Chocolate for Fun

Many, Many Malted Milk Eggs

2011-02-01T18:50:00.000-08:00

You know I had to see if Trader Joe's had any Easter Candy and sure enough:

They even give us some history on the carton:

Yep - definitely egg shaped. Coated in chocolate with no outer candy coating or coloring. These are delicious and the chocolate is very, very good.

You KNOW Whoppers is going to do something! They have both regular size

and mini Robin Eggs:

Nice bright colors as advertised:

The autopsy of the Mighty Malts eggs from Necco reveals something very horrifying:

NO CHOCOLATE!!! AAAIIIEEE!!! They have two types of malted eggs - one is Ice Cream Shoppe with the flavors strawberry, orange, chocolate, and cookie dough - this refers to the malted milk part - the coating doesn't seem to have much flavor. These remind me of cereal flavors - the strawberry tastes just like the Crunchberries in Captain Crunch cereal. The orange is really strong and sugary - heck these are all strong and sugary and fake tasting - kids would probably LOVE them! Me - not so much.

These are just regular old malt balls:

coated in a weird candy coating. Remember - no chocolate. Boo!!! I say. Boo!!!

Necco also makes the PAAS eggs. Interesting - the others are under the Mighty Malts brand and the Necco logo is nowhere to be seen - until you flip the bag over and look at the fine print.

These have a thin layer of chocolate:

and are the best of the three Necco offerings. I can't decide if I like them better than the Whoppers or not - they are larger and don't have the hard candy shell. Both are pretty good.

These are offered by Williams-Sonoma and Jelly Belly (I told you we'd get to those that were in the Deluxe Easter Mix!):

I think they are both made by Jelly Belly although the Williams-Sonoma bag says theirs are made exclusively for them. They taste the same, have the same ingredients, and the same autopsy results:

Get the Jelly Belly ones - I found them at Hallmark - they are $3.00 cheaper than the Williams- Sonoma ones. As pretty as these are, they were hard as rocks compared to some of the competition. The taste was okay - not impressive since these are the most expensive.

I swear these two are identical (same colors, same ingredients, same taste and autopsy results). One I found in Cracker Barrel:

And the other I found in Target:

These are good too! The candy shell is thinner than the Whoppers shell, which I actually like a little better. I'm not at all sure who makes these babies - each package just lists a distributor, not the actual maker. Another Easter mystery.

This is a Spring offering from Harry and David:

Now, I should like these! The candy coating is nice, they have a thick layer of chocolate, but for some reason - these were a no go. It was like the malted part didn't have any taste. All I had to do was eat one and then eat a Traders Joe's egg - the difference was clear. If it's going to be a malt ball it has to have that crazy crunch in the middle - it was kind of lacking here. Disappointing.

These have nothing to do with Easter, but since we're on a malted milk ball roll, check out these by World Market:

Grand Coconut Finale

2011-01-30T19:02:00.000-08:00

This is it, ladies and gentlemen! The grand finale of coconut!! And I'm starting off with something I've reviewed before, but apparently you can't get anymore. So I am totally torturing you. Trader Joe's Almond in the Coconut:

You just can't beat these - like an Almond Joy, but better. Great chocolate, loads of coconut and bits of almond throughout. YUM! I hate it when Trader Joe's makes something awesome, hooks us, then pulls it from the product line. Bummer.

I'd never seen anything like these before:

They are made in Holland and are coconut and coco - very light:

This is it - Easter is finally gone! These coconut nests are made by Long Grove Confectionery:

These are by the Crown Candy Company based in my hometown of Macon, GA:

They are chocolate and caramel coconut tips:

Abdallah offers this Haystack:

The chocolate is good, but it really overpowers the coconut. And in a haystack, it just ain't supposed to be that way. Not bad, but too heavy on the chocolate.

I've reviewed Sanders products before:

And they are always pretty awful.. Their coconut "delights" are no exception. They not only have coconut, but also crisped rice - which I didn't think added anything. Not good.

This is peanut brittle covered with dark chocolate and coconut:

If you MUST combine peanut butter with coconut, then there is really only one place to go:

Oh yes, the much maligned Chick-O-Stick - crunchy peanut butter and toasted coconut candy:

Cake,Cake damn i Love Cake

2011-01-28T18:13:00.000-08:00

World Market has a pretty good rewards program (you all know what a sucker I am for those!). You get a $10 credit for your birthday and $10 for every $100 you make in food purchases. I had $20 in credit burning a hole in my pocket, so I tried some stuff I've been eyeing. I like to try the seemingly improbable. Cake on a shelf for some indeterminate amount of time seems improbable.

