Chocolate Inspirations: Vegan Toffees with Dark Chocolate & Vegan Fudge

A little over a year ago I discovered Purely Decadent’s Coconut Milk ice cream, an incredibly creamy, mousse-like dessert that went fabulously with my Fallen Chocolate Cake. Around the same time, I began experimenting with coconut oil in baked goods, and was very happy with the results. So, it was with great glee I opened a package of toffees and fudge from Chocolate Inspirations as they are all made with coconut oil or milk.

Their Vegan Gourmet English Toffee was rich, crunchy with pecans, and thickly coated in dark chocolate (Felchlin’s 58% couverture, a creamy, adult dark that doesn’t interfere with the toffee’s flavors). I was an immediate fan. My problem with most toffee is the dearth of chocolate and the unctuous, over-the-top butter flavor. This offered exactly what I had been craving for but didn’t know existed.

Gourmet Vegan Cinnamon Toast Toffee was different in that it is an elegant thin shard of toffee coated with dark chocolate and topped with sugar crystals. They added just the right amount of cinnamon to complement a unique toffee-chocolate combo.

Vegan Gourmet Coconut Brittle is like the English toffee but with toasted coconut.

Vegan Gourmet Coffee Toffee is a creative treat satisfying your desire for mocha, nuts, toffee and dark chocolate. It may sound as if too many things are going on here, but they all blend beautifully, just like the last movement of a Mozart symphony.

Chocolate Inspirations also makes a Gourmet Vegan Fudge Sensation Bar that I was skeptical about until I read the ingredients: dark chocolate, purified water, almonds, cashews, sodium bicarbonate, rice starch, non iodized salt, sugar, corn syrup, and organic coconut oil. It has a good creamy, fudgey texture, not too sweet, and covered in dark chocolate.

They also make Vegan Gourmet Cocoa Pecans, Vegan Cashew Brittle, Caramel Nut Cups, Cinnamon Toast Toffee with Almonds, and Vegan Cinnamon Sugared Pecans.

Another wonderful thing about Chocolate Inspirations is their willingness to sell in bulk.  The minimum bulk amount is one pound, with a typical price of $20.50. When you consider what high end confections cost, this is a great bargain. You can always repackage your toffee in a lovely tin or box. (I use boxes from note cards as they’re often the right size and have great designs.)

This Chick Bakes

While packaging is not enough to make me love a product, it certainly helps. Jennifer Houston and Charley Tucker of This Chick Bakes, sent me a truly beautiful box of seven different treats. Aqua blue and dark chocolate colored stripes adorned the bottom, the top was plain dark brown, and everything was held together by a wide aqua ribbon with brown dots.  Inside, I found the ribbon design echoed on tissue paper. The whole effect was festive, cheerful, and inviting. Perfect for a gift; especially, if you are not a baker but love classic cookies, brownies, and new riffs on them. This Chick Bakes offers gluten free and vegan selections, too.

Let’s start with two of the more unusual items:

Rose Cups was a fudgey chocolate brownie base topped with a layer of ganache and capped with dark chocolate. The rose flavor is subtle, the textures went well together: slightly chewy brownie, rich, creamy ganache, and thick dark chocolate. They are fairly large, about 2  1/2 inches in diameter and over an inch high.

Peanut Butter blast, another cup-type confection, was the same size but completely different. The base was a peanut cookie, topped with a peanut butter ganache and a dark chocolate top. Unusual and very satisfying.

The following were a bit more mainstream but their execution was top notch:

Chocolate Fudge Brownie was studded with bits of dark chocolate and had a perfect chewy texture. Each one would make two very generous portions.

Black, White & Orange Cookie is a dark chocolate cookie with organic orange oil and white chocolate chips. It managed to have a slightly crunchy exterior and a chewier interior. The orange flavor enhanced the chocolate without overpowering it.

Flourless Chocolate Walnut Cookie, was incredible. It had a crunchier exterior (probably because of the walnuts) and a chewier interior than the Black, White & Orange cookie. Their exquisite rendition of walnuts and chocolate is a must if you crave this timeless combination.

Gluten Free Chocolate Coconut Pecan Chunk was a softer cookie with a milder chocolate flavor. It is made with coconut flour, though coconut is not the dominant flavor, chocolate is.

The Vegan Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk cookie may convert many omnivores, it’s that good. Pronounced peanut flavor, beautiful dark chocolate chunks, and a chewy-cakey texture make this pretty irresistible.

If you got to thischickbakes.com you will find a cornucopia of additional flavors including: Mooney Mood pie, Loco Coco Nutty Bar, Green Tea and Lemon, Cafe’ Latte, Raisin Coconut Chocolate Oat, Ginger, Dipt’ Peanut Butter, and Pomegranate White Tea.

