Chocolate Monday: Cadbury Soft English Toffee bar

One of the many joys about my recent vacation in Pennsylvania, was the plethora of chocolate which just seemed to jump in front of me. It seemed like everywhere I turned, there was some sort of new chocolate experience. Whoopie pies at the farmer’s market, fudge at the railroad, chocolate/vanilla swirl soft serve at Sesame Place, and at Hershey, well, I mean, there is an entire city devoted to chocolate. Turns out Belinda Carlisle was right: heaven is a place on earth.

Now, I’m not exactly the biggest Hershey fan on the planet. A bag of their kisses will never be what I reach for when I’m having a cocoa craving (in part because I over-indulged when I was like 10, got really sick and have basically Nanceefied* kisses). Neither will their original chocolate bars. I like milk chocolate and all, but a plain chocolate bar without any bells or whistles? Not unless it’s the really, really good stuff. I have to admit I don’t even use their chocolate syrup or cocoa powder (I’m a snob, I use Penzey’s Dutch process cocoa powder because it is AMAZING). But, there was no way in the world I could stop in Hershey and NOT take a drive by Hershey’s Chocolate World. Come on, it’s called Chocolate World…I was sold.

As I said, their plain old bars don’t ring any bells for me, but I have a definite soft spot in my heart for lots of their candy bars. Heck, what right-minded, candy-lovin’ person doesn’t? This is the company that brought Reese’s, Heath, Almond Joy and a score of others to grocery store check out stands so that I could drool and plead with my mom every time she took me shopping. Speaking of the score of other bars, Skor bars are theirs too. I never realized it as a child and was in a sort of constant childhood debate between Heath and Skor. Turned out I didn’t need be. I was supporting the same family no matter which kind of toffee I wanted.

So, imagine my joy when we were in the Hershey “store” and I found not only all of my childhood favorites, but also a whole stand devoted to a slightly more grown up favorite of mine: Cadbury.

When I visited London for the first time in 2004, Cadbury saved my life. Ok, so maybe they didn’t exactly save it, but they were a reviving force without which I might have crumpled into a lifeless heap in a tube station. I was one of two adult chaperones on a summer theater trip to London. Everything I’d read about England’s weather had prepared me for balmy temps in the low 70′s. So, that is exactly what I packed for. Imagine my amazement when we arrived right smack at the start of a European heat wave. London was posting temps in the high 80′s and low 90′s and our tour guide had us on daily forced marches around town with few stops for lukewarm water and small, bland dinners.

 This is where Cadbury enters the picture. After a full day of walking and barely eating, I found candy machines in the tube stations. These glorious beacons of hope offered me life-sustaining chocolate for a mere 50 p. It was in one of those stifling hot stations, where, after riding for twenty minutes next to two men who had no concept of personal space or body odor, that I found the Caramilk. It was love at first bite.

Turns out that it was pretty much the same thing I’d been eating (and loving) back in the states, but instead of being in a shiny brown, red and gold wrapper and called a Caramello, it was in the more traditional Cadbury purple and called Caramilk. Still, there was something about eating it when half-starved and fully exhausted in London that just made it the best damn caramel filled candy bar I’d ever had.

So, when in the Hershey store, I found not only the British packed version, but also a shiny purple wrapper touting a soft English toffee, I was in chocolate heaven! I grabbed both and skipped to the register. Yes, I realize I can get the a Caramello at any ol’ gas station in the country, but not in the purple wrapper (and I swear it improves the taste). But, I’d never seen the soft toffee one before, so I figured I had to have it for comparison sake.

The soft English toffee bar is similar to the Caramello. This shouldn’t really be a shock. While what we Americans think of as  English toffee is both taste and texture wise quite different from caramel, one thing I learned while in England, is that what they often refer to as toffee, is not at all what I was used to. It is the stuff Harry Potter and his buddies talk about when they eat sticky toffee pudding. And in fact, soft toffee is a lot like caramel, at least in texture. It has that same, gooey stringiness one expects from caramel.  The difference comes in the taste. It is not, the buttery richness of American toffee. Much like another of my English favorites, treacle pudding, soft toffee also has a sort of molasses hint to it. It also has more of a burnt sugar taste to it. Far more butterscotch than butter toffee.

Cadbury’s soft toffee had not only the burnt sugar hints, but also a just a tiny hint of molasses. It reminded far more of the treacle pudding I had at a Garfield’s in London (which I’ll admit was totally because both Alice in Wonderland and the Harry Potter kids both bring up the stuff). The creaminess of the milk chocolate does help set off the slightly bitter bite the soft toffee has. It also helps to mask the difference between the super buttery toffee taste my American palette expects when it sees the word toffee and the reality of the darker, heavier, and burningly sweeter taste of the British version. It is sweeter than caramel, which is texturally what my mouth expected. It was not a bar I could eat more than six squares of at a time, which is good, since that’s a serving (although less than half the actual bar).

All in all, the bar is still toffee, and I do LOVES me some toffee. It was satisfying and rich. I think I may even like it better than it’s more American cousin, the Caramello. But, I’ll have to eat that bar to make sure. It’s only fair, right?

Overall:

Taste: 7.5/10

Price: 7/10 (it was a big bar and considering I was at a tourist attraction AND I’d never seen this one before, I thought the price of $2 wasn’t bad)

Appearance: 5/10 (it’s nothing to look at)

*Nanceefied is a term we use in honor of a dear friend who has a bad habit of eating so much of a food that she makes her self ill and then cannot be induced to eat that food again…no matter what.

Chocolate Tuesday: “The Cookie” by DoubleTree Hotels

So it’s totally Tuesday and usually this blog is all about “Chocolate Monday,” but I am over 500 miles from home and despite having a plethora of chocolatey experiences so far this vacation, I have also been chasing around two children under the age of 5, so by about 10 pm, I am drooling on my stack of three pillows.

I’m actually hoping to have several posts this week, but we’ll see how chasing them around a theme park for two days goes. I have a feeling I may start drooling even earlier.

