Mary Jane’s Chocolates: Origine Bars – Saint Dominique and Mexique

Last week I wrote a review on Mary Jane's Chocolates dark chocolate coated dried cherries. While I was in the chocolate shop, a great opportunity presented itself. I found something tasty AND educational -- chocolate melting wafers based on a single-source country of origin.

This is very exciting for me!

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Mary Jane’s Chocolates – Dark Chocolate Cherries

“Cave to the Crave!” is the slogan for Mary Jane’s Chocolates in Bowling Green, Kentucky.

Last week, I introduced a Kentucky chocolatier, Chaser’s Chocolates, and their Bourbon Balls. This week, I have another Kentucky chocolatier, Mary Jane’s Chocolates, to introduce.

While Chaser’s was more gift shop than chocolates shop, Mary Jane’s is 100% chocolates.

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Chasers’ Kentucky Chocolates – Bourbon Balls

This summer I had a wonderful vacation in Kentucky. I spent time exploring Mammoth Cave and several Bourbon distilleries.

In fact, if I’m honest, I’d have to say that I spend equal time in each!

Speaking of Bourbon, I came across a chocolate shop that boasts a unique bourbon crème filled chocolate bon bon.

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Justin’s Chocolate Hazelnut Butter

If I asked you about chocolate hazelnut butter, Ferrero’s Nutella would probably come to mind. It is a well-known product around the globe. Nutella and I go way back, and I’ve never tried any other brand.

So, when I recently found Justin’s Chocolate Hazelnut Butter in my local grocery shop, I had to give it a try.

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Green & Black’s 85% Dark Chocolate

The story goes that in 1991, the founder of Whole Earth, Craig Sams, was eating a 70% dark chocolate bar sent to him as a sample. This bar was made from organic cocoa beans.

He only ate half of the chocolate and left the rest sit on his desk. A short time later, his wife, Jo, saw the chocolate bar and helped herself. She loved it, and thus began the making of their organic chocolates.

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Belgian Dark Chocolate With Hazelnuts

This Wolfgang Chocolate is a 53% cacao with small bits of caramelized hazelnuts. The “Special Reserve” dark chocolate is made with imported Belgian chocolate.

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Sheila G’s Brownie Brittle

During a snack break on a recent bike ride, a friend of mine offered me a taste of her Brownie Brittle. How could I refuse with a name like Brownie Brittle?

Brownie Brittle is bite-sized, very thin, cracker-like brownie pieces. It’s supposed to remind you of eating the well done edges of a brownie.

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Lily’s Dark Chocolate – Stevia Sweetened

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. Read more

Guittard Extra Dark Chocolate Baking Chips

Standard chocolate baking chips, most often labelled “Real Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips”, contain a minimum of 35% chocolate. A typical chocolate chip ingredient list looks something like this: Semi-Sweet Chocolate (Sugar, Chocolate, Cocoa Butter, Milkfat, Soy Lecithin, Natural Flavors).

The Guittard Extra Dark Chocolate Baking Chips are made with 63% chocolate. The ingredient list looks like this: Cocoa Beans, Sugar, Sunflower Lecithin and Real Vanilla. There a couple noticeable differences between the two lists, and I want to take a moment to talk about these.

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5 Surprising Health Benefits of Eating Chocolate

Many studies indicate that chocolate is a healthy food, but not all chocolate is created equal. The health benefits of chocolate are found in the cocoa content, so low-cocoa chocolate foods will have little beneficial effects.

In addition to lacking sufficient amounts of cocoa, white and milk chocolate also contain more sugar, further diluting the health benefits of cocoa.

A dark chocolate bar of at least 70% cocoa is best if you’re going for health and for flavor—though you may wish to go darker if you have an adventurous palate.

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