Let's Talk Pro-Chocolate: Real Kinds We Like, How We Eat/Use Them
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Yes, it was Taza I was thinking of - specifically the 95% strong “wicked dark” version which apparently still has some sugar but only 2g. I guess what I was remembering was that Taza was only coccoa beans and sugar and nothing else and is minimally processed. I think it was also suggested as a good chocolate to use to melt in milk for hot chocolate as a consequence.
On the chocolate cheese … well I just couldn’t resist given the other discussion thread (be glad I didn’t somehow try to use it to gain converts to gjetost). I think it is really more of a chocolate flavored cream cheese. As a displaced former manhattanite I am starting to break out in hives just typing that.1 -
Help! Someone broke into my kitchen tonight and made a half batch of Nestle's Tollhouse chocolate chip cookies!
OK - it miiiight have been me.
I don't get chocolate cravings. Unlike ice cream - which I CANNOT allow in my house, I can and do manage to keep chocolate in the larder untouched for weeks or even months on end. Truth be told, tonight's cookies were made to use up some very recently expired chocolate chips.
Aldi/Trader Joe's US sells Belgian dark and milk chocolate that I like. There is usually always some form of daily free chocolate at work.
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Help! Someone broke into my kitchen tonight and made a half batch of Nestle's Tollhouse chocolate chip cookies!
OK - it miiiight have been me.
I don't get chocolate cravings. Unlike ice cream - which I CANNOT allow in my house, I can and do manage to keep chocolate in the larder untouched for weeks or even months on end. Truth be told, tonight's cookies were made to use up some very recently expired chocolate chips.
Aldi/Trader Joe's US sells Belgian dark and milk chocolate that I like. There is usually always some form of daily free chocolate at work.
I was going to mention Aldi chocolate if someone hadn't already! Much like their cheeses, I think their store brand is remarkably good for a grocery chain.
For chocolate bars etc, I almost always keep in the freezer. I get to enjoy that melting in your mouth feeling longer (and not coincidentally it's more difficult to eat too much too fast when it starts out hard as a rock.)
I'll also admit I just love Reese's, especially the holiday varieties that perfect the salty peanut butter/sweet chocolate ratio. I usually buy a big bag of these at Christmas and Easter, put one in each kid's stocking/basket, and the rest are enjoyed (out of the freezer!) one at a time in the evenings.
Back to Aldi chocolate, though, I think their peanut butter cups are even better. But no pretty wrapping or fun shapes.0 -
I am a fan of Justin’s dark chocolate peanut butter cups. They also have almond and cashew butter. I purchased one that had espresso mixed in which should have been good but instead of mixing it into the chocolate they mixed it into the peanut butter. That ruins the salty taste of the peanut buttter obviously!!! It also made it look sort of grayish. But all of their normal dark chocolate versions are great — not too sweet and they come in mini sizes as well.1
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penguinmama87 wrote: »... Back to Aldi chocolate, though, I think their peanut butter cups are even better. But no pretty wrapping or fun shapes.
I haven't yet tried Aldi peanut butter cups, but loves me some Reese's - especially the holiday versions.
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penguinmama87 wrote: »... Back to Aldi chocolate, though, I think their peanut butter cups are even better. But no pretty wrapping or fun shapes.
I haven't yet tried Aldi peanut butter cups, but loves me some Reese's - especially the holiday versions.
Someone reviewed Aldi's cute assorted valentine box. It was only $2.99 but after tasting them (Youtuber) said they were very synthetic tasting and the chocolate wasn't of quality either...but for $2.99, what does anyone expect? lol!0 -
Aldi sells a few different brands of chocolate candy. I try to stick to those made in Belgium. My fave is the big blue milk chocolate bar by Choceur. I don't remember if they also bring in inferior brands like Zachary or Russel Stover for the holidays. Their chocolate truffles are quite good - but I am not a huge truffle fan. Aldi melting chocolate squares (in the baking section) are inedible.
My all-time fave chockies are French mint milk chocolate meltaways. I have yet to find a good US version.0 -
My personal favorite Oh MI chocolates, whose mothership is in St. Johns, Michigan, USA. They're sold in some local/regional shops, but not widely, because they need to be refrigerated.
Say what? Yes, refrigerated. They're made with coconut oil, whose feature is that it melts below body temperature. How lovely is that, the slowly melting chocolate goodness in your mouth? But they also melt in your car, on your counter, etc.
Those look amazing!
On the question of coconut oil, when I was on vacation last summer I came across some keto coconut butter cups (like peanut butter cups but made with dark chocolate and filled with coconut butter) which were delicious.