Although this vacation was not supposed to be chocolate themed, I’ve actually managed to find myself surrounded by all sorts of cocoa goodness. It all started when we checked into our hotel. Despite being laden down with diaper bags, stuffed animals, a purse and a baby, when the nice lady behind the desk handed me the keys and four small paper bags with cookies, I was thrilled. I was a tad less thrilled when she said the word cookie as the four year old standing at my hip nearly started scaling me to get t said cookie.

After we made our way to our room (which I will amit was a bit confusing to find), dropped all the bags on the floor and sent my husband back to the car for the rest of the luggage, my son and I dove into our bags.

It was a little hard to eat at first. Since it was warm, it was falling apart in my hand. I love cookies, but hate when pulling a small piece off leaves my hands really messy. Nothing like trying to find a tissue in a brand new hotel room hile two kids who should be in be are running around trying to get in to everything. Especially when one of them has a similar melty cookie in his hand.

I’ll be honest, I didn’t get much of a chance to enjoy the cookie that night. Since there were two left (my husband didn’t want his and my daughter couldn’t have hers), I put them in the fridge, thinking we might eat them later.

I didn’t get around to thinking about them until three nights later. I was pretty sure they’d be stale, but to my surprise, not only were they not stale, but they still tasted fresh. Unlike a great many cookies, they were still soft and practically fell apart in my hands. The benefit of putting them in the fridge is that they weren’t at all messy.

What they were was tasty. I was nervous since they are chocolate walnut cookies and I don’t generally like walnuts, but the nuttyness was subtle and actually crunchy. My main complaint with walnuts in desserts is that they get all mushy and mealy. These nuts still had a slight crunch. While they didn’t contribute much flavor (they never really do), they gave the cookie just a slightly salty hint that blended well with the sweetness of the chips.

The chips were ample. I know this is going to sound odd, but I often don’t like when cookies are nothing but chips. This one wasn’t so jammed with them that I felt overwhelmed. I think the nuts really helped this. Instead, I got a bit of chocolate in each bite without just tasting chocolate.

While I won’t go sofar as to say I will only stay at DoubleTree hotels, I know that when I ask my mother-in-law (my official travel agent) to find us a place to stay for vacation, I might just ask her to check to see if there are DoubleTrees in the area. Any place that gives me free chocolate is ok by me.

Overall:

Taste: 8.5/10

Value: 10/10

Appearance: 8.5/10

Chocolate Monday: S’mores Goldfish

I can’t go on any sort of road trip without serious car snacks. I don’t know what it is about being trapped in a car for more than five or six hours that turns me into some sort of snacking lunatic. I actually missed last week’s blog because I was hurtling down highway 40 toward stop 1 of my spring break adventure: Winston-Salem, North Carolina. After being in the car for nearly 12 hours (with two kids who didn’t want to be in a car for more than about 3), I had no desire to do anything except become one with the guest bed.

My car snacks have changed just a little since my early college days (back then I never left home with fewer than three varieties of jerky). Now that I have kids, I have to stock up on slightly more family friendly treats in case my kiddoes decide they want a bite too. During a last minute trip to Target, I figured I should grab a few more packages for the road. My son and I both adore Goldfish, so I figured I had to have at least a package or two. What I didn’t expect to see was a new variety: S’mores.

I adore the real fireside version of S’mores. I adore Goldfish. I knew I had to have this treat.

As it turns out, this might be the greatest car ride snack since that awesome pepper jerky I found nearly a decade ago. The tiny chocolate graham crackers were exactly what I expected. They reminded me a bit of Teddy Grahams. They had a mild cocoa taste. Not too overwhelming, but still chocolatey enough to feed my sweet tooth. The graham cracker grahams (and yes, that sounds odd to write) were perfect. And the tiny marshmallows, reminded me of all the little marshmallows in my favorite cereals. Putting one of each together didn’t exactly taste like the ooey-gooey treats I remember from my Girl Scout days, but man, they were good.

I think I could have made something similar by taking two kinds of Teddy Grahams with marshmallows from a Swiss Miss packets, but for Pepperidge Farm to do this all in one package saves me the time and money. Plus, it makes for one hell of a car snack.

I’m actually contemplating whether or not to crack into the bag I have left from the trip. I know I shouldn’t, but they are calling me.

Overall:

Appearance: 5/10

Taste: 8/10

Value: 8.5/10

Chocolate Monday: Samoas

I’m not so sure this is really going to be a review as much as it is an ode to the best Girl Scout cookie ever created: the Samoa. Ok, so as an English geek, I supposed I can’t technically call it an ode as I will not be writing in verse or anything, but the purpose is kind of the same. I intend to “sing” the praises of this wonderful cookie treat.

Now, many, many moons ago, I was a Girl Scout. Even then, the best time of year was cookie time. Don’t misunderstand, I liked the camping,  the good deed doing and the calendar selling (apparently not all troops did this, but every troop I was in in California did). I even kind of liked the Girl Scout Olympics which was held at a high school track and required us to compete against all the other troops in our county in track and field activities. I ran and did the long jump, but wasn’t good at either, so I never got a ribbon or anything. Back then the world wasn’t quite as touchy feely and we didn’t get ribbons for participating, only for coming in 1st, 2nd or 3rd. I did get a really cool pink troop t-shirt with a unicorn on it though (which I wasn’t allowed to wear, but that is an entirely different story), so that made it sort of worth it.

Wow, I really digressed there, huh?

Anyway, even as a wee 7-year-old, I loved cookie time. I didn’t really dig the contest for who could sell the most boxes. There was no way I could win that. Even calling all my relatives over 2000 miles away and begging them to buy from me (and they did buy copious amounts) wasn’t going to put me anywhere near the top spot. The other girls had parents who could take their order forms in to work. Not me. My mom was the stay at home variety and my step-dad worked for a company with a strict no soliciting policy. They did not bend for anything, even little girls with chubby faces and Poochie pig tails.

