Chocolate Blog

J and J Chocolate Chalet

I was recently sent some chocolate from J & J Chocolate Chalet, a company started by a mother daughter duo in Edwardsville, IL. They specialize in molded flavored chocolates but also have some hand dipped items, such as the fresh marshmallows and dried fruit pictured above.

For me these were quite sweet and the flavors were a bit strong. My daughter, however, loved them. I did enjoy the handmade marshmallow but would have preferred it with a darker chocolate to offset the sweetness.

You can find J & J Chocolates via their website, or at the Goshen Market in the summer (which I'm guessing is near Edwardsville, IL where they are located.)

Cute Chocolate Animation on YouTube

Seeds of Change Chocolate

Seeds of Change recently sent me their certified organic chocolate bars to try and I have to say that they were all quite good. They come in a wide variety and their packaging is wonderful. You get three smaller bars in one big package -- each individually wrapped. The bars are the perfect size for a treat and this way the rest of the chocolate stays fresh and protected. I also love the little resealable folder, or pouch, that they are packaged in.

But enough about the packaging -- here are my thoughts on each variety:

Organic Milk Chocolate -- A nice respectable 43% cacao gives this milk chocolate a good chocolate flavor. The melt is smooth and creamy and I tasted caramel and a bit of salt here. Overall a very comforting bar.

Organic Milk Chocolate with Puffed Grains -- This bar was great -- a real flashback for me! I remember eating and loving Nestle Crunch bars as a kid, but having one now does nothing for me. This was like a super-improved version of that bar that I liked so much as a kid! The same smooth 43% milk chocolate is used here, but the puffed grains give it a wonderful crunch and lightness as well as a bit of a malty flavor.

Organic Dark Chocolate -- A moderate dark at 61% cacao, this bar has the same smooth and creamy melt but with a fudgy flavor. There is a hint of tropical fruit -- specifically banana -- and smoke, but no harsh bitterness, in fact, the bar is quite sweet.

Organic Dark Chocolate with Coconut -- When I first saw the Seeds of Change bars, I though this would be my favorite since I'm a coconut fan. While it is made with the same smooth and creamy chocolate, I wanted more of a toasted flavor with the coconut. I did like the bit of texture from the coconut, but overall it was a bit too sweet and lacked a little something for me.

Organic Dark Chocolate with Cherries and Vanilla -- A nice combination of fruit and chocolate. The tangy cherries were a nice compliment to the dark chocolate and gave the bar a good chew.

Organic Dark Chocolate with Mango and Cashew -- This bar was a complete surprise for me. I never thought of myself as a mango fan, but it totally works in this bar. The cashews give the bar a nutty taste and aroma as well as a wonderful crunch while the dried mangoes subtly enhance the tropical fruit flavors in the chocolate and give the bar a bit of a chewiness. This is a real winner and my favorite bar of the bunch!

Seeds of Change Chocolate is available at many health stores as well as Whole Foods. You can find out more at their website.

Valerie Confections

I was recently sent a package of goodies from Valerie Confections in LA. This is the good stuff -- fresh, decadent and delicately flavored. Here's what I sampled:

The Lemon Hazelnut Nougat -- I knew I'd like this one as soon as I saw it -- lemon, nuts, dark chocolate -- all the things I like in one confection. The flavor was bright with a delicate lemon flavor and a subtle nutty flavor from the hazelnuts. The texture was slightly crunchy, yet smooth from the melt of the chocolate.Not only did they taste great, they also came in a cute box with a pretty little ribbon.

The Almond Fleur de Sel Toffee -- Oh boy was this good! Salt, butter, sugar, almonds & bittersweet chocolate in one delightful package. They shatter as you bite into them, releasing and mingling all the wonderful flavors at once. Wow!

Salt & Pepper Truffles -- Here's something I haven't tried before and I wasn't sure what to expect. Surprisingly the pepper in these truffles lent a wonderfully subtle, fruity and spicy edge to these silky smooth confections. And the Fleur de Sel chocolate was wonderful -- one of my favorite combinations -- salt and chocolate.

Liquid Caramel (square) -- Intense liquid caramel with that rich, salty, burnt sugar flavor that you want in a caramel.

Bittersweet truffle -- A pretty little molded dome filled with a fruity chocolate ganache that is wonderfully smooth and incredibly satisfying.

One of the things I loved about the Valerie confections was their subtlety. The lemon nougat wasn't too lemony and the pepper truffles weren't overwhelmingly peppery. Everything was balanced which allowed all the different flavors to shine through. Not to mention that all the chocolates were beautiful and beautifully presented.

I enjoyed all the confections that I tried from Valerie and will be keeping an eye on their website to see what new flavors they come up with in the future.

Kallari Chocolate

Kallari Chocolate comes in three varieties -- 85%, 75% and 70% cacao content -- and while each bar uses the same organic, Ecuadoran chocolate, each is unique.

