Let's Talk Pro-Chocolate: Real Kinds We Like, How We Eat/Use Them
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I managed to buy the bouchard chocolates from costco a few times in my area before they were all gone but havent seen them for a year. They were perfect. These Theobroma Organic Dark Chocolate zero Sugar minis are my current replacement - not as good but remind me of organic Mexican chocolate I used to love - can’t remember the brand - it used to come in a disc - also no sugar and very intense, sometimes almost had crystalized cocoa granules of flavor.
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claireychn074 wrote: »OMG now I can’t decide if this or the cheese thread is my favourite!!
Okay - mahoosive chocolate fan here, in addition to being a cheese fan. Being in the UK I do like Hotel Chocolate stuff; if often had a higher cocoa content and you get some decent flavours. They do a tasting selection with single origin bars, and those are great to really get into smokey / smooth / snap comparisons. For supermarket choc I like Lindt or Green & Blacks, but I have been known to demolish Cadbury cheap and cheerful choc. In fact, Cadbury chocolate buttons are great on my morning porridge with strawberries. Just enough sugary chocolate flavour but without the strong tang of (my usually preferred) 70% cocoa. I’m also a fan of Green and Blacks organic cocoa power for my evening drink 😀.
I got a bit excited there 😳
So just in case you are wondering … you could actually have chocolate cheese https://cheesehouse.com/uncategorized/chocolate-cheese-6-ways-to-eat-this-unusual-treat/
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What you're describing sound similar to Taza, stone ground, sort of granularity to it:Sinisterbarbie1 wrote: »I managed to buy the bouchard chocolates from costco a few times in my area before they were all gone but havent seen them for a year. They were perfect. These Theobroma Organic Dark Chocolate zero Sugar minis are my current replacement - not as good but remind me of organic Mexican chocolate I used to love - can’t remember the brand - it used to come in a disc - also no sugar and very intense, sometimes almost had crystalized cocoa granules of flavor.
(snip image)
. . . but all the Taza flavors I know about do have sugar - quite a lot - though oddly none I've had taste ultra sweet. This is not that, but there is a 95% dark one I've seen. (I do like Taza.)
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Fabulous idea...I will post soon, but the chocolate I do purchase is organic, ethical and sustainable. However, if someone gives me some quality dark chocolate, I'll be eating it that's for sure lol!1
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Sinisterbarbie1 wrote: »claireychn074 wrote: »OMG now I can’t decide if this or the cheese thread is my favourite!!
Okay - mahoosive chocolate fan here, in addition to being a cheese fan. Being in the UK I do like Hotel Chocolate stuff; if often had a higher cocoa content and you get some decent flavours. They do a tasting selection with single origin bars, and those are great to really get into smokey / smooth / snap comparisons. For supermarket choc I like Lindt or Green & Blacks, but I have been known to demolish Cadbury cheap and cheerful choc. In fact, Cadbury chocolate buttons are great on my morning porridge with strawberries. Just enough sugary chocolate flavour but without the strong tang of (my usually preferred) 70% cocoa. I’m also a fan of Green and Blacks organic cocoa power for my evening drink 😀.
I got a bit excited there 😳
So just in case you are wondering … you could actually have chocolate cheese https://cheesehouse.com/uncategorized/chocolate-cheese-6-ways-to-eat-this-unusual-treat/
The university next door (almost literally) has a dairy store associated with their dairy program. It makes/sells a chocolate cheese. I don't know that it's made like the one described on your link. It's been years since I've had any, but I recall it as tasting more like a rich fudge than like other cheeses.0 -
these are a few cocoa based mixes I like-
Cocoa powder, cinnamon and monk fruit syrup on tofu, I eat it like ice cream
Cocoa in oatmeal with nut butter or powdered peanut butter
Mixing with nut butter and almond milk to make a frosting like consistency
One of my all-time favorites is chocolate chip cookies, maybe double chocolate. I also make vegan gluten free brownies with ZenSweet Brownie mix. Then I discovered that crumbling them up, rolling with kite hill cream cheese and almond butter with powdered monk fruit covering them makes a huge hit at a party!! My family loved them on Christmas!
Chocolate bars wise my favorite is Lily's extra dark.2 -
What you're describing sound similar to Taza, stone ground, sort of granularity to it:Sinisterbarbie1 wrote: »I managed to buy the bouchard chocolates from costco a few times in my area before they were all gone but havent seen them for a year. They were perfect. These Theobroma Organic Dark Chocolate zero Sugar minis are my current replacement - not as good but remind me of organic Mexican chocolate I used to love - can’t remember the brand - it used to come in a disc - also no sugar and very intense, sometimes almost had crystalized cocoa granules of flavor.
(snip image)
. . . but all the Taza flavors I know about do have sugar - quite a lot - though oddly none I've had taste ultra sweet. This is not that, but there is a 95% dark one I've seen. (I do like Taza.)
Mexican + disc made me think of Taza as well. For those of you in the Boston area, they do tours and tastings. I'm almost 50 miles away and haven't made it there yet - getting in or out of Boston can be a PITA.
https://www.tazachocolate.com/pages/take-a-tour
A friend sent me a sampler once, which was a really thoughtful gift:
https://www.tazachocolate.com/collections/discs/products/sampler
They have 85%, but not in stock:
https://www.tazachocolate.com/collections/discs/products/super-dark
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Speaking of truffle recipes, this is my favorite, but with two changes, one of which is IMO very important.
(Speckled recipes are the best, right?)
Changes:
1. Optional: Don't worry about enrobing the finished truffles in chocolate. Easier to simply roll in cocoa, fine dessicated coconut, finely chopped nuts, or something like that. If you do this, be sure to use half the chocolate from the ingredients list, or the texture will be wrong - the other half would've been for the coating. Also, dipping them in heated chocolate to coat will interfere with item #2 below, the important change.
2. Very important: After the cream, chocolate and butter are whisked together, beat them with a mixer until the volume increases and the mixture is light and fluffy, then chill. It will be very melty when you form the balls, so use a spoon or small scoop, work quickly, and drop them onto the coating and roll to coat. Your fingers will be coated with chocolate. Too bad you'll have to lick them off, wash your hands for the sake of truffle hygiene, then resume. When they're done, chill again, and keep chilled until ready to serve.
Observation: Kirsch can be varied to liqueur or extract of your choice in a reasonable quantity for its flavor-strength.
Recipe is from the book Chocolate Cooking, edited by Judy Ridgeway, copyright 1978, 1984 edition, purchased on remainder a zillion years ago not long after the edition came out.
No, this is not the only chocolate cookbook I own, why do you ask?
Hmm, I've never made truffles but I am going to have to find a use for 1.75 cups of heavy cream so...
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I constantly have Chocolove Xoxo Raspberries in Dark Chocolate bars. I just split them up into like 6 pieces or whatever and keep them in the freezer and grab one (or two lol) everyday. They are so good.2
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I am a chocolate lover - and I like eating small amount of chocolate- not every day but a few times a week.
for me it is one of those 'less is more' things though - so I dont like eating large amounts or eating very chocolatey things - like chocolate mud cake, for example - too much of a good thing for me
although the very cheapie chocolates are pretty ordinary, I do like quite a few standard supermarket items.
Cherry Ripe is one of my favourites - do you have them in other countries?0 -
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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