I know I keep saying it. I feel like a broken record. Although I report on all things chocolate on this website, even the non-chocolate white chocolate, my heart-both physically and metaphorically-lie with dark chocolate. As I said before, I eat milk chocolate and I dabble in dessert. I even have found quite a few white chocolate bars that I really enjoy. My love and my passion lie with the dark chocolate bar. Today I bought a 70% cocoa content bar and after taking a bite, I had to check the label to make sure I purchased the right bar. It was. I have become completely spoiled lately with the ranks of chocolate bars in the very high cocoa content category 80-100%. This is what I eat every single day of my life. Well, almost. I do run out on occasion and go without for that day. I’m not kidding though. Everyday. One third of a dark chocolate bar with 70% or more cocoa content everyday.

I often wonder if the reason is my giving up drinking over a decade ago. I loved wine. I worked at a restaurant as a wine steward for a summer. I learned so much. I developed a strange reaction to alcohol, and for fear for my life, stopped drinking alcohol altogether. It was about that time I really started enjoying dark chocolate which was perfect, because that’s about when the chocolate revolution began. Good quality dark chocolate is similar to wine in every aspect. The flavor, color and taste depend on where it’s grown, what is grown by it and if it’s a single blend or multi-blend. The list goes on. You even experience tasting chocolate the way you do with wine. There’s no doubt about it, there are those that understand and appreciate good chocolate just like good wine. A sommelier is someone trained to instruct, recommend and taste wine. A oenologist is someone who has a degree in wine making. An oenophile is someone who collects wine. We need to come up with a name for someone in the chocolate field that does this. I do this. It’s not a chocolatier. The chocolatier makes the yummy chocolate. I collect chocolate.  I teach chocolate tasting classes.  I need a title…We need to figure this out.

Again, I digress. High cocoa content in chocolate bars is not only the most mind blowing experience that you eyes, ears, nose, mouth and tongue can experience, it’s also good for you. I have created a list of over 100 chocolatiers and bean to bar makers that you can buy your 70% or higher cocoa content chocolate bars from whenever you desire. They are listed on the right side column. If I left anyone out, please let me know. I know I have excluded some because you cannot buy directly from them. These bars are artisan works. The ingredients for these bars are simply cocoa and sugar with occasionally additions of lecithin and vanilla. The higher the cocoa content, the less sugar. Some of these brilliant makers have added all kinds of fancy additions such as nuts, fruits, herbs, spices and oils. It’s all good because they are keeping it clean and natural. So whether you want something a little bit outrageous or you want a tried and true. You have plenty of the best of the best in the world of chocolate as your “go to”. Have fun, go slowly, learn and enjoy. To learn how to conduct your own tasting at home, just click on the “Learn” tab and then click on “Tasting”. If you have any questions, I’ve love to help!

I had lots of beautiful photos to share with you today, but I’ve given up.  They don’t want to transfer to WordPress for some reason and I keep coming up blank.  Perhaps another day…

Askinosie Soconusco White Chocolate Bar with Pistachios

White chocolate constantly gets a bad name in the world of chocolate and there are a variety of reasons for this. Let us, however, take a look at white chocolate for what it is, not chocolate at all. White chocolate is a confection. A candy if you will. In this way, we may be able to appreciate the really good white chocolate in the world and it may become more acceptable to our palates.

Marcolini White Chocolate Bar

Let us first start with how white chocolate is made. The first processes are the same for all chocolate. The dried cocoa beans arrive to the chocolate manufacturer and they are brushed, cleaned and roasted. The roasting enhances the cocoa beans’ aroma and also loosens their husks for removal. The next process is to crush the cocoa beans to remove their husks. This crushing exposes the inside of the cocoa beans which is called the nib. The nibs are where the cocoa butter comes from. The beans are then ground together to form a paste. The paste is then put into a press which extracts most of the cocoa butter. This product is called chocolate liquor (no alcohol content) and can be used to make cocoa powder. It may also be combined with cocoa butter and other ingredients to produce other forms of chocolate. Then to make the white chocolate, cocoa butter is combined with sugar, milk solids, and sometimes vanilla and/or lecithin.