One more thing. It can be dicey buying baked goods online, as they might not be fresh. Everything I received was in perfect condition and tasted as if it had just been baked.

Caoni Chocolate: 55%, 77%, Milk, Coffee, Passion Fruit, and Macadamia

As a chocolate sleuth whose mission is alerting you to what’s new and noteworthy, I peruse many different websites. Some are utilitarian, some glitzy, and some just plain fun. Caoni’s site falls into the latter category. Their dancing chocolate bars, indigenous music, and a mysterious looking black background all conspire to make Caoni chocolate appealing and exotic. But their site isn’t just light hearted, it also offers information on chocolate’s health benefits, some of which were even new to me, like the compound “epicatequina,” a substance similar to aspirin that helps prevent blood clots. Also, I had not read about the effect of chocolate’s aroma increasing theta brain waves, leaving you calmer and more relaxed. All good news.

On the West coast of Ecuador there are three regions supplying Arriba beans for Caoni. Each has its own, distinctive micro-climate. Traveling North to South, we have: Esmeraldas, Manabi (both hugging the coast), and Los Rios (a bit more inland). Esmeraldas is known for its wide variety of tropical forests and high humidity; Manabi is the opposite with very dry conditions; while the Los Rios province is replete with rivers that come down from the Andes mountains. Each area produces a different flavor profile in the bean, from intense to mild and creamy.

Caoni offers a wide variety of milk and dark chocolates. Here’s a capsule review of each:

Milk chocolate with toasted macadamias is a very milky, mild bar with smallish, but still assertive, pieces of nut.  If you like a traditional milk base enhanced with the buttery crunch of macadamias, this is for you.

The plain milk bar is the same chocolate, but simplified. The people at Caoni don’t add vanilla to either their milk or dark varieties, which is good to know if you’re a purist and want that lovely floral taste of the Arriba beans to shine through unadulterated.

Milk chocolate with passion fruit is an interesting combination in that the slightly acidic fruit complements the sweetness of the chocolate, adding more complexity.

Surprisingly, milk with coffee was my favorite of the four light bars. Once again, the acidity of the coffee played against the milky chocolate creating a latte like flavor that was very appealing, if not a bit addictive.

The following dark bars are sourced from each of the three regions I described earlier, and available in a 55% or a 77%. I opted for grouping them by region, rather than by percentage of cacao solids.

Esmeraldas 77% is an interesting chocolate as it delivers both a tempered snap as well as a slightly chewy texture. Here, the Arriba beans take on the flavors of dark fruits, a hint of tobacco, and a medium long finish.  The 55% Esmeraldas is much fruiter, milder, and has a shorter finish.

Manabi 77% is a delicious sublimely balanced bar. In Caoni’s publicity materials they rightly claim “These beans are naturally sweet, to the point that you will hardly believe it is a 77% cocoa chocolate.”  There are 12 grams of sugar per 50 grams of chocolate, but that is far less than many comparable products. The 55% was much sweeter, with 23 grams of sugar per 50 grams of chocolate, and I found it a bit less enticing, though an excellent choice if you are not ready for a 77%.

Los Rios 77% is almost a combination of the other two 77% bars in that it has all the complexity of the Esmeraldas, the lusciousness of the Manabi with the addition of pronounced floral notes and a slightly spicy long finish.  I enjoyed the 55% rendition of this bean as much as the 77%. Both Los Rios bars managed to add a creaminess that seemed less pronounced in bars from the other two regions.

If you are a fan of the Arriba bean Caoni’s chocolates provide a wide range from which to choose.

TerraSource Gourmet Chocolates

I do adore it when someone cares enough to use the best quality ingredients and source their cacao from places that treat workers with respect and pay them a fair wage, so I was already predisposed to like Josie Pradella’s vegan chocolates. For those of you who think “vegan” means vaguely edible, these truffles will astound you.  They have a crisp, thin shell, phenominally intense flavors, and silky centers.

The ganache is made with coconut milk and coconut oil. You may have read the bad rap these products received in the past, but that was before anyone researched coconut oil. We now believe these products are quite healthy. You can access newer information on coconut oil here: http://www.organicfacts.net/organic-oils/organic-coconut-oil/health-benefits-of-coconut-oil.html.

I tried five of the tea infused chocolates.  These are not for the kiddies, unless your child has been blessed with an adult palate. All were heavy on flavor, but tasted light. You might think that would make them less gratifying.  Au contraire, the texture, richness, perfect level of sweetness, and flavor profile produced a deeply satisfying experience.