No, for me, the joy of cookie time was getting to order my favorite cookies. Every year I would talk my dad (and my aunt and any other family member I could) into buying me a box (or two or three) of cookies. I tried them all. Of course, back in that day there were fewer to choose from. We had Tagalongs, Do-si-do’s, Thin Mints, Chocolate Chunks, Trefoils and Samoas. Between the contributions of my family members and the money I managed to save up (cookies were only $1.50 a box back then), I got boxes of each type of cookie except Thin Mints. I never had to buy those because my mom was addicted and practically bought a year’s supply.

After the first year I nixed the Do-si-do’s. They were too much like any other peanut butter sandwich cookie I could get at the store. I only got the Chocolate Chunks one year too. They were good and all, but sort of a souped up Chips Ahoy. They actually had too many chocolate chunks for me and since they weren’t soft and chewy, I wasn’t a huge fan. The Tagalongs were fairly decent, but until my mid-20′s I was never really a peanut butter person (with the exception of Reese’s cups), so I stopped getting those as well. I concentrated my efforts on Trefoils and Samoas.

Trefoils were good. Back then they had the giant flecks of sugar on them. I assume they must have been deemed uber unhealthy that way, because I can’t imagine any other reason to take those shimmering spangles of goodness off. I’ve had the newer version and while I still like them just fine, I’m not spending my hard-earned cash on them. Although I do love that my favorite cafe makes a vanilla steamer which tastes just like the cookie of my youth.

After awhile, I gave up on the Trefoils too. I used all my money (and that of my family) to procure the tastiest cookie morsel to come in a box: Samoas! I don’t know exactly what it is about these delicious little treasures, but I can never get enough of them. The crisp shortbread cookie underneath with the caramel and chocolate remind me a bit of one of my favorite childhood candy bars (Twix). However, there is something magical about the toasted coconut they throw on top that makes it a completely different treat. Considering how amazing they are, I’m still surprised Twix hasn’t come out with a coconut version. I’m not sure it would be as good, but I know I’d try it.

Every year I get so excited to get my box. Yes, that’s right, as an adult, I have managed to tame my cookie love just a tad. I limit myself to one box and I savour them. I put them in the fridge so they are cool when I bite in. I love the extra crunch it gives to the cookie. I nibble them slowly since I know I can never get by with only 1 cookie and the box only holds about 18. The coconut melts in my mouth. The chocolate is not over powering, but just a nice companion to the caramel. I love these little gems so much that I have to make sure I have no cash when I enter a grocery store during cookie season. If I do, I must  hurry by the tables stacked high with those bright purple boxes, making sure not to look at the sweet faces of little girls peddling them.  I am, after all, not a strong woman.

I am down to my last four cookies and am already regretting not buying more. I tell myself I should be proud though, my husband devoured his Do-si-do’s ages ago. I know the boxes are starting to disappear from stores, and I am already looking forward to next year. I can’t wait for my little girl to join scouts and start selling. Luckily for her, both my husband and I can sell practically anything we want at school. And teachers are suckers for sweets.

Ovearll:

Taset: 9.5/10

Price: 7/10 (kind of hefty for so few cookies, but it does go toward a good cause)

Appearance: 8.5/10

Chocolate Monday: Mrs. Sees

While watching the post Valentine episode of Glee the other day, I was surprised by a reference to Mrs. Sees chocolates. It reminded me that while the show may take place in Lima, Ohio, it is quite obviously filmed in California. Few people in the Midwest would name Mrs. Sees as the heart shaped box of chocolate they gave to their sweeties. Not that you can’t get her* goodies east of say Colorado, but there aren’t boutiques in all of our malls and finding her anywhere but on her website is, well, difficult. In fact, there isn’t a single store in Ohio.

Oddly, despite growing up in Southern California, where it’s hard to walk around the corner and not find one of her shops, it wasn’t until this Christmas that I ever had a box of the chocolates. I guess this isn’t actually so odd considering I was a kid and perfectly happy with a .40 candy bar.  Plus, my mom, being a Midwest born had a fondness for Fannie May which was unwavering. I think I had some Mrs. Sees about 8 years ago when I went to visit family in Orange County, but maybe that was just a bite of fudge. Obviously it didn’t make that much of an impression.

So, when my mother-in-law brought me a box of assorted chocolates from Mrs. Sees, I was rather excited. I’ve heard the hype from West coast friends for years. As is true of most over-hyped items, I’m not sure the actual candies lived up to the mythos.

Opening the box, I was excited. There were so many to pick from and there seemed to be very few repeaters.I reached into the box and grabbed out a roundish one covered in nuts. Inside I found a solid chocolate center with even more nuts. It was ok, but the nuts completely overpowered the chocolate. I think I had two moments where I could actually taste the chocolate, which was sad, because it was definitely creamy and I wanted more of it.

Since there was no guide, I decided to check the website before trying anymore pieces. I like to have at least a small head’s up as to what I might be putting in my mouth. I’ve had some pretty nasty concoctions before and if I was about to ingest some sort of bacon peanut butter parsnip piece, I wanted to mentally prepare. Luckily, Mrs. See seems to be old school in her chocolate making, and all the combos are pretty safe and pretty traditional. However, the actual pieces in the box weren’t always identical to the website (and several look very, very similar), so I still manged to get a few surprises.

And speaking of one of those surprises, it was the molasses chip. For some reason, I must not have paid much attention to the website. After the bite was in my mouth and my eyes shot back to the computers, I found this was one of their signature pieces. That made me a little sad since without the guide, I wouldn’t have known it was molasses flavored at all. I guess my years of snacking on Butterfingers at the movie theater fooled me into thinking I was going to get something similar. And, for a brief moment, it was. It was hard like a Butterfinger, only without the buttery taste. It also got stuck in my teeth just like a Butterfinger. Unlike the Butterfinger though, it didn’t get stuck in my heart. I wound up foisting the rest of these off on my husband.