For "fancier" chocolate the Endangered Species brand has been my favorite for many years. They have a lot of different flavors but personally I really like the Forest Mint, Cacao Nibs, Almonds and Sea Salt, and Milk Chocolate flavors. I am also a fan of Justin's and Perfect Snacks dark chocolate peanut butter cups and Free2b dark chocolate sunflower butter cups. However most of the time lately I've been having the Russell Stover sugar free chocolates which come in many different varieties and honestly taste just as good as the sugary kind (they don't cause me any GI issues either). For chocolate flavored desserts lately I've been loving the Enlightened brownies and cookie dough ice cream bars.
My partner got these as part of my Christmas gift (we always give each other candy at Christmas) and they make the best hot chocolate. For each serving just add 1 cup of milk and about 10 of these and heat it, stirring frequently, until melted. I recommend not bringing it to a full boil since it will take forever to cool down and also the milk might boil over, and it's not necessary to heat it that much to melt it. Then add whipped cream or marshmallows on top. I'm also going to try making chocolate dipped berries with them when hopefully berry prices go down.
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I'm not the biggest fan of chocolate - but mainly because good quality choc is not easy to find. I don't mean average US type of bad, but also not worth the calories. If I happen to find a good choc then I might eat a row of squares and enjoy and log it, or eat the whole lot and just accept it. At the moment my interest in various types of sweets switches so rapidly that buying anything specific is rather useless anyway as the leftover remain in the cupboard forgotten.0
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Most of the brands mentioned here are unknown to me. Even the 'Belgian chocolate' brands mentioned
Funny how Belgian chocolate brands abroad aren't the same as in Belgium.
My latest experience with chocolate: my BF went to the Neuhaus factory in Belgium, where they have an outlet store. Aside from the classic boxes with assortments, they also sell bulk boxes: large, brown cardboard boxes with 1kg of one type of chocolates, or sometimes 2 or 3 types combined. And if you buy 2kgs, you get 1kg free.
So right before Christmas, he bought 3 kilograms (that's 6.5lbs for not metric people) which we -fortunately - shared with his parents. Luckily I'm more into savory snacks than sweet ones, because that's a mountain of chocolates!
Neuhaus claims they invented Belgian chocolates, and they have a very good reputation here, and they're on the pricey end of the spectrum (88 euros per kg for a mixed 'ballotin') but a way better deal when buying in bulk.
I'm a bit picky where chocolates are concerned, some fillings I like and others I don't like as much. But my BF tried a new type that I looooove: called Bourbon, it's filled with bourbon vanilla cream. I tasted like a boozy chocolat, but as far as I can tell from the ingredients, it isn't actually alcoholic.
It's a very close second to my very favorite Neuhaus chocolates, a range called 'Irrésistibles' (because they are irresistible): large triangles with nougatine, twice as large as a normal chocolate, but twice as good too
We still have some chocolates left from that bulk buy - if I exercise, I might just earn myself enough calories to indulge
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Right so I have come to enjoy about 30 gram, or 1oz of chocolate every day for some time now. Although I have been thinking of maybe cutting it back something like 15 gram instated and reserve something like 50 grams for Sundays. Dspite everything its kind to nice to being able enjoy a few pieces of chocolate ëvery day (dont feel like I need more). That said I also enjoy about a one cup of hot no suger chocolate a day.0
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I have fairly basic taste in chocolate. My favorites are milk chocolate M&Ms and plain Hershey bars/kisses. Once in awhile I mix it up with Dove promises or a seasonal flavor of something (really enjoyed the Caramel Apple Ghirardelli squares this year).1
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I’m much more of a salty treat person but do occasionally fancy some chocolate. Always dark 70% and upwards, generally.
But since this thread was posted all I’ve been able to think of is a bar of chocolate that was not available for very long a few years ago that I absolutely loved. Pretty sure it was a Lindt bar, in their ‘Excellence’ range, flavoured with Lavender.
It was darker and smoother than an average UK milk chocolate but not as dark and bitter as I usually prefer. Slightly medicinal from the lavender which counteracted the sweetness of a lighter chocolate. Everybody else who tried it didn’t care for it, but I loved it, just a square at a time allowed to melt on my tongue…I can still taste it now and just wish it was still being produced!
I’ve just looked on Amazon and there are Lavender chocolate bars available but I’m not going to order one (probably…) for fear of being disappointed! 😂1 -
BarbaraHelen2013 wrote: »I’m much more of a salty treat person but do occasionally fancy some chocolate. Always dark 70% and upwards, generally.
I feel mostly the same way. Unfortunately, there's now a fairly tasty salted caramel in dark chocolate bar made by Chocolove. It's only 55% cocoa. They do have a salted almond bar with 70%. And for a spicy kick, they have a 70% bar with hot chiles.
