Sanders Dark Chocolate Sea Salt Caramels

In 1875, Fred Sanders Schmidt (known as Fred Sanders) opened Sanders Fine Chocolates in Detroit, Michigan. In the 1940’s and 1950’s, Sanders chocolate products and shoppes were all over the Great Lakes region. The shoppes sold not only chocolates and candies, but served light lunches, ice cream sodas, and hot fudge sundaes. Morley Candy Makers, Inc., bought Sanders in 2002.

Every once in a while I like to enjoy a dark chocolate covered caramel. I can get tired of caramels pretty quickly though. (I don’t particularly like how the caramel adheres to my teeth for so long after the chocolate coating melts and the chocolate flavors fade).

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Chocolate Granola Taste-Off: Bear Naked vs. Kind

I enjoy eating granola as a snack, with or without milk. I especially like chocolate granola (big surprise,right?) In fact, at this very moment, I’m munching on delicious chocolate granola while typing away at my computer. I like the crunch, I like the chocolate and the oatmeal flavors, and I like that a little goes a long way.

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Kaoka Dark Chocolate with Fleur de Sel

Today’s review is a great tasting 70% dark chocolate bar from a company based in France called Kaoka. Kaoka grows their cacao in Ecuador, Peru, Dominican Republic, and Sao Tome. This particular chocolate is organic, non-gmo verified, fair trade, and single origin Santo Domingo cocoa from the Dominican Republic.

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Artisan Kettle Organic Chocolate Chips

There’s another player in the organic chocolate chip arena; Artisan Kettle made by Clasen Quality Chocolate. They are available in four varieties - semisweet, bittersweet, milk and white. The chips are organic and fair trade certified. Sourced from South America.  

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Dark Chocolate Banana Chips

Want to put yourself into a better mood?  I think by now most of us have heard that chocolate is a great mood enhancer. For years, it’s been known that chocolate does more than just taste good, it can actually do the body good.

Cocoa boosts serotonin. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter responsible for maintaining a balanced mood and feeling of well-being. It stimulates the happy-making parts of your brain!

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BarkTHINS Snacking Chocolate

Last month I wrote a review of 7th Street Confection’s Dark Chocolate Thins (Raspberry & Quinoa). I thought they were pretty tasty.

Today, I have an extremely similar product from BarkTHINS®. To the best of my knowledge, BarkTHINS came first, in 2013. The flavor is different, but the concept is the same; thin dark chocolate pieces with inclusions. Today I’m trying Dark Chocolate Pumpkin Seed with Sea Salt.

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Hammond’s Chocolate Bars

Once again we get to my birthday, and here come the gifts of chocolate!

Yay, I have new chocolate bars to try and this time they are made by Hammond’s Candies in Denver, CO.

According to their website, www.hammondscandies.com, Hammond’s has been in business for more than 90 years. In 1920, Carl T. Hammond, Sr. founded Hammond’s Candy Company in Denver, Colorado. His first candy creation was the Honey Ko Ko - a chocolate topped with shredded coconut.

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The Chocolate Trader: Dark Chocolate with Olive Oil and Sea Salt

Here’s a little Milwaukee, Wisconsin history. In 1916, Joseph and Lottie Helminiak, founded Quality Candy Shoppes on Mitchell street in Milwaukee. Over the next 100 years, the company has grown, been through some changes, and became well known in Wisconsin.

In the 1960’s, Quality Candy bought Buddy Squirrel, a nut roasting and gourmet popcorn company, also located in Milwaukee. It became Quality Candy/Buddy Squirrel. Later, it was purchased and renamed Buddy Squirrel, LLC.

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7th Street Confections Dark Chocolate Thins

7th Street Confections is a new line of “better for you” treats from the long established Pearson’s Candy Company. The line up of Dark Chocolate Thins include flavors such as Raspberry & Quinoa; Strawberry; Blueberry & Almond; and Pineapple & Toasted Coconut.

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M&M’s 49% Dark Chocolate Peanut

This past week was snacking on the new 49% dark chocolate peanut m&m's.

Naturally, I assumed that the “49%” advertised on the label indicated that there is now more chocolate in the recipe. I don’t really know for certain, since I haven't been able to find the cacao percentage for the original dark peanut m&m's.

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