I was kind of 0 for 2 at this moment and feeling more than a little let down by TV and movies. After popping the first nut cluster in my mouth, my outlook didn’t improve. I’m sure it didn’t help that the featured nut was walnut, which I’ve never been fond of. When I perused the site, my heart sank a little as it sees ol’ Mrs. See likes her some walnuts.  The chocolate itself was good, but the nuts were just so darn flavorless.

I was sinking into chocolate despair. But then, much to my utter happiness, I picked a rum nougat. This one was pretty good. I really liked all the fruit tastes. Even in childhood when other kids were gorging on Hershey bars and Reese’s Cups,  I was begging for Chunky bars. I just loved their nutty, raisiny goodness. This rum nougat was like a teeny tiny Chunky, only it had a nice hint of cherry as well. Chocolate and cherry? PERFECT!

With my spirits edging back up, I grabbed a milk Bordeaux. It was really sugary. I mean, the kind of sugary that makes my teeth hurt just a tad. But, I can’t say I was entirely put off, because much like Mrs. See herself, it was like a bite of history. It was an old-fashioned cream and it reminded me of being with my grandma. I’m not sure if it was the taste or the rush of nostalgia, but I was starting to warm to the old gal and her black and white box o’ treats.

Then, I grabbed what I think might be the Holy Grail of the collection: the apricot delight. From the moment my tongue touched this piece, I was hooked. The chopped apricots were perfectly tart. It blended with the buttercream perfectly and had the sweet and dainty crunch of toasted coconut. It was everything a good piece of candy should be. I wanted an entire box of these puppies.

With my spirits soaring, I grabbed for a California brittle (hard toffee with almonds). At first I was a bit taken back by the saltiness of it. I eat a lot of toffee (my husband makes it from scratch and it is AMAZING) and I generally like my toffee sweeter than her offering. I was thrown by a slightly odd taste I couldn’t quite put my finger on, but it settled well and by the end of the bite, I ended up liking it.

I went on to try another nut cluster, this time covered in dark chocolate and to my surprise, I liked it. It was not a bitter dark, which was nice. I also liked the peanut nougat just fine. It was a bit like a harder version of a Snickers, and really, who doesn’t like a Snickers? Crazy people, that’s who.

The divinity piece was extremely creamy. The coconut flecks really helped the texture and amazingly, the walnuts added just a hint of crunch with no icky walnuty after taste, which was nice. While not my favorite (there is no beating that apricot gem), it was quite good.

My last piece was a milk buttercream. The second I bit into it, I was hit with a wave of nostalgia. With one tiny bite, I had this flash of buying these gigantic chocolate Easter eggs during a trip to the grocery store. I must have been about 10 and some group had a fundraising table set up just outside the doors (it was California after all, no need to be inside to sell). My mom bought two, one for her and one for me. We couldn’t eat them in one sitting. Heck, we couldn’t even eat them in a couple of sittings. She had to slice them up and give them up and dole them out a little at a time. I’m not sure if the eggs were that big or that rich, or that expensive, but we savored each and every bite. Every Easter afterwards I hoped to find a similar table, but we never did. We had them one year and that was it. I spent a good portion of my adult life looking for those eggs, only to be disappointed at every turn.  This little round delight was very creamy and fudgy, just like the memory egg was. It was simple, sweet and just so darn good. Before I even finished the piece, I was emailing my mom to find out if the eggs of my childhood had been bestowed upon us by this wonderful woman. She can’t quite remember. She thought they were from another company, but also didn’t remember getting them at some stand outside the grocery store. I’m not sure which of our memories is more accurate. What I do know is that I will be visiting Mrs. Sees sight around Easter time (I checked and they make this piece in egg form) to order one for the holiday.

While the first few pieces prepared me for a scathing review which I knew would be hated by Mrs. Sees fans everywhere, the second half of the box restored my faith quite a bit. I still think they are a bit over-hyped, but they are pretty darn good. Unlike some of my other favorite companies, they aren’t trying to re-invent chocolate. They don’t want it to come kicking and screaming into the 21st century. Mrs. Sees is cool with old-fashioned and simple. That’s obvious from the packaging to the offerings. It’s also true of the fairly classic tastes.

Overall:

Taste: 7.5/10

Price: 7.5/10 ($16.50 for a pound)

Appearance: 6/10

*I do realize there is no old granny slaving away over copper kettles making these chocolates, but the chocolates did give me a sort of down home feeling, so I decided to stick to referring to an actual Mrs. See.

Chocolate Monday: Brown County Humane Society Chocolate Chocolate fundraiser

Ok, so this might be cheating just a little bit, but I went to a chocolate festival today and thought there was no way I could let it pass without some pictures and comments. Originally when my BFF brought up the idea of going, I thought it was going to be a bit like a typical “taste” event.

If you don’t know what I mean, there are tons of towns that do these sort of events. They get local business to line up by the truckload and offer a small sampling of their wares. The ones I have been to sell tickets and then different food vendors charge different numbers of tickets for their wares. For example, two meatballs from an Italian place might cost 1 ticket (or $1). I thought this event was going to be along the same lines: local chocolate places offering up bite-sized versions of their wares. Since there was a “gate” price of $10 and a promise of 80 different kinds of chocolate to choose from, I thought maybe we’d get so many tickets to spend however we wanted.

This was not what we were greeted with when the doors finally opened though. We were instead pointed to a pile of plates and napkins all stacked in cute spiral patterns next to several banquet length tables full of circular trays loaded with chocolate treats. Each treat had a label explaining the particular bite filling it’s circumference. To my surprise, there were no bakery or chocolate shop names anywhere on the cards.

As we made our way around the table, we started plucking yummy sounding flavor combinations off of the trays and piling them on our plates. I made grabs for several types of brownies (including German chocolate, mint, turtle and double fudge) as well as some fun sounding truffles (turtle cheesecake, chocolate peanut butter and something or other raspberry). I also snagged a cake sample, some toffee, and some sort of raspberry cookie looking thing. My plate was getting pretty full and I felt a momentary stab of guilt. I mean, the event had just started and there were three more hours to go, and here I was hogging everything I could. Then I looked at my BFF’s plate and it was stacked just as high. So was everyone else’s. I felt a tad better.