The picture on the top is the outer package, inside are six individually wrapped cakes:

Now this doesn't look a dang thing like the cake in the picture:

I was certain this would be terrible. I mean - these cakes are just sitting on the shelf! How can they be any good at all? This is decorated sponge cake with strawberry jam and custard filling:

I got this one from A Southern Season - a peanut butter torte - holy smokes!!!! But it's in a box, so I had my doubts:

But look at this - it looks great, right?

And you can't have a party without cookies! These are new by Oreo:

I was surprised when I opened the box and there were so few inside - Oreos are usually packed!

These are a new limited edition flavor - Oreo Blizzard:

Sprinkles seems so festive and springy to me!! Whee!! So let's look at some nonpareils with colored sprinkles. These are by Choclatique:

And these are by a German company - Horst Schluckwerder:

Coconut Chocolate Bars

2011-01-27T17:08:00.000-08:00

Delicious smooth dark chocolate with coconut flakes AND the ingredient that really makes it rock in my opinion - sea salt. Very different, very, very good. An excellent, excellent bar. It's a truffle bar - so see the creamy truffle center? (And you gotta love the coconut AND the sea salt - talk about the islands, mon!).

Seeds of Change (organic - kumbayah) has a dark chocolate and flakes of coconut bar:

And while also good, I enjoyed Seattle Chocolate's a bit more. The chocolate was creamier. But if you don't want the sea salt, this bar is an option.

This Lindt bar actually has a coconut filling and milk chocolate, so it is much sweeter than the other two:

And it comes in these cool little cubes:

Vosges has this neat little assortment of baby bars. I like this because sometimes you really don't want a whole ginormous bar. Especially when you may find you don't even like it!

Two of these bars involve coconut - the Woolloomooloo Bar - described as roasted and salted macadamia nuts, Indonesian coconut (not just any regular coconut, mind you), hemp seeds, and deep milk chocolate:

The other coconut bar is the Naga Bar - sweet Indian curry powder, coconut flakes, deep milk chocolate:

Leave it to Lindt to go completely off the reservation and do a white chocolate and coconut bar:

JTruffles, Amazing New Truffle Line

2010-08-15T12:36:00.000-07:00

I've raved bout the folks at Seattle Chocolates before. But now - well - I have to tell you - they have completely blown me away. They've developed a new, amazing truffle line (http://www.jtruffles.com/) they told me about at the Fancy Food Show. They said they would send me some samples. Now it has been in the 100's in North Carolina, and chocolate truffles are fragile, very fragile.

The first set of eight they sent me contained two melted ones. When Kirsty (their Marketing Maven) heard that, she said - "No way - melted is unacceptable" and sent out more. All of those were melted. But I told Kirsty it was okay, I could work with the first ones. Oh, no - she sent a third set!!! These people are not only passionate about chocolate, but passionate about customer service and getting it right. I am very, very impressed!!!

I love architecture, so these designs really appeal to me - look at how cool they are! Pyramids, deco skyscrapers - I LOVE these creative designs. I got to meet their chocolatier at the Fancy Food show - and he's so creative and awesome!! And excited about delicious chocolate creations. My kinda guy!

Think Mayan and Aztec temples - where chocolate originated - and gorgeous Art Deco skyscrapers as you look at these chocolate works of art.

This is Pura Vida Cafe:

I'm usually not a big fan of coffee and chocolate, but this truffle is the perfect blend. The milk chocolate is creamy and delish and the strong coffee flavor (actually Turkish ground espresso beans - oh la la!) is offset by the cream it's mixed with. I loved it - that's how slight, but definitely there, the coffee taste was. YUM!

This is Limoncello:

Wow! If you like lemon - this is for you! It contains a white chocolate ganache with lemon zest and fresh cream in a dark chocolate shell. This is a super creamy lemon filling - think lemon tart - offset by dark chocolate. Lemon lovers - this is your nirvana.

See the influence?

The Chrysler Building - one of my favorite buildings in all the world.

This is Cherry Praline:

I think this one could use a stronger cherry and pecan flavor - they were awfully subtle (the chocolate was stronger). I really love the idea of those two flavors together!!