The Masala Chai was as real and authentic as could be. A gustatory symphony embodying the essence of Chai.  Lavender Tea is only for true lavender devotees as it was far from a whiff of those lovely purple flowers. I felt as if I had tumbled into a field of lavender after just one bite. Jasmine Green Tea was also a heady experience. I tasted the flowery jasmine as well as the slightly astringent tea, and they married well in that wonderful ganache. Scarlet Tea was more gently infused with berry flavor. My favorite, Caramel Rooibos Tea, was the essence of red bush tea paired with caramel notes—just divine.

Some of Josie’s other flavors, like: Brandied Pear, Pecan Praline, Balsamic Strawberry, and Cranberry Walnut are calling my name as I write this.

JTruffles

Art Deco inspired shapes in dark and milk chocolate encase various ganaches (and one salt caramel center) that will lure you with their appearance and reel you in with extreme lusciousness. Each one is a mini dessert from J. Truffles, part of the Seattle Chocolate Company.

Before we explore the chocolates, let me tell you about the presentation. A square clear box, with a white base and a luxurious wide navy silk ribbon speaks to both men and women.  I have never addressed this issue before, but the unisex appeal of this design got me thinking of how many packages are targeted to women.  With Valentine’s Day fast approaching, this gift would be welcomed by all chocolate lovers, regardless of gender.

The truffles are quite large, about five bites for me, though their pyramid shape makes them easy to eat, as each corner and the top provides a “way in” without getting chocolate shards all over you.

There were eight flavors in  my selection, each one well-tempered, rich, and satisfying. I was especially taken with the Salt Water Caramel, even though it was in milk chocolate (not usually my first choice), since the caramel was just perfect: not too chewy and not too soft.  I enjoyed all the milk chocolate truffles because I thought of this collection as dessert. For me, a dessert can be a bit sweeter than the dark, high cacao content chocolates I typically eat. Once I made that cognitive shift, I enjoyed every one of these little pyramids.

The Savory Hazelnut had almost-ground nuts mixed with dark chocolate ganache.  A slightly crunchy Gianduja experience that appealed to both the adult and inner child. Pura Vida Cafe, made with Turkish ground Espresso beans was as creamy as the best cappuccino, without any harsh or bitter coffee notes. Limoncello sported a white chocolate ganache infused with lemon zest. I am partial to this combination, especially when it is paired with dark chocolate, as it was here. They claim the lemon is intense.  I found it flavorful, neither too mild nor too acidic.  Creme Brulee had vanilla custard ganache on top of a thin, crunchy layer of caramelized sugar in a dark chocolate shell. It was a wonderful, whimsical and delicious surprise. Cherry Praline houses dried cherries ground with roasted pecans. For me, the predominant flavor was dark chocolate ganache with nuts.  I enjoyed it, but found the cherry notes a bit elusive. Their signature truffle, Magma, is made with 65% chocolate and was the richest of the assortment.

If you like an large truffle with a thicker chocolate shell that makes a visual statement, this is for you.

Attune Probiotics Bars

One might think dark chocolate has enough physical and emotional benefits, but the people at Attune took it up a notch by adding three lactobaccillus probiotic cultures.  If you are not eating yogurt daily, this may be just the extra enhancement you have been unconsciously seeking.

I sampled three bars.  As a neutraceutical, I thought they were all quite good. The mint was excellent.  I never would have thought I would enjoy milk chocolate this much, but it was crunchy, intense, and satisfying.  Their version of a rice crispie bar, milk chocolate with brown rice crisps, was also yummy . Uncharacteristically, I liked the plain dark the least.  It’s perfectly fine, but after having the intensity and textural interest of the other two, it paled in comparison.

All three bars are sweetened with evaporated cane juice, contain inulin for a little fiber boost—3 grams per bar, and 25% of your calcium. They are 20 grams each (about 3/4 of an ounce) and between 80-90 calories. If I were traveling and couldn’t easily have my daily dose of yogurt cultures, this would provide a tasty option. Also, they would be a fun, nutritional snack to throw in a handbag or briefcase for all those times when low blood sugar impedes one’s judgment.

It’s not fair to compare Atune’s bars to plain, single origin chocolate. Chocolate is simply the delicious delivery system they use to give you some digestion-enhancing probiotics.

Aldi Single Origin Chocolates 75%, 65%, 55%

I am a big fan of Aldi markets. They originated in Germany and have expanded to many places across the globe including almost 30 American states.

One of the most appealing aspects of being a regular Aldi shopper is trying all their new products; and, they have a fantastic guarantee: return anything you are unhappy with for a replacement and a refund. That’s not a typo, you get both.