Rococo Gigabite Fruitti de Bosco White Chocolate Bar

Historically, white chocolate was first introduced after World War I in Switzerland. It was used more in confections and molded chocolates than in bars, which is changing. In Europe, white chocolate is often called “Blancor” or “Ivoire”. Prior to the year 2004 in the United States, there were no standards for white chocolate. It was actually illegal to call white chocolate chocolate. It had to be labeled “white coating” or “white confection”. In 2004, the Food and Drug Administration calls for the definition of white chocolate as being, at least 20% cocoa butter, 14% milk solids, and 3.5% milk fat. As I said, white chocolate is not really chocolate at all. As you can see, there are no cocoa solids in white chocolate. True white chocolate should be ivory in color from the color of the cocoa butter, but not white. Real white chocolate doesn’t have any vegetable fat. The white chocolate that you may remember tasting as a child had an awful oily feel with an odd after taste which was due to the addition of vegetable fats.

Venchi White Chocolate Bar

White chocolate is different than milk and dark chocolates in that white chocolate will not melt at room temperature. It does, however, melt in your mouth at body temperature just like its chocolate relatives. White chocolate has only trace amounts of theobromine and caffeine, and no health benefits. It will, however, give you a rush because of the sugar content and when done properly, tastes magnificent! White chocolate should be enjoyed for what it is…a lovely, creamy confection.

Recently, more companies have been increasing the amount of cocoa butter in their white chocolate. This addition of cocoa butter makes it more pleasing to the eye as well as increasing its taste, texture and creaminess. The days of waxy, thick white chocolate are almost behind us. The next time you find yourself at a local chocolatier’s shop, give the white chocolate bar a try. I promise that you will be delighted with their work.

Now for some white chocolate bars for you to try to re-introduce yourself to white chocolate.  Some of my favorites are Amedei Cioccolato al Latte Bianco (White Chocolate Bar), Amedei Cioccolato al Latte Bianco con Pistacchi (White With Pistachios Chocolate Bar), Askinosie White Chocolate Bar, Café Tasse Blanc White Chocolate Bar, Chocovic Jaina White Chocolate Bar, Divine White Chocolate Bar, Divine White Chocolate Bar with Strawberries, El Rey Icoa Chocolate Bar, Green & Black’s White Chocolate Bar, Pierre Marcolini Blanc White Chocolate Bar, Rococo Cardamom Organic White Chocolate Bar, Rococo Gigabite Frutti de Bosco White Chocolate Bar, Slitti Bianco  White Chocolate Bar, Venchi Bianco White Chocolate Bar.

A heroic way to honor the earth?  Row across the Atlantic Ocean.  Well, I heard back from Katie Spotz regarding what chocolate she took with her on her historic row across the Atlantic.  Wasn’t that fast?  What a responsible woman!  She took 90 Snickers bars, 80 Bumble bars and 50 Twix, Butterfinger and Hershey bars totaling over 300 bars.  She also took 12 packs of chocolate covered ginger which is a great favorite of mine.  So Katie took chocolate candy with her, nothing wrong with that.  She burned all of those calories up and then some.  It would have been nice if a chocolatier could have supplied her with some high quality chocolate perhaps with some nuts for extra protein, although we all know that dark chocolate is no slouch in the protein department!

Theo Chocolate Founder Joe Winney & VP Debra Music

And in honor of Earth Day, we will be taking a look at Theo Chocolate based out of Seattle, Washington.  Theo Chocolate is the only organic, fair-trade, bean-to-bar chocolate factory in the United States.  I love their mantra…”Theo Chocolate because chocolate grows on trees.” Joseph Whinney started Theo Chocolate in 2006.  All of Theo’s ingredients are screened to be meet their high standards of both environmental and social responsibility.  Their practices include:

Using only pure ingredients that are grown sustainably. We source our ingredients locally whenever possible.

Partnering with our growers by ensuring they earn a living wage and have access to education for their families.

Honoring and respecting our employees and suppliers. This is possible due to the unique fact that we control every step of our own manufacturing process.

Using green energy sources to power our factory.

Using sustainable packaging and printing methods.

Educating about social and environmental accountability 7 days a week through public tours of our artisan factory.

Jane Goodall

Some of my favorite items from Theo Chocolate, and there are a lot so I pared it down, are the Theo & Jane Goodall Bar (70%) $5. Proceeds from the sale of these chocolate bars will benefit cocoa farmers, promote conservation in the tropical rainforest and directly contribute to the Jane Goodall Institute’s efforts to save chimpanzees, develop community centered conservation efforts and direct youth education programs around the world.