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Most of the brands mentioned here are unknown to me. Even the 'Belgian chocolate' brands mentioned Funny how Belgian chocolate brands abroad aren't the same as in Belgium.
lol True! I mention the Belgian ones because they at least reliably meet the minimum standards for chocolate. The US distributed version is indeed a pale ghost of the real deal - but at least it isn't brown wax and sugar. Don't get me wrong, I love all sorts of ersatz chocky treats - but nothing beats true chocolate.
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i can't have sugar, but luckily there are many chocolate options!
russell stover sugar free peanut butter cups and chocolate mints are a staple snack
quest frosted cookies in chocolate are divine
quest protein cookies in double chocolate chunk, best with milk imo
lily's sugar free chocolate bars and chocolate chips use erythritol and they're awesome
and there's always sugar free fudgcicles...
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I love to add chocolate chips into my pancakes to get the sweet/cake fix. I like the Reese's pb chips and then mix them with a dark chocolate chip. I just tried those bite sized baking truffles and they are very rich and sweet. Will be used more sparingly0
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I used to add cacao nibs to my morning yogurt. Not really chocolate per se, but it was really tasty and have antioxidants and other alkaloids & polyphenols that make chocolate good for you.2
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I used to add cacao nibs to my morning yogurt. Not really chocolate per se, but it was really tasty and have antioxidants and other alkaloids & polyphenols that make chocolate good for you.
I've found different brands/sources of nibs to be quite variable in flavor. In the ones I liked best, there was a sort of dark chocolate undertone, but also some sort of wine-y flavors, among other enjoyable je ne sais quoi. 2 -
Idontcareyoupick wrote: »I love to add chocolate chips into my pancakes to get the sweet/cake fix. I like the Reese's pb chips and then mix them with a dark chocolate chip. I just tried those bite sized baking truffles and they are very rich and sweet. Will be used more sparingly
Bite sized baking truffles? This is new thing to me, must research!2 -
arieswrite1 wrote: »I have fairly basic taste in chocolate. My favorites are milk chocolate M&Ms and plain Hershey bars/kisses. Once in awhile I mix it up with Dove promises or a seasonal flavor of something (really enjoyed the Caramel Apple Ghirardelli squares this year).
That reminds me, I should get some Dove Promises again. For some reason I always forget they exist despite the fact that I used to have them either after school or for dessert almost every day when I was in middle school. Only the plain dark chocolate flavor though. Even just thinking about them makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside lol. Ultimate comfort snack.2 -
Quick update on my truffle making experiment: they tasted fab, but I struggled to get them round or looking that good (hence no photo). My hands are too warm to roll them neatly (I have the same issue if I try to make pastry by hand) so I've ordered some moulds and I’m going to try them this weekend. I made dark choc truffles which were lovely but incredibly rich. Going to try milk choc and white choc varieties this weekend. Wish me luck!1
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Speaking of truffle making...every holiday season I make these for the family (they 'expect' them every year lol!). I find it's important to make them fairly small, as they are
incredibly rich.6 -
claireychn074 wrote: »Quick update on my truffle making experiment: they tasted fab, but I struggled to get them round or looking that good (hence no photo). My hands are too warm to roll them neatly (I have the same issue if I try to make pastry by hand) so I've ordered some moulds and I’m going to try them this weekend. I made dark choc truffles which were lovely but incredibly rich. Going to try milk choc and white choc varieties this weekend. Wish me luck!
I have a similar problem: Very warm hands. It's been OK (even with the more-fragile whipped ones) to work very, very fast over a pie plate (or whatever) containing some of the coating (cocoa, finely-chopped nuts, coconut, whatever).
I scoop out a spoon of the cold mixture going for a roughly round scoop-out, then kind of roll-toss the truffles, letting each drop into the coating after a quick rolling-stroke to round it, repeating if necessary until round enough. Somewhat bumpy truffles taste just as good as perfectly round ones, and most of the coatings add bumpiness anyway.
It's a shame if I have to stop, lick my fingers, wash my hands, rinse for a bit in very cold water (even ice water), dry, and resume . . . a dirty rotten shame. 😋
YMMV on acceptable roundness and hand warmth, of course.1 -
I got this as part of a Christmas gift from friends. It's very dark (almost austerely so), very good. I think it's maybe local to the Traverse City, MI area (where they live).