I started by tasting the 85% cacao bar and found it to be quite complex -- smooth and inviting with a slow melt that was a bit dry, but not overly so. Fruit is present here, along with a nice earthy bitterness akin to coffee or smoked wood. The finish is clean and a touch sweet.

After that I moved to the 75% bar and here, the fruit really popped! Fresh, tropical fruit, vanilla and a comforting hint of caramel. The finish was fudgy and rich. Really lovely.

The 70% bar was sweet, bright -- even more vanilla and caramel flavors shined through.

I think my favorite of the three bars was the 75% Cacao -- a nice ballance between the bitterness, fruit and sweet caramel flavors. I'm very impressed by these bars and glad to see that organic, sustainable chocolate can be really excellent chocolate too.  You can find out more about Kallari Chocoalte at their website.

Amy's Organic Chocolate Cake

I've been a fan of Amy's products for a while now, so when they contacted me about trying a new product, I jumped at the chance. A few days later an Amy's Organic Chocolate Cake arrived on my doorstep.

Why do I like Amy's? Well, this cake is the perfect example. First of all, it is made with organic ingredients. Secondly, it's vegan but doesn't taste like a substitute for a non-vegan cake. It's the real deal. Thirdly, there are no weird things in this cake -- no trans fats, no preservatives, no GMO's or bioengineered ingredients. The ingredient list contains only things that I have in my own cupboard -- shocking, I know!

The cake is available in the frozen foods section of the grocery and you defrost it in the fridge for a couple of hours before eating it -- very simple. So before dinner I popped it in the fridge and it was ready at dessert time.

The cake is dense and quite moist -- almost like a cakey brownie or a chocolate muffin. The taste is fresh, sweet and delicious. My husband, daughter and I all tried the cake and loved it. In fact, Maddie liked it so much that she had 2 pieces last night and one today, I had a piece this morning with coffee and it was great the second day.

I'm sure this will be available in most grocery stores -- I know our Dominick's and Jewel carry Amy's products. And if you want more info, you can always visit the Amy's Kitchen website.

Donsuemor Madeleines

Something a little different today -- madeleines! Now usually I try to keep my reviews focused on chocolate, but when I was contacted by Donsuemor, I couldn't resist trying their chocolate madeleines. First of all, my daughter is named Madeleine -- and I've always wanted to try making these because of that, although not having the fancy madeleine pan has stopped me.

Donsuemor sent me both their chocolate and chocolate dipped varieties and since they arrived this morning before I had my coffee, I decided to try them right away. These little cakes -- for that is what they are -- are all natural, contain no preservatives and are trans-fat free. They taste rich and moist -- somewhere between a brownie and a piece of cake. The dipped variety are covered not in chocolate, but rather a cocoa icing of sorts which worked well with the madeleine.

I have to say that I was very happy with these and think they make a great accompaniment to coffee. They taste very fresh, rich and definitely a bit decadent.

You can purchase Donsuemor Chocolate madeleines at Amazon or through the Donsuemor website. They are also available at specialty stores.

Fran's Caramels

My husband knows they way to my heart -- chocolate -- more specifically chocolate with caramel and salt. This year he bought me a big box of Fran's Chocolates caramels and salted caramels.

The assortment included Fran's caramels covered in both milk and dark chocolate.  Some of the milk chocolate were topped with smoked salt while some of the dark were sprinkled with gray salt. The caramel itself is rich, soft, and buttery and the chocolate is smooth and only lightly coats each caramel so that you taste more caramel than chocolate. I have to say that the gray salt caramels are fantastic, but my favorite was the smoked salt caramels -- just bursting with flavor!

You can see all of Fran's goodies and purchase the them through the online shop. I also want to mention that I've had their GoldBars in the past and they are really excellent.

Martine's Chocolates

Recently I was contacted by Martine's Chocolates who wanted to know if I would like to try a selection of their chocolates. Since it is just before Valentine's Day, I received a pretty Valentine's selection of their chocolates as well as a box of their sugar-free chocolates.

First the Valentine's Day selection. The top tray is filled with glossy well tempered heart shaped solid chocolates and the bottom level was filled with some of their signature molded pieces. They look gorgeous -- well molded and glossy and they all tasted very fresh. Fillings are on the tame side and include butterscotch caramel, gianduja, chocolate ganache and more. (You can see their entire menu on their website.

The sugar-free chocolates are solid chocolate or solid mixed with chopped nuts, cacao nibs or coconut. While I'm not a fan of sugar-free foods in general, these were pretty good with no off tastes. They were perhaps a bit more bland than the sugary chocolates, but a very acceptable alternative for those with diet restrictions. Definitely a premium sugar-free.

Chocolate Giveaway Winners!

The winners have been contacted -- Jessica & Erika. Thank you to everyone who stopped by and left a comment!