain Chocolates (Burlington, VT).

Slightly earthy dark chocolate was well balanced with bright tart-sweet, authentic red raspberry flavor. (Expect a few raspberry seeds.) The flavor profile of this dark chocolate initially gave the impression of a much higher cacao percentage bar, until the surprisingly sweet finish kicked in.

This Raspberries and Dark Chocolate 57% Cocoa bar was Certified Organic, Fair for Life, Kosher Dairy.

Hershey's - Snapsy Snap-Apart Bunny - April 25, 2018

Chocolate of the Day: 

Hershey's

Snapsy Snap-Apart Bunny

Good

Weight: 1 oz. (28 g.) / 2 oz. (56 g.) in total bunny

Calories: 140 calories in 1/2 bunny

Cost: $1.49 (estimate) for 1 bunny

Purchased from: missing information

Welcome to Day #2 of Chocolate and Raspberry Theme Week. Fresh raspberries and chocolate: what a great combination. 

Today's Snapsy Snap-Apart Bunny was from The Hershey Company (Hershey, PA). The sweet, solid milk chocolate bunny did indeed break apart easily; and the first piece to go was the basket the bunny was carrying.

We liked imagining the bunny enjoying fresh green grass, or gathering a raspberry or two into its chocolate basket (to place next to the tiny milk chocolate egg it had) before said bunny disappeared.

Elements Truffles - Raspberry Beetroot 70% bar - April 24, 2018

Chocolate of the Day: 

Elements Truffles
Raspberry infused with Beetroot 70% bar
Good
Weight: 1 oz. (28 g.) / 2 oz. (56 g.) in total bar
Calories: 130 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $6.99 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Country Sun Natural Foods, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #8 of Chocolate and Botanicals Theme Week, and the first day of Chocolate and Raspberry Theme Week.

Botanicals this week have included a variety of plant-based ingredients, including fruits, vegetables, flowers and seeds. Today's Raspberry infused with Beetroot bar from Elements Truffles (Kearny, NJ) contained both a fruit and and a root vegetable.

The company's Ayurveda-inspired, cocoa butter-rich* bars have a slightly soft, creamy melt and texture (like chocolate truffles).

This 70% dark chocolate had red berry flavor balanced by slight beet, vegetable note; and the bar was garnished with a thin line of freeze-dried, raspberries (powder) on the back.

*Ingredients: Organic Raw Cacao Butter (Peruvian Criollo), Raw Honey, Organic Raw Cacao Powder, Raspberry Essential Oil, Organic Beet Root Powder, Organic Freeze-Dried Raspberry, Himalayan Sea Salt.