I also got an amazing, warm, cozy knitted-by-friend merino wool hat, with an all-over pattern of multicolored knitted-in Japanese silk yarn beetle-esque bugs. I adore it, but it's off topic to this thread, eh? 😉
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I was debating a melon scoop as I thought that might be a good solution, I tried a teaspoon but it just didn’t work. So I figured I would try the moulds. Now, if they look dreadful I will just have to eat the evidence, buy a melon scoop and try again 😀claireychn074 wrote: »Quick update on my truffle making experiment: they tasted fab, but I struggled to get them round or looking that good (hence no photo). My hands are too warm to roll them neatly (I have the same issue if I try to make pastry by hand) so I've ordered some moulds and I’m going to try them this weekend. I made dark choc truffles which were lovely but incredibly rich. Going to try milk choc and white choc varieties this weekend. Wish me luck!
I have a similar problem: Very warm hands. It's been OK (even with the more-fragile whipped ones) to work very, very fast over a pie plate (or whatever) containing some of the coating (cocoa, finely-chopped nuts, coconut, whatever).
I scoop out a spoon of the cold mixture going for a roughly round scoop-out, then kind of roll-toss the truffles, letting each drop into the coating after a quick rolling-stroke to round it, repeating if necessary until round enough. Somewhat bumpy truffles taste just as good as perfectly round ones, and most of the coatings add bumpiness anyway.
It's a shame if I have to stop, lick my fingers, wash my hands, rinse for a bit in very cold water (even ice water), dry, and resume . . . a dirty rotten shame. 😋
YMMV on acceptable roundness and hand warmth, of course.
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claireychn074 wrote: »
I was debating a melon scoop as I thought that might be a good solution, I tried a teaspoon but it just didn’t work. So I figured I would try the moulds. Now, if they look dreadful I will just have to eat the evidence, buy a melon scoop and try again 😀claireychn074 wrote: »Quick update on my truffle making experiment: they tasted fab, but I struggled to get them round or looking that good (hence no photo). My hands are too warm to roll them neatly (I have the same issue if I try to make pastry by hand) so I've ordered some moulds and I’m going to try them this weekend. I made dark choc truffles which were lovely but incredibly rich. Going to try milk choc and white choc varieties this weekend. Wish me luck!
I have a similar problem: Very warm hands. It's been OK (even with the more-fragile whipped ones) to work very, very fast over a pie plate (or whatever) containing some of the coating (cocoa, finely-chopped nuts, coconut, whatever).
I scoop out a spoon of the cold mixture going for a roughly round scoop-out, then kind of roll-toss the truffles, letting each drop into the coating after a quick rolling-stroke to round it, repeating if necessary until round enough. Somewhat bumpy truffles taste just as good as perfectly round ones, and most of the coatings add bumpiness anyway.
It's a shame if I have to stop, lick my fingers, wash my hands, rinse for a bit in very cold water (even ice water), dry, and resume . . . a dirty rotten shame. 😋
YMMV on acceptable roundness and hand warmth, of course.
Two (cold) tableware teaspoons or tablespoons used together, one on each side of the lump, maybe, to get the initial round-y shape? Dunno.1 -
Sooo lately I’ve been eating total garbage milk chocolate Hersey Kisses and loving every single one.
Hard for a former chocolate snob to admit!4 -
claireychn074 wrote: »
I was debating a melon scoop as I thought that might be a good solution, I tried a teaspoon but it just didn’t work. So I figured I would try the moulds. Now, if they look dreadful I will just have to eat the evidence, buy a melon scoop and try again 😀claireychn074 wrote: »Quick update on my truffle making experiment: they tasted fab, but I struggled to get them round or looking that good (hence no photo). My hands are too warm to roll them neatly (I have the same issue if I try to make pastry by hand) so I've ordered some moulds and I’m going to try them this weekend. I made dark choc truffles which were lovely but incredibly rich. Going to try milk choc and white choc varieties this weekend. Wish me luck!
I have a similar problem: Very warm hands. It's been OK (even with the more-fragile whipped ones) to work very, very fast over a pie plate (or whatever) containing some of the coating (cocoa, finely-chopped nuts, coconut, whatever).
I scoop out a spoon of the cold mixture going for a roughly round scoop-out, then kind of roll-toss the truffles, letting each drop into the coating after a quick rolling-stroke to round it, repeating if necessary until round enough. Somewhat bumpy truffles taste just as good as perfectly round ones, and most of the coatings add bumpiness anyway.
It's a shame if I have to stop, lick my fingers, wash my hands, rinse for a bit in very cold water (even ice water), dry, and resume . . . a dirty rotten shame. 😋
YMMV on acceptable roundness and hand warmth, of course.
Two (cold) tableware teaspoons or tablespoons used together, one on each side of the lump, maybe, to get the initial round-y shape? Dunno.
Getting there - not quite right yet but the moulds were okay. Need to tweak the recipe a bit 🤔
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