We decided to stake our claim to seats. We headed for the back tables where we’d be less likely to have to make small talk with strangers. Not that either of us are anti-social per say, but neither of us relish the idea of discussing someone’s grandchildren or ailments. We just wanted to snarf down some chocolate and enjoy a day out. On our way to the back, we spotted a chocolate fountain and after dropping our plates at an empty table, we headed back for second plates to get some angel food cake and strawberries to dip. We also stopped at the beverage station where we got some non-alcoholic champagne (read sparkling grape juice). My BFF was appalled to see they also had both milk and chocolate milk sitting out slowly warming to room temperature. We quickly walked away before she lost her super yummy lunch.

After my first bite of German chocolate brownie bite, I realized why there were no confectionary names on those little cards: they weren’t from local sweet shops at all. The chocolate tidbits were obviously made by volunteers, then cut into tiny pieces and placed in cute little wrappers. I was expecting to get a taste of local chocolates, and I did. I just wasn’t expecting them to come directly from the homes of those locals. 

Now, I’m not mocking some no doubt very sweet animal lovers, whose hearts are no doubt in the right places. I’m just saying I didn’t get what I expected (or wanted). Every item was obviously made with cheap chocolate and inexpensive ingredients. The mint brownie for example, which looked a bit like a Mint Meltaway from Fannie May, was a very bland brownie (no real cocoa flavor to speak of) with an overly artificial mint flavoring nestled between it and the thin layer of what tasted like Hershey’s fudge on top. The peanut butter truffle, which actually was a nice mix of chocolate and peanut butter (even though it had a decidedly stretchy, non-truffle texture), was doused in what I’m pretty sure was just Hershey’s Cocoa powder (or possibly an even lower rent knock-off version of the stuff) and the slightly tinny tasting powder took a lot of the joy away from the candy.

The fondue was not even remotely warm, so biting in to the angel food cake was very odd. The chocolate was not the creamy milk I expected, but rather a watery semi-sweet which I think might have had some oil added to thin it out even more. There was nothing wrong with the cake or the strawberry dipped in it, but once again, I expected milk chocolate and got a slightly bitter semi-sweet. And by the way, what the hell is with people using semi-sweet in chocolate fountains? I know it’s cheaper in a lot of cases, but there is a reason for that. When there is a chocolate fountain, people want warm, creamy milk chocolate to dip their goodies in. If you can’t give it to them, don’t even bother with the fountain!

I will say the ambience was great. It was very elegant looking (considering it was in a room with Kountry Krap and antlers hanging on the walls). The soft music was a nice touch. So was the “champagne”–and they did have a cash bar as well. The people at my table, who did not seem to have any sort of refined chocolate pallet, really liked the food. They had piles which put mine to shame and gobbled it without any real thought. My BFF and I were quietly analyzing each piece.

Even though the chocolate wasn’t exactly top shelf, it was still a fun event. And, it was for a good cause, so I have to be ok with the $10 I dropped to get in. I thought it was a great idea for a fundraiser and now that I know what I’m getting in to, I’d definitely do it again. It was nice, after all, to have a day out with my BFF (we not only had chocolate, but a nice lunch at a place I almost never get to go to and we got to do some shopping). It was a bit of a drive, but that just meant more time to talk. Heck, good company and a good cause helps negate the mediocre chocolate.

Overall:

Taste: 4/10

Appearance: 7/10 (most items looked quite good but didn’t deliver on taste)

Value: 7/10 (since it was all you can eat and plates were piled high, I have to give it credit for filling me up).

Chocolate Monday: Godiva Heart Duet Collection

Since Valentine’s Day is quickly approaching, I thought it might be best to feast on Godiva’s newest collection: Heart Duets. There are only four pieces in this collection, and I’ll be honest, only two really appealed to me, so they are the only two I bought. The collection has a dark chocolate/strawberry piece, a milk chocolate/black raspberry piece, a white chocolate/apple piece and a milk chocolate/banana piece.

Now, I can’t bring myself to try anything banana flavored. I don’t know why. I love real bananas, but am not a fan of anything else banana flavored (except bread, but that is made with 100% real bananas).  I’m also kind of burned out on apple flavored chocolates. It’s not that I don’t like the flavor combo, I usually do, but I just wasn’t feeling it this trip, so I skipped that one too.

I decided to focus on the two which looked most like potential Valentine’s treats: the dark chocolate strawberry and the milk chocolate black raspberry. Since I’m a best for last kind of gal, I decided to polish off the dark chocolate piece first, even though it was definitely the most eye-catching of the collection. I really like the bright red color of this chocolate. The flavor, on the other hand, is another story. Don’t misunderstand, it didn’t taste bad. It just didn’t taste very much like strawberry either. If I hadn’t seen the dark chocolate back, I wouldn’t have realized it was a dark piece. There was none of the usual bitterness to it. It had a creamy chocolate inside, but that was about all I tasted. There was a tiny wisp of fruit flavor which reminded me of a toned down version of their black raspberry truffle (the one that actually has the cute red heart on it).

I think the strawberry flavor gets lost in all of the chocolate. Godiva’s hearts are always kind of heavy on the chocolate. Now, I realize that sounds like a dumb thing to say since they are a chocolatier. However, what I mean is that there is so much area taken up by pure chocolate, that any flavoring often loses its punch. It gets hidden in the chocolate and to quote Iron Chef judges, the secret ingredient just isn’t “the star of the dish.” I think I described it accurately when I called it the dark chocolate/strawberry heart. Although, to be even more accurate, I might have to call it the DARK CHOCOLATE/strawberry heart. It had a good chocolate flavor, but the fruity hints were so subtle, they basically got lost.

