Lily’s Dark Chocolate – Stevia Sweetened
July 25, 2016
The Lily’s dark chocolate bar I’ve chosen for this review is a 55%, non-GMO, stevia sweetened chocolate.
This is my first taste of chocolate sweetened with stevia. Overall, I’m impressed. I was skeptical before I took my first bite because I’ve lived through the experimental years when the food industry started using artificial and alternative sweeteners in foods.
Some of those beginning sugar-free ice creams were, let’s just say, not something to crow about!
Big improvements have been made over the years, and I’m glad for it. I used to work for a large chocolate manufacturer during a time when alcohol sugars and Aspartame (NutraSweet) were brand new to the market place and being introduced in chocolate chips and ice cream coatings.
The first organic cocoa beans were hitting the supply chain at that time, too, and among all those chocolate alternatives and variations, not a one was very tasty!
But we’ve come a long way in getting better flavor profiles.
What About Lily's Bar Itself?
This Lily’s bar is not gritty, but also is not silky smooth like many standard made chocolate bars.
There is a slight cooling affect at the very end, probably from the erythritol, but it is hardly noticeable.
The sweetness level leads you to believe you might be eating a higher chocolate percentage but the chocolate impact for anything greater than 55% is not there.
As I said, overall I’m impressed with the flavor profile given the fact there is no sucrose.
The chocolate is a bit slower to melt in the mouth than I’m used to. Beyond the cocoa notes, there are creamy coconut flavors with earthy and grassy notes.
Stevia?
You might be wondering what exactly is stevia? Stevia is a plant based sweetener. Stevia rebaudiana, also known as sweet leaf, and is 200 to 300 times sweeter than sugar, but without unhealthy side affects.
Stevia has a very low glycemic index. There virtually no calories from stevia.
According to the Lily’s website, all their chocolate products are stevia-sweetened and non-GMO.
The good news is that Lily’s stevia-sweetened premium dark chocolate has 25% fewer calories than other 55% dark chocolates.
Here's a link to a 12-pack of this bar from Amazon.
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Top photo: "Stevia Rebaudiana Leaves" by Forest and Kim Starr is licensed under CC BY 2.0 / cropped from original
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