Theo Chocolate Single Origin Chocolate Bars

I also adore the Single Origin Ghana 84% Dark Chocolate Bar $5, the Big Daddy Marshmallow Box $9.60 (and well worth it-trust me) and the Bread and Chocolate is my hands down

Theo Chocolate Bread and Chocolate Bar

favorite.  The Bread and Chocolate$3.25 chocolate bar is 70% dark chocolate, real buttered bread crumbs and a tad of salt.  You won’t believe how good it is unless you try it yourself – so try it!

Theo Chocolate Big Daddy Marshmallow

All of their products are marked for special dietary needs (see they care about you too!) such as dairy free, gluten free, soy free and vegan.  You can shop at their Seattle store 7 days a week, shop online, or search their website to find which retailers carry them locally.  I buy mine at Whole Foods.  You can even take a tour of the factory for a mere $6. Another fun thing to do…Theo Chocolate will give your group a private tourwhich is a great for a children’s field trip or just an excuse to buy more chocolate after the tour!

And now for your enjoyment…a video of Theo Chocolate courtesy of Chocolate television.

Katie Spotz Row For Water Took 300 Chocolate Bars with Her

Over the past week, Katie Spotz, age 22, of Ohio became the first person to row across the Atlantic Ocean alone on her Row for Water Tour.  What was one of the necessities that kept her going?  Why her 300 chocolate bars of course!  No news on what brand or cocoa content she favors.  Perhaps she took a nice selection with her?  Emailed her to find out what she has to say.  Will keep you posted.  I’m pretty excited to find out.  That had to be one heck of a journey and experience!

Dark Chocolate Bars

Guess what food made the Top Ten Foods for Stress Relief list on the Food Network?  Our good friend chocolate, of course!  Were you really unsure about that?  The kind words they had to say about our mutual friend, “Chocolate lovers know that just a taste can cure all that ails them and there’s science to back it up. Research indicates that dark chocolate may lower levels of stress hormones. Chocolate also contains sugar (a carbohydrate), so it releases mood-improving serotonin. It’s alright to indulge; just keep the portions in check — shoot for one-ounce servings.”  We already knew that though, didn’t we?  Research is still out.  The original serving suggestion was 2 ounces of 70% or more cocoa content per day.  The latest study shows much less than even a half an ounce will do the trick.  Only time will tell.  I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to risk it.  I’m going to stay with the 2 ounces of dark chocolate daily and eat plenty of fruits and veggies too just to be safe.

The next necessity, well, isn’t really a necessity.  I just think you’ll adore the recipe!  The recipe comes from Michael Recchiuti of Recchiuti Confections.  You can find more recipes like this one is his chocolate book, Chocolate Obsession: Confections and Treats to Create and Savor. The recipe is for Truffle Thumprint Cookies.  I have made them and they are quite outstanding.  Four stars!

Words to the wise from Mr. Recchiuti before starting:  These rich cookies are a chocolate-lover’s dream come true. Make sure to start prepping your cookie dough well in advance as it will need to rest for at least 3 hours. (For a less chocolate-y version you can substitute your favorite shortbread recipe for the chocolate shortbread recipe below.) The cookies can be made up to 4 or 5 days in advance, and stored in an airtight container.

Michael Recchiuti Truffle Thumbprint Cookies

Truffle Thumbprint Cookies

~60 cookies

Ingredients:

1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

⅓ cup plus 1 tablespoon unsweetened natural cocoa powder

⅛ teaspoon kosher salt

8 tablespoons unsalted butter with 82% butterfat, at room temperature

½ cup granulated cane sugar

¼ teaspoon pure vanilla extract, preferably Madagascar Bourbon

60 Recchiuti Signature Truffles (one 9 oz tube contains about 35 truffles)

1 jar Extra-Bitter Chocolate Sauce, about ⅛ teaspoon per truffle (7½ teaspoons)

MAKE THE DOUGH

• Sift the flour, cocoa powder, and salt together into a bowl. Set aside.

• Put the butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on medium speed just until combined. Add the vanilla extract.

• Switch the mixer to low speed and add the dry ingredients in 3 additions, pulsing the mixer to incorporate each addition before adding the next one. The dough will look dry.

• Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Knead a few times just until it comes together. Flatten into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate until firm, at least 3 hours or up to 2 days.

BAKE THE COOKIES

• Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line the bottoms of two 12-by-18-inch sheet pans with parchment paper.

• Remove the dough from the refrigerator and unwrap it. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the dough ⅛-inch thick. Using a 1½-inch round cookie cutter, cut out as many rounds as possible. Re-roll the scraps only once, using less flour on the work surface to prevent toughness, and cut again. You should have 60 rounds in all. Place the rounds on the prepared pans, spacing them ½ inch apart.

• Bake on the middle shelves of the oven, rotating the pans 180 degrees halfway through the baking time, until the tops are lightly cracked and hold a slight indentation when pressed with a fingertip, about 10 minutes. While cookies are still warm, press your fingertip into the center of each cookie to make an indentation the size of a quarter. Let cool completely on the pans on wire racks. (If the cookies are too warm, the truffles will melt and ooze out of the indentation).

• When cookies are cool, spread just enough Extra-Bitter Chocolate Sauce on the bottom of each Signature Truffle to make them stick and press into the indentation on each cookie.

• Store in an airtight container at room temperature.

Willy Wonka Chocolate Waterfall

I couldn’t resist.  I was in Walgreen’s the other day and I saw Willy Wonka chocolate bars – something I had never tried before – with the enticement of a Golden Ticket contest.  Golden Ticket?  Could I meet Mr. Wonka?  Mr. Gene Wilder or Mr. Johnny Depp. It makes no difference to me.  Both fabulous actors.  Unfortunately, I did not win.

What bar did I decide to try?  The Willy Wonka Waterfall Chocolate bar.  I have to say it was decadent.  The bar is a combination of white and milk chocolate that are lightly swirled together.  The chocolate was smooth and melted in my mouth.  And yes, I would definitely buy one again.  Willy Wonka is made in Switzerland and well, the Swiss know their milk chocolate.  I don’t think I need to say more.  Try one.  Maybe you’ll get the Golden Ticket and win a trip around the world!

Lindt Touch of Sea Salt Dark Chocolate Bar

Even I get fooled…I was delighted that Walgreen’s started carrying some Lindt chocolate bars.  Thought I’d try a dark sea salt one.  Sounds good, right?  I don’t know what you think, but I feel that chocolate and salt go hand in hand.  It did not let me down, however Lindt did.  As I ate through the chocolate bar, 3.5 oz in 10 minutes, I realized something was wrong.  Wait.  there was no snap – signifies low cocoa content.  I wondered.  Even though I eat chocolate everyday, I couldn’t eat that much dark chocolate without feeling sick.  I check the label…but it’s only 47% cocoa.  Dark chocolate by no means.  The second ingredient is cocoa butter, the third is milk.  They are cutting the dark chocolate with cocoa butter to make it go farther to keep costs down on their end.  Still, the Fleur de Sel is a nice touch giving notes of caramel to tease your tastebuds.  I’m just disappointed that Lindt has gone to “marketing for the public” in the form of false advertising.  They do make both fine dark chocolate bars and candy – this is candy.  Now there’s no distinction.  You even have to read the labels with them.   If I wanted candy, I would have bought the pistachio bar instead.

Fine and Raw Chocolate Bon Bon

I’m finding all kinds of new things! It’s so exciting. After looking through my new Specialty Foods magazine, I found some new chocolate called “Fine and Raw Chocolate Bars”. Well, the packaging so was cute (although be careful, bad chocolate comes in cute boxes too!) I had to check them out.

Fine and Raw Chocolate Chunky Bon Bon

Their mission is to save the world through silliness and chocolate so I knew that I found something good. Quality would be paramount with them. They use low heat to keep the chocolate in a raw state which they say keeps the flavor more intense. They use Blue Agave Nectar – which I use about 75% of the time instead of sugar, Coconut Oil, Himalayan Sea Salt and Raw Cacao from Ecuador. All of their ingredients are organic or wild-crafted.

Have to find out what wild-crafted means.They have bon bons and bars. I’m going to place an order, ask them about the wild-crafted claim and I’ll let you know what I find out. The packaging looks to simple and earthy, yet elegant at the same time.