As for the milk/black raspberry piece, I feel it was a bit more successful in showcasing the fruit. But only a bit more. The tiny seeds mixed in with the chocolate ganache fooled my brain into thinking there was more raspberry than there actually was. It’s a texture trick I feel too many chocolate companies rely on. Now, in fairness to Godiva, anytime I eat something that claims to be black raspberry, I always forget that it will not have the same tart punch the good ol’ red version would have. Black raspberries themselves have a far more subdued flavor and often, my brain just thinks raspberry and when I don’t get that tart, I get let down. I tried to remind myself that this wasn’t going to be the raspberry I adore, but my stupid monkey brain forgot for a brief second.

This piece actually left me with a bit of a fruity after taste, which was an improvement on its strawberry counterparts. I think since milk chocolate is also a tad blander of a flavor, it is a better vehicle for letting the raspberry come through. Too often, the only fruit combos which really shine with dark chocolate are very tart fruits, and good strawberries should be more sweet than tart. Had the strawberry been with a milk chocolate, I think the flavor would have come to life more. It would not, however, have looked as appealing. And while the dark chocolate may have given the pale lavender of the milk/black raspberry piece a bit more pizzazz, I don’t think dark chocolate and the often mealy black raspberry work well together.

If I was giving a Valentine’s gift and just wanting to score points for sticking to the theme and being cute, this collection would be swell. But, if I was hoping to impress with the flavor, this would not be my pick. I’d go for one of their assorted boxes of chocolate in a pretty heart-shaped box, or even a box full of raspberry cordials, which have very pretty shiny pink wrapping paper AND a glorious mix of dark chocolate with the most amazingly tart raspberry center I’ve ever had. A cute attempt to brighten the holiday, but not a score in my book.

Overall:

Taste: 5/10

Price: 4/10

Appearance: 7/10

Chocolate Monday: Healthy Choice Fudge Bar

I’m back on the diet express again. I won’t lie, I hate it. At this point in my life, the only memories I have that don’t seem to involve dieting in some way all seem to involve Strawberry Shortcake  and her Berry Patch friends. It definitely feels like I’ve been on some sort of diet longer than I’ve been off on–at least in the last 10 years that is.

I know that makes me sound like some sort of loser with no self-control, and I don’t have a stellar ability to refrain from eating things I love, but I’m also not entirely hopeless. It did take me about two years to lose 50 lbs and really keep them off. I managed to maintain that for a good two more years. Then, I got pregnant, which was nearly a year of putting weight on and then about a year and a half taking it back off. Five pounds from my pre-baby weight, I got pregnant again, which brings me to my current two years of gaining and now trying to lose it again. It’s some sort of vicious cycle I plan to break free of now that I’m out of the baby making business.

So, when my husband’s Call of Duty buddy brought over some Healthy Choice Fudge Bars to share, I saw a golden opportunity. Not only did they give offer up some potential chocolate goodness, but they did it for a measly 100 calories a pop. And they were decent sized too, not some teeny tiny three lick cicle!

I’m not sure how long they’d been in his freezer, but they had that classic bit of frost built up on them which initially threw me quite a bit. There is nothing quite so disappointing as expecting to get a lick of chocolate and having my tongue meet boring ol’ ice. So, I dug my teeth in and chomped a bit off.

The first bite didn’t leave me drooling for more, but it didn’t leave me gagging either. It took my a few licks to commit to it, since the flavor isn’t exactly one I’d call fudge. Which, is probably for the best since I had a nasty run-in with fudgesicles as a child and still avoid them. I probably shouldn’t hold a grudge, after all, it wasn’t the chocolate’s fault my best friend and I decided to split an entire box by ourselves. Thankfully we only made it through about three each before starting to feel a bit sick. But in the twenty-five years or so that have followed, I have pretty well Nancified all fudge bar-like products.

I wouldn’t really describe the taste as chocolatey. At least not in a traditional way. The bar was definitely creamy. Texture wise, it reminded me of a slightly thinner Frosty from Wendy’s. But, it didn’t have that creamy chocolate taste of a true Frosty, but rather a more generally creamy taste, that I know isn’t associated with actual real cream (not for 100 calories).

When I got about half way done with the bar, I had an easier time making a flavor connection: Jell-O pudding pops. But not the amazing ones of my past (which were actually manufactured by Jell-O), but the ones I found at a Meijer about five years back which claimed to be Jell-O pudding pops, but seemed like cheap, icier imitations. This was not the rich, decadent treat I once forced myself to eat an entire bowl of Spaghettio’s for (I DETEST those slimy fake tomatoey tasting rings of doom). This was more akin to that pale shadow which my  taste buds met with excitement, but quickly balked at when I found the box nearly two decades later. I mean, I could still eat the second batch of pops, but I didn’t really want to.

When I’d finished with the HC Fudge Bar, I had a slight after taste I couldn’t quite place in my mouth. At first I wanted to say chalky, but it wasn’t. And it wasn’t entirely unpleasant. It just sort of tasted artificial, which is no doubt what it was, some sort of aspartame or Nutra Sweet deal.

Now, I know it sounds like I hated these bars, but in truth, they weren’t so bad. The creaminess, while not exactly chocolate, was perfectly fine. Not my first choice for an ice cream treat, but when I’m limiting myself to under 1500 calories and I’ve already spent the bulk on my three squares a day, I found these bars perfectly acceptable. I know it’s not a rousing endorsement, but it’s diet chocolate. Try as I might, I can’t get super jazzed about the concept. They are a nice alternative for those trying to cut (or even just watch) the extra calories. Heck, I might even go to the store and actually buy a box, as long as I could put blinders on and not see the Ben and Jerry’s right next to them.

Overall:

Taste: 4.5/10 (for a diet food, I’d say 6/10)

Price: well, mine were free, so I’m not sure this counts, but based on retail 5/10

Appearance: 5/10 (I did like that they looked like Jell-O pops, I could mentally trick myself a bit)

*Nancified is a term used among my circle of friends to describe a basically irrational hatred of a food because of our own stupid over-indulgence in it. It was coined by my friend Che (I think) because our dear pal who the condition is named after has a nasty habit of obsessively eating a food, making her self outrageously sick off of it and never eating it again. She’s also afraid of milk, but that is another story entirely.

