Tag Archive: dark chocolate

Equal Exchange Extreme Dark Chocolate

A couple days ago I found myself grabbing a chocolate to eat not realizing it was going to upset a status quo I’ve had for many years.

This chocolate came to me by way of a wedding anniversary present, and it was new to me. The chocolate, at 88% cacao, is a rare find because it’s such a high percentage. For some people, you might as well call it baking chocolate! No doubt my friend, Kathy, would make a scrunchy face if she had even a lick of this bar.

Read more

Lindt Dark Chocolate with Pieces of Lychee

Lindt has so many varieties it’s hard for me to keep up. Just when I think I’ve tried them all, a new one comes along.

Dark Chocolate with Lychee is part of the Lindt EXCELLENCE Exotic Fruits Collection. In addition to Lychee, there are Pomegranate and Blueberry Acai.

Read more

Brookside Crunchy Clusters - Berry Medley Flavors

Brookside Crunchy Clusters in Dark Chocolate

Brookside Farms began making their most recognized signature candies - soft and sweet fruit centers coated in dark chocolate - in 1954 in British Columbia. Some of their varieties contain Super Fruits like Acai and Gogi berries.

Over the years, they’ve expanded their chocolate-covered snack line to include Crunchy Clusters.

Read more

Dolfin Chocolat Noir – Oranges Amères

Did you know there is a museum dedicated to Chocolate? Yes, it exists!

It’s not well-known around the Midwest where I’m from but if you visit or live in Orlando, Florida, you will certainly hear about it. It caught my mom’s attention when she traveled to Orlando this past June for a family member’s graduation.

Read more

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!

Read more

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.

Read more

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.

Read more

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.

Read more

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.

Read more