chocolate review

Trader Joe’s Dark Chocolate Nibs

March 2, 2010

Cocoa (or Cacao) Nibs are made from cocoa beans after they get separated from their thin shells and roasted. The bulk of nibs produced are ground into chocolate liquor, either used as unsweetened baking chocolate or as the main ingredient of chocolate bars and candies.

Roasted cocoa nibs are not for everyone. They taste rather bitter because they are not sweetened. If you can get past the bitterness, you’ll find they do taste rich and chocolaty and have a crunch similar to nuts. In fact, nibs are often used to replace nuts in cookies and granola recipes.

Chocolate Adventures in England – Digestives

February 24, 2010

“Could you go for a chocolate digestive and tea?” – my sister asked me shortly after arriving at her flat in London. There is nothing more refreshing than a digestive and tea after a long flight.

Digestive biscuits are extremely popular in the UK. They are a cross between a cookie and a cracker, slightly on the sweet side. The term 'digestive' probably came from the belief that the significant levels of sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) used in the recipe aided in digestion.
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Chocolate Adventures in England – Green & Black’s

February 15, 2010

Green and Black's Organic Chocolate. Have you seen these chocolate bars in the stores and pharmacies of your neighborhood? Green and Black's is definitely all over London! G&B is an English chocolate company started in 1991. The founders "set out to bring to the masses the world's first organic chocolate." You can visit them at www.greenandblacks.com.

The Green and Black's 70% Organic Dark Chocolate was the first on the scene. Since then, the product line has expanded to include more varieties of chocolate bars, baking chocolate, hot chocolate, and ice cream.

Yes - Ice Cream!
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Chocolate Adventures in England – Jaffa Cakes

February 11, 2010

Tonight I find myself sitting in my sister's flat in London, England eating Jaffa Cakes and sipping Frangelico flavored coffee. I am visiting my sister and my brand new niece, only 2 days old.

What is Jaffa Cake?

The Jaffa Cake is a British favorite. The cake is a three layered treat about the size of a cookie. It is made with a bottom layer of sponge cake, a middle layer of orange flavored jelly, and a top layer of rich milk chocolate coating.
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Trader Joe’s Milk and Dark Chocolate

February 4, 2010

The bright purple wrapper of Trader Joe’s Organic Super Dark Chocolate and the equally bright pink packaging of Trader Joe’s Swiss Milk Chocolate certainly catch the attention of shoppers lining up in the check out lane. But what really got MY attention were the claims on the label.

The organic, 73% super dark chocolate bar reads “this bar is not for the faint of heart.” The Swiss milk says “incomparable flavor!”
Hmmm. Sounds like challenges I can’t ignore!

In order to collect as much data as possible, I took the bars to the office and shared the tasting experience with my work mates.
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Chocolate Cheerios

January 18, 2010

It has been a while since I had Cheerios for breakfast. For me, Cheerios was the cereal I fed my toddler to keep him quiet in church, not something I was interested in eating for breakfast. What got my attention recently is the new Chocolate Cheerios.

According to the Cheerios website, Chocolate Cheerios is “a perfect balance of whole grain goodness and a delicious touch of chocolate taste in every bite.”

I am a fan of whole grain goodness, but I am even more a fan of chocolate!
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Valrhona Chocolate at the Grocery Store

January 2, 2010

I dislike grocery shopping. Yet, once in a while, I do have brief feelings of enjoyment when I discover something unexpected.

During my most recent trip to the store I found myself downright giddy. My thrill came from a new addition in the candy/chocolate aisle – a line of chocolate bars from Valrhona. It was like finding gemstones among rocks.

Valrhona is known as a top leader in the world of chocolate, Le Grand Chocolat. They were founded in 1922 in France. They have a reputation for supplying the finest chocolate ingredients to restaurants, bakeries, and chocolate shops.
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Chocolate and Food Pairings

November 30, 2009

A few days ago I walked into my kitchen and saw my 12 year old daughter take out a bowl of melted milk chocolate from the microwave and dip a stick of string cheese into it. Yummy she crooned.

I was not so sure about that combination, but I tried it anyway. Actually, it was not bad.

Lately, I have been eating all sorts of chocolate and food pairings that I never thought I would enjoy. For example, I recently ate a dark chocolate covered piece of bacon I bought from my local chocolates shop. You heard right, bacon! It was very delicious.
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What’s Your Favorite Chocolate Bar?

September 29, 2009

One of the neat things about a blog is that it can be interactive. People can make comments to articles; asking questions, expanding on the information provided, or taking the thoughts in another direction. This helps to enrich the value of the blog for all readers.

To help you get some practice responding to blog articles, I have posted this simple question: What is Your Favorite Chocolate Bar?

Go ahead and comment below! Tell us what chocolate you like best and, if you're up to it, tell us why. Let's get some discussion going on this. (Please note that your comment will not appear instantly. To manage blog-spam all comments are held in a queue for approval.)
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Godiva Chocoiste – Milk Chocolate Whole Cashews

September 4, 2009

Godiva has a line of chocolates that, according to their website, are more decadent and more portable. They call it Chocoiste^TM.

I recently tried their Milk Chocolate Whole Cashews and I must say I enjoyed them very much! My chocolate preference is dark, but I do enjoy a milk once in a while. The reason I enjoyed this particular milk chocolate and cashew combination is the way the milk chocolate pulls out the bold, buttery, and salty flavor notes from the nuts and enhances them.
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