Chocolate Monday: Holy Cow Cupcakes

I’ll admit it: I’m kind of a  Groupon junkie. If for any reason you don’t know what Groupon is, all I can say, is that it is amazing. It’s an online coupon service available in cities from Abilene, TX to Lancaster, PA to Roanoke, VA. Heck, they are even available in Hawaii and in parts of Canada. Basically, it works because people buy in bulk. The featured business decides what their minimum amount they want to sell is (they can also put a cap on the deal). Once that many people sign up for it, the deal “tips” and then consumers get wicked discounts on all sorts of goodies. I’ve bought Groupons for restaurants, massages, house cleaning, rock climbing and, of course, chocolate.

In fact, it is thanks to Groupon that I found out about Holy Cow Cupcakes. I’d certainly never heard of them. But, sure enough, they came up as my deal of the day, and when I saw it was a dozen gourmet cupcakes for $12, well, I couldn’t say no. When I bought the groupon, I was on a real cupcake kick. Lately, my enthusiasm has died down a bit (in part to the diet I keep starting and stopping to lose this baby weight that just won’t leave). But, as Groupons have a shelf life and my window to redeem the certificate I’d already paid for was dwindling, I figured I’d better hurry up and cash in.

When my BFF and I set off in search of the store, I figured it’d be easy to find. Although I couldn’t remember ever seeing the store, I knew the general area. However, after our first pass, we were stumped. So, we turned around and headed back. We darn near missed it the second time too, but luckily my darling BFF just happened to the left and boom, there it was: sharing space with the gas station. Well, not technically sharing space as it is its own little store, but the fact it was attached to the station didn’t leave us with high hopes.

When we squeezed in to the little store front, my hopes were again dashed a bit. There were only 7 flavors available, and one was a maple bacon. I had absolutely no desire for that one. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mind when my pancake syrup spills over just a tad and hits my bacon on the rare mornings I actually go so far as to cook (or more likely order) such a spread for breakfast, but I’m not on board with this whole bacon for dessert trend. I’ve tried two different bacon/chocolate combos and have not cared for either. Bacon was meant to barely mingle with syrup on my breakfast plate, but it was never meant to be mixed with massive amounts of sugar and served as a dessert.

Since my Groupon was for a dozen, I figured I’d better get what I could. I got two of each flavor available, except for mocha, since there was only one of those available. I’m not a coffee person to begin with, but I thought my husband might like it. The problem was that even though there were 5 other flavors available, they were all very basic and, really not much of a variety.I ended up with two chocolate with chocolate frostings, two vanilla with chocolate frostings, two vanillas with vanilla frostings, two maple, three red velvet and that one mocha.

That night my husband tried the mocha and I tried a chocolate with chocolate frosting. It wasn’t looking good when he couldn’t finish his cupcake. He’s not really a chocolate connoisseur, but he does love coffee. After about half of it though, he said it was way too strong for him. As soon as he uttered the words, I was glad I hadn’t asked for a bite. I’m all for taking one for the team (read blogging world), even when I know there is a good chance I won’t like it, but I’d always rather be saved from a bite I’m going to really dislike. If Mr. Coffee didn’t like it, I knew there was no way I would.

Needless to say, I was even more hesitant to taste mine.

I have to admit I was pleasantly surprised when I bit in to a moist, rich, chocolatey cake. Although it didn’t really look like much, the flavor of the cake was very pure. It was simple and downright chocolatey. The bakers didn’t try to much it up. They made a good cake and let it speak for itself. I tried a small taste of the frosting next. At first I thought it was going to be an overly sugary frosting. You know the type: the grainy frosting that grocery store bakeries are famous for using. That’s what it looked like. I was happy when I bit in to it and instead of nearly crystalizing on my tongue, it melted more like fudge. And that’s how I’d describe it: a slightly coarse fudgey taste. It still had a tiny bit of that sugary grain, but once again, a simple, fudge frosting taste. I was impressed and surprised by how much I liked it.

The next night my husband and I split a red velvet cake. I had planned on eating it all myself, but when I’d failed to bring one downstairs for him as well, I could see my options were either share or go back up and get him one. I was already snuggled under the blanket, so there was no way I was going back up, so I handed over a fork full.

He liked this one much better than the mocha. I was not as impressed. I felt lit had many of the same problems so many red velvets do: too much hype, not enough flavor. There was definitely a cocoa taste to the cake, but it was almost too subtle. The frosting was where I felt a bit let down by this cake. It definitely was a fairly creamy cream cheese frosting, but it was a tad too sweet. It left an odd aftertaste in my mouth that I didn’t care for. I was glad I ended up sharing it because I don’t think I could eat an entire one by myself. My husband loved it, but I was done after half.

The last one I tried wasn’t chocolatey at all. It was the maple cake. It was pretty good, but it was also two days old. It definitely tasted like maple, but not an artificial syrupy taste. The frosting was more like that of the chocolate cake (only obviously maple), which was good. The cake wasn’t as moist, but I don’t think that was the bakery’s fault. I think it was leaving it in my fridge until Monday. I definitely liked it; I just didn’t love it.

Overall, they were decent. Definitely not Gigi’s or The Flying Cupcake, but not bad. Since I have another Groupon for them, I’ll no doubt go back in right before it runs out to snag my other dozen. I’ll even use two or three of them as rewards for my students. I definitely won’t be drooling over them, saving back my diet calories for a much needed treat, but I could split one or two with my husband again.

Taste: 7/10

Value: 7/10 (with the Groupon they were only $1 a piece, but they usually sell for about $2 a piece and they are kind of small).

Appearance: 5/10 (nothing to write home about. Mine look just like them when I make them at home.)