I recently tried their three single origin chocolates. A great bargain at $1.49 per 100 gram bar. If you are partial to Lindt you will most likely enjoy these. They are all tempered to a perfect snap.  My only quibble is the use of vanillin rather than vanilla extract; but, at that price I really can’t complain. (Vanillin is a man-made compound, while real vanilla is made up of complex multiple compounds from vanilla pods that require expensive processing.)

Aldi’s Venezuelan 55% dark chocolate is a very creamy, easy to eat bar. This would be an excellent choice for someone new to dark bars, as it is mild but still interesting.

The 65% from Madagascar is more complex with fruity notes, a wonderful creaminess, and a great chocolate aroma.

From Ecuador, we have a 75% dark that is so luscious you would never guess it’s 75%. There’s almost no bitterness, even though this qualifies as a bittersweet bar.  Perhaps, that stems from the lack of complexity, but, it’s still a great option for the price.

Amano Dos Rios & Guayas

Most adults come to realize that messing with other people’s expectations is a dangerous game, almost always resulting in disappointment and lingering negative vibes. So, it’s natural to backpedal a bit, just to be sure you aren’t overstating something’s value.  I was reminded of this when reading the back of Amano’s chocolate box. Founder Art Pollard wrote, “I hope you enjoy our chocolate.”  While charming, it is a major understatement, and one designed to make your first taste of his bars an even more delicious surprise.

Amano’s two new offerings: Dos Rios from the Dominican Republic, and Guayas, from the Guayas River Basin in Ecuador are very different from each other, but equally remarkable.  The Dos Rios bar is more challenging, with its echoes of warm clove, woodsy overtones, and intense earthiness.  Others who have tasted this discern Bergamot orange flavor, I did not. A complex and very satisfying bar with a rustic gestalt.  Amano’s Guayas is its own ode to chocolate. One bite transports you to chocolate nirvana. The texture floods your mouth with silkiness, but not of the Lindt variety, which I like but find fairly simplistic. This chocolate offers itself up in a multi-layered taste and texture experience that can only be described as sensuous. The wild Nacional bean from Ecuador is renowned for its floral notes. I have to agree with Art that it is a masterful blend of “sophistication and untamed nature.”

More information for the true chocophile: “Unlike many chocolates from Ecuador and Central America, Guayas is 100% free from CCN-51 (a prolific cocoa hybrid that contributes to the depletion of the soil and is quickly replacing native varieties of cacao, such as Nacional). By ensuring Guayas is free from this pernicious hybrid, Amano is taking an important step in the preservation of native heirloom varieties of cacao, as well as showcasing Nacional’s incredible flavor in its purest form.”

Wei of Chocolate: Vegan Dark Chocolates infused with Herbs, Spices, & Flower Essences

Neutraceuticals. Not exactly a catchy name, but the concept of enhancing foods with herbs, spices, vitamins, or flower essences to amplify their health giving benefits is intriguing, especially if all those good-for-you-chemicals are paired with chocolate.

Wei of Chocolate is the brainchild of Lisa Reinhardt. Her business motto, influenced by 11 years in Tibet, Nepal, and India, is:  Savor the space between two thoughts.

In addition to channeling the wisdom of the East, she infuses her chocolates with mood enhancing organic botanicals to help you slow down and squeeze more joy out of life. That may sound like a lot to ask from a few bites of chocolate, but I have always found eating great chocolate takes me to a slower, more mindful place. It’s one of the reasons I keep coming back for more. Lisa enjoins us to meditate on every bite. If you’re a chocophile you already focus all your attention on each amazing morsel; however, her wares take the experience up a few notches. I liked the different herbal, spice, and floral blends. If you gravitate towards that sort of thing I would encourage you to try these. They are unique, and lovingly made.

The Wei chocolate experience is more like a food than a confection, the texture reminiscent of less processed, or raw, chocolate. There’s almost a chewiness, which is very satisfying.  Each prettily foil-wrapped medallion is color-coded for ease of selection.

Here’s the rundown:

Daily Gratitude– 65% cacao, has chai spices plus 3 herbs that are good for you: rhodiola to rebalance the adrenals, codonopsis to boost the immune system, and lemon balm because it is calming & relaxing.

Daily Love– is a smooth & subtle 74% cacao with a chili finish.  It also has 3 herbs for health benefits: astragalus to boost the immune system, eleuthero to support the adrenals, and maca for sustained energy.

Sensual Love– 74% cacao, has a smoky, earthy chili flavor, laced with 5 aphrodisiac herbs that are also hormone-balancing.  Talk about nature’s most perfect food!