This is Savory Hazelnut:

Now I really like hazelnut and chocolate, so I was pretty excited about this truffle. And it did not let me down! It's almost like eating a hazelnut brownie. It has tiny hazelnut pieces and a great texture. I honestly can't think of a better way to describe it - think of the best chocolate brownie you've ever had and add hazelnuts. That's what this is like - not as sweet as Nutella, a bit more on the salty side. A+++

This is the Magma 65 Dark:

Billed as the line's signature truffle. It is pretty damn amazing. A flavorful, smooth dark chocolate with fruity notes. It's fantastic and dark chocolate lovers will do back flips. I usually am drawn to milk chocolate, but this one was so good it won me over.

This is my favorite of the shapes - so detailed and so deco! It's Creme Brulee:

This truffle is filled with vanilla custard ganache and has a layer (at the base of the cream) of carmelized sugar. And I thought I was going to love it more than I did. The mixture of textures was awesome, but the slightly burnt taste of the sugar and the bitterness of the dark chocolate took away too much of the sweetness for me. I bet I would have liked it better in milk chocolate. But I have a crazy sweet tooth (I like frosting out of the can). I loved the way the sugar was handled - just like on a real creme brulee (if it's done right!).

This one is Creme 40 Milk:

This is a delicious creamy milk chocolate truffle. A great basic. But I actually prefer a truffle with nuts or caramel or some other flavor infusion. But for a plain milk chocolate - this is delicious.

Another art deco influence:

This is salt water caramel and it's the one I was most excited about:

HOLY SMOKES!!!! This truffle is a world rocker!! Chewy caramel - so so fresh and delicious with a dash of salt coated in delicious milk chocolate. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE IT!!!!!!!

Overall I adore this new line - creative shapes - unlike any I've ever seen and delicious accessible flavors. Not that crazy weird stuff like lavender or bacon. Glacck! Think elegance and deliciousness. And passion - for chocolate and for people.

Privacy Policy

2010-02-24T18:19:00.000-08:00

Privacy Policy for chocooolateforfun.blogspot.com

If you require any more information or have any questions about our privacy policy, please feel free to contact us by email at dardillof@in.com.

At chocooolateforfun.blogspot.com, the privacy of our visitors is of extreme importance to us. This privacy policy document outlines the types of personal information is received and collected by chocooolateforfun.blogspot.com and how it is used.

Log Files
Like many other Web sites, chocooolateforfun.blogspot.com makes use of log files. The information inside the log files includes internet protocol ( IP ) addresses, type of browser, Internet Service Provider ( ISP ), date/time stamp, referring/exit pages, and number of clicks to analyze trends, administer the site, track user’s movement around the site, and gather demographic information. IP addresses, and other such information are not linked to any information that is personally identifiable.

Cookies and Web Beacons
chocooolateforfun.blogspot.com does use cookies to store information about visitors preferences, record user-specific information on which pages the user access or visit, customize Web page content based on visitors browser type or other information that the visitor sends via their browser.

DoubleClick DART Cookie
.:: Google, as a third party vendor, uses cookies to serve ads on chocooolateforfun.blogspot.com.
.:: Google's use of the DART cookie enables it to serve ads to users based on their visit to chocooolateforfun.blogspot.com and other sites on the Internet.
.:: Users may opt out of the use of the DART cookie by visiting the Google ad and content network privacy policy at the following URL - http://www.google.com/privacy_ads.html

Some of our advertising partners may use cookies and web beacons on our site. Our advertising partners include ....
Google Adsense
Linkshare
Amazon
Kontera

These third-party ad servers or ad networks use technology to the advertisements and links that appear on chocooolateforfun.blogspot.com send directly to your browsers. They automatically receive your IP address when this occurs. Other technologies ( such as cookies, JavaScript, or Web Beacons ) may also be used by the third-party ad networks to measure the effectiveness of their advertisements and / or to personalize the advertising content that you see.

chocooolateforfun.blogspot.com has no access to or control over these cookies that are used by third-party advertisers.

You should consult the respective privacy policies of these third-party ad servers for more detailed information on their practices as well as for instructions about how to opt-out of certain practices. chocooolateforfun.blogspot.com's privacy policy does not apply to, and we cannot control the activities of, such other advertisers or web sites.

If you wish to disable cookies, you may do so through your individual browser options. More detailed information about cookie management with specific web browsers can be found at the browsers' respective websites.