Chocolate Monday: Vosges Holiday Truffle collection

One of my true joys in life is a shopping trip with my best friend. While I’m perfectly content to spend our time tooling around one of the local malls or on nicer days heading downtown to hit some of the trendier one of a kind shops, my absolute favorite place to go with her is Armitage Street in Chicago. This is due in part to the absolutely fun shops and often great finds there. It is due in part to an amazing little pasta place we stumbled on one year (Pasta Pallazo–we go every single trip). And it is due in part to the 10-12 hours of pure bonding time we have. It never ceases to amaze me that even after something like 16 years of friendship (wow, it really has been that long), we can still spend that much time with each other and never run out of things to say. In fact, on this recent trip my voice actually gave out from talking so much (might have also been the cold I was in the grip of).

One major draw of Armitage used to be the dueling chocolate shops on the opposite ends of our favorite street. I’ll be honest, I looked forward to Ethel M’s far more than Vosges, but I learned to appreciate each for its unique contribution to our visit. I loved coming home absolutely laden with chocolate goodies.

Sadly, Ethel M’s closed up shop about two years ago. Each time we visit, we glance at the fading brown and pink awning, hoping our shop has miraculously returned. Each time, we are devastated all over again. I’d be nice if they could rent the shop to anything else so we wouldn’t have that bitter reminder of what we could have had. I’d actually be happy if they just took the awning down so it wouldn’t mock me. But alas, Chicago is a cruel mistress and likes to taunt me with precious sugary memories.

Now, we tend to save Vosges as our last stop. We stuff ourselves until we are nearly sick on fantastic pasta and even though we really want to try one of their delicious sounding desserts, we abstain, knowing that chocolate bliss is not that far away.

Not only does Vosges have some tasty combinations I love, but their shop is filled with little sample bowls. I’ve never been in there when there are less than three items being sampled. Plus, they’ll let you try just about anything boxed (except the truffles).  This last trip came just after the holidays, so they had some great sales and half a dozen samples, including two candy bars I was rather excited to try.

My goal wasn’t just the bars though (I did end up taking advantage of the buy 5, get one free deal). I was hoping to get my mitts on a small box of the holiday collection. I knew that since it was 3 days post-Christmas they might already be gone. And I was almost right. They were completely out of the “reasonably” priced 8 piece box I wanted to sample. They did have the 32 piece box left though. There was no way I was willing to dump that much change on a variety of four truffles I might not like.

Luckily they had something even better than my 8 piece box: a four piecer with one of each new truffle in it. I was stoked! This way I could try them all. If I found any new loves, I’d know what to stock up on next year. If not, I only had four chocolates to suffer through. I had the cashier add one to my bag and we were off.

We’d sampled so much in the store that I couldn’t bring myself to try one that same day. It was probably for the best as I was driving and had nothing to take notes on (yes, I do take copious notes over my chocolate consumption–I sometimes fear that if the wrong person finds them they will think I have a serious problem…wait, maybe I do).

Anyway, I started this collection with the Peppermint Candy Cane piece. Now, my best friend and I argue this all the time, but I have always been a save the best for last kind of gal (she gives in to her hedonistic pleasure and indulges in her favorite right away. I’m ok with delayed gratification). I like peppermint and chocolate just fine. Sometimes I love it (like in really squishy Junior Mints). However, this was a dark chocolate piece and if there is one thing I’ve learned about Vosges: their dark chocolate is very dark, and often rather bitter. I often do not enjoy it nearly as much as I want to.

This piece was no exception. The top was very pretty. I really loved the almost iridescent candy cane pieces on the top. Or at least I think that’s what they were. I’ve never seen a magenta candy cane before. The center was very creamy and the usual harshness of the dark chocolate was toned down a bit by the mint. However, the mint seemed less candy cane and more Schnapps to me (and I had a brief but icky flashback to a drunken party sophomore year of college). It also had an overly sweet after taste that to me seemed like the maker trying to balance the bite of the dark chocolate. It was ok, but not a mint I want to try again.

I tried the second dark piece next. Being a gourmet company (and a bit pretentious), Vosges really loves their dark pieces. I think over half of their pieces are dark. I know that many people claim you can’t really appreciate chocolate unless you like the dark stuff, but after all these years and hundreds of pieces of chocolate, I still struggle. To me the Holiday Plum Pudding had a very bitter dark chocolate taste. I thought the edible silver leaf on top was not only festive but also pretty. The truffle filling though had a taste that was almost alcoholic in nature. I think it might have been the marzipan paste. I’ve had marzipan before and I’m not a huge fan. What was most disappointing to me though, was the complete lack of plum sweetness. I think a bit more plum could have really softened the piece up. On the other hand, I’ve never had actual plum pudding, so I’m not sure how much plummy goodness one usually gets from it.

I knew things would look up when I lifted the white chocolate piece out of the box. The Eggnog and Jamaican Rum was appealing to me from the first sniff. As usual, the white chocolate was quite creamy. The eggnog filling added an even deeper level of creaminess to the candy. It reminded me of actually drinking eggnog, only without that overly sweet taste most store-bought gallons have. There was just the mildest hint of rum, which was fine by me as I am not a huge fan of the way many alcohols make truffles taste (far more like rubbing alcohol than the flavor they are going for). There was no alcohol aftertaste to this one at all. There was, however, a slightly odd textural effect. It reminded me just a tad of actual eggs. What I mean is that I got the slightest reminder of the scrambled eggs I’d had for breakfast as I was eating the candy. And not the taste either…just the texture. It was odd, but still pretty good.

My best for last pieces was the Marscapone and Ceylon Cinnamon Snap. I was right on the money; it was my favorite treat. The marscapone made the inside extra creamy. The cinnamon was not overpowering, although to be honest, I didn’t taste anything special about it and I have used Ceylon cinnamon at home many times. The taste of the truffle actually did remind me a bit of a cookie.

I’m glad I tried the new collection, although I wouldn’t say I found gems this year. I found tastes I liked, but nothing to rave about. I doubt I’d spend my money on it again, even if it was the small size. Afterall, those four truffles were a whopping $12 (although the box was very pretty).

Overall:

Taste: 6/10

Appearance: 8.5/10

Value: 5/10