chocolate review

Choceur Dark Chocolate Munchie Bites

Mmmmm… cashews, almonds, pumpkin seeds, and pistachios - all held together with toffee and a bottom layer of dark chocolate. Yum.

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Penzeys Natural High Fat Cocoa Review

Sometimes I get asked, “Why does cocoa powder come in different shades of brown depending on the brand I buy?” This is a very good observation as cocoa powder comes in a range of colors from light brown to deep brown, from red to black, and many shades in between. 

The general cocoa powder making process consists of squeezing out the cocoa butter after the cocoa beans are crushed into liquid form. This liquid, also known as chocolate liquor or unsweetened baking chocolate, is poured into a hydraulic press.

When the chocolate liquor is pressed, the cocoa butter is separated from the cocoa solids. The cocoa solids become hard cakes of cocoa which are then dried, broken apart, and pulverized into a powder.

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Divine Dark Chocolate with Raspberries

Divine chocolates are made from Ghanaian cacao beans grown by co-operative farmers from Kuapa Kokoo.

Many small farmers own the co-op where they grow cacao in the shade of the tropical rainforest canopy and carefully ferment and dry beans in small batches. The cacao is Fairtrade certified.

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Larabar Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough

According to the LÄRABAR® website, their fruit & nut Bars are Gluten Free, Dairy Free, and Non-GMO. They have manufacturing processes in place to protect against cross-contact with gluten containing products.

The ingredients are unsweetened fruits, nuts, and spices that are minimally processed to be as close as possible to their natural state.

I don’t have any dietary reason to eat Larabar, but I have been curious to try one for a long time. So, I picked up a box in my local grocery store.

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Perugina Dark Chocolate Limoncello

The Perugina sweetshop began in 1907, in Perugia Italy making sugared almonds.

In 1922, one of the co-founders, Luisa Spagnoli created a confection wrapped in a love note. She called it Baci, the Italian word for kisses. Baci confections are dark chocolate covered gianduia (a creamy chocolate hazelnut center) sprinkled with chopped hazelnuts and topped with a whole hazelnut. They are still wrapped in notes of affection, love and friendship.

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Will It Chocolate? Funny Video Friday!

Good morning, and Happy Friday from CUO!

As you know, we're all fun and games in the world of chocolate. Today, we bring you a video that has an extra dose of funny chocolate humor.

This video is a gem. It made me literally LOL!

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Kashi Chocolate Almond and Sea Salt with Chia Chewy Granola Bar

The first thing I noticed about the Kashi Chocolate Almond and Sea Salt with Chia Chewy Granola Bar is they don’t skimp on the almonds!

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Guittard Soleil D’Or Milk Chocolate

The Guittard Soleil D’Or milk chocolate bar is made from Trinitario beans grown in South America.

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Cascadian Farm® Organic Crunchy Oats & Cocoa Granola Bar

Cascadian Farm is a real place.

It was started by Gene Kahn 40 years ago. According to their website, “Gene wanted to go back to the land and farm in a way that would not harm the natural beauty of the earth or her inhabitants. So he set out to farm organically on a little stretch of land next to the Skagit River in the Cascade Mountains of Washington.”

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Guittard L’Harmonie Semisweet Chocolate

Guittard chocolate company is based out of California, started in San Francisco by Etienne Guittard in the mid-1800s.

According to their website, www.guittard.com, Guittard left Tournus, France, hoping to strike it rich during the California Gold Rush. He brought chocolate from his uncle’s factory to trade for supplies but soon had the wealthy miners paying for it.

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