Fine and Raw Chocolate

I’m definitely going to order the Lucuma & Vanilla bar. The description says “textured style bar with notes of bread pudding, toffee apple and burnt caramel (2oz)” at $8.50. I didn’t know what Lucuma was either, and I can myself a foodie! It turns out it’s a sub-tropical fruit primarily from Peru. Sounds exotic and fascinating! Will keep you posted… Fine and Raw Chocolate

Okay.  I can’t help myself.  I’m finding so many cute things this year.  Here’s two more, these are made by Charles Chocolates.

Charles Chocolates Bunny Fleur de Sel Caramels in Edible Box

The Bittersweet Chocolate Fleur de Sel Bunnies come in an EDIBLE box!  How sweet is that?  Good for the environment too!  18 pieces at $60.  There is also a promotion on this item and on their 20 piece non-edible box at $34, just enter code EASTER at checkout or mention it if you go into the shop.

The second item I absolutely adore is their Honey Bunnies.  Cute name.  Cute looking.  I’m sure they taste as good as they look.  You get 20 bunnies filled with black sage honey in a bittersweet chocolate ganache.  Yum.  $34.  Anyone want to buy me a treat?  I am a willing recipient!

Charles Chocolates Honey Bunnies

While you’re on their site, I strongly recommending investing in a few of their chocolate bars.  If you can afford it, get the 5 bar assortment.  If you just want to try one, I’ve tried all of them, and I’d go for the Mocha Java or the Ginger Bar.  Very crisp, clear tasting bars.  You won’t be disappointed.  Charles Chocolates

As a leader of the environmental movement for over 40 years and a United Nations Messenger of Peace, Jane Goodall has created her own “Good For All” seal to reflect her personal commitment to supporting high quality, ethically produced products from the developing world. Our two newest Theo chocolate bars carry Jane’s seal, essentially her seal of approval, and truly are “Good for All.”

The partnership between Theo and Jane Goodall is inspired by “Cocoa Practices,” a ground breaking Theo Chocolate initiative that brings together small scale cocoa farmers, larger producers and non-governmental organizations from the world’s cocoa producing regions. Cocoa Practices is designed to give farmers the tools they need to grow high-quality cocoa beans while conserving indigenous wildlife and other natural resources in the tropical rainforest eco-systems that provide both their livelihoods and their homes.

Proceeds from the sale of these chocolate bars will benefit cocoa farmers, promote conservation in the tropical rainforest and directly contribute to the Jane Goodall Institute’s efforts to save chimpanzees, develop community centered conservation efforts and direct youth education programs around the world.

Once you have tasted our wonderful chocolate you will experience why it is “Good For All!” Be a part of our movement to save our planet and its capacity to nurture and sustain all living things. We can’t do it without you!

Theo Chocolate – Ivory Coast 75% The bar is simply awesome upon unwrapping, a dark, smooth slab with a high, lustrous polish on it, like a tablet of marble or perhaps the monolith from 2001. It’s truly intimidating – in a good way. Yet the aroma is as retreating as the appearance was bold: very mild, mostly nutty, with a hint of something woody along with pine needles, ending with a disconcerting cardboardy aroma. Hmmm – is this chocolate going to be washed out?

Fortunately, the flavour alleviates fears. Initially there’s a sweet, currant fruitiness a lot like Ribena, and then a powerful chocolatey flavour settles in, bringing with it fleeting coffee hints. Finish, perhaps inevitably, features a rather bitter spike, along with woody and nutty elements that echo the aroma, but remarkably those nutty elements in particular linger for ages, even after the chocolate is long eaten. It’s rare for an Ivory coast to exhibit such a full flavour development.

Texture here is also superb, as the amazing temper hinted at: super-smooth and creamy, with a striking fluidity that satisfies without becoming pasty or overly thin. One can’t deny that here Theo has probably revealed more of the potential of the Ivory Coast bean than any other manufacturer, and it’s gratifying to find it in a guilt-free product. Ironically, though, on pure objective grounds it isn’t, strictly speaking, the best Ivory Coast – that honour belonging to Bonnat, who with a darker roast flattens out the bitterness by sacrificing some flavour characteristics. Still, Bonnat’s comes without any sourcing guarantees and cannot be recommended, while Theo’s version can be recommended without reservation. Courtesy of Seventy Percent) This chocolate bar is available at http://chocolatecocoapod.com