Inner Clarity– 70% cacao with ground up organic peppermint leaves, rosemary & clove, with flower essences for taking a deep breath, more clarity & insight.

Inner Delight– 70% cacao with subtle citrus & spices, and flower essences for more joy, kindness, compassion and love.

Inner Peace– 70% cacao with ground up organic lavender petals, lemongrass & coriander, with flower essences for more peace & tranquility.

The organic, fair trade base chocolate is a blend from Indonesia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Paraguay and the Dominican Republic. (If you would like more information on all the ingredients see: http://www.weiofchocolate.com/ingredients.html.)

If the chocolate doesn’t get you into a meditative state, surely the inspirational text on Lisa’s website will.

Alma Artisanal Chocolate: Truffles, Bon Bons, Barks, Bars, & Toffees

It’s not your imagination, chocolate artistry evolves more quickly than iPod models. A prime example is Alma Chocolate out of Portland, Oregon.

Sarah Hart started Alma Chocolates out of her kitchen, producing molded shapes and painting them with edible 23K gold leaf.  I usually find molded chocolates banal, and avoid them in favor of almost anything else; but, Sarah’s are extraordinary. For starters, she uses one of the following couvertures: Valrhona’s Araguani, Jivarra, Felchlin’s OG Dominican, Cru Savauge Bolivian, El Rey Icoa or Apamate. Then, she fills unusual, symbolic molds she had commissioned, like: Ganesha, Kuan Yin, Buddhas, the Virgin of Guadalupe, Flaming heart, etc. with one of these very high end chocolates.  It’s the final stage, painting them with 23K gold leaf that sets them apart from the rest of the pack. Each one is like a piece antique jewelry, stunning.

For those of you interested in adding some chocolate to your Sanskrit mantra practice, Sarah will happily provide a gold leafed Kuan Yin. I’d suggest reverentially eating it while mentally practicing:  Namo Kuan Shi Yin Pusa. Translation: “I hail to the Bodhisattva who listens (with mercy) to the voice of the world.” This invokes Kuan Yin’s protective energy.  If Kuan Yin doesn’t excite you, how about my old favorite Hindu god, Ganesh(a)?  Here’s the mantra to invoke Ganesh(a)’s healing energy: Om Gum Ganapatayei Namaha. Rough Translation: ‘Om and salutations to the remover of obstacles for which Gum is the seed.’ Ganesh(a) is known as the remover of obstacles. (FYI, after age 28, the endings of many mantras should be changed to Swaha from Namaha. The mantra to the elephant god Ganesh(a), is an exception to that rule. Keep Namaha at the end whatever age you are.) It is standard practice to repeat the mantra 108 times, a double rosary, or one strand of mala beads, for 40 days.

Sarah is an inspired chocolatier, and creates far more than molded icons. Her Salty Nutty Toffee mini bar won the “Rising Star” award in NYC at the 2008 Next Generation Chocolatier Awards, and you will see why with one taste. Actually, you can see why with one glance, but eating it will make a convert out of any dark chocolate lover. Is it the shards of perfectly made crunchy-buttery-shatter-in-your-mouth toffee?  Maybe it’s the the roasted pistachio nuts, hazelnuts, or the sea salt? The combination left me mute and hopelessly enamored.

I also sampled the Toffee with Pistachios. I often find toffee a bit unctuous, but Alma’s is perfect: not too sweet  (it breaks in your mouth not all over you), and crunchy (but not tooth-breakingly so).  I have never had a better rendition, period. The bottom of this crunchy slab is coated with a thin layer of excellent dark chocolate.

Her bonbons and truffles are also superb. My favorites, of the selection I tried, were: the two peanut butter cups, one plain and one with Thai spices, as balanced as a gymnast. The butter and honey and dark chocolate truffle: “Chloe,” was a luscious mix of flavor and texture. Her Mexican Truffle with cinnamon couldn’t have been more alluring or satisfying, and the Habanero Caramel Crown painted in 23K gold leaf, was excitingly hot–but not over the top. I also loved Ginger Ginger. The jewel of the day was Cardamom Burnt Sugar Sesame. This dark truffle came adorned with a tiny triangle of crisp burnt sugar sesame toffee–beautiful and fantastic.

Sarah uses organic butter and cream, as well as ingredients from local producers in the Oregon area. If you live anywhere near her shop, lucky you. She has a bakery, where creativity reigns supreme, with options from Triple Chocolate Brownies with Fried Marcona Almonds and Sea Salt, to Chocolate Bread Pudding; and she offers all sorts of incredible sounding drinks.

The name Alma comes from the Spanish noun: soul and the Latin verb: to nourish. Sarah’s chocolates really do nourish your soul.