Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Coconut Chocolate Bars

I love the folks at Seattle Chocolates.  I got to meet them at the Fancy Food Show and they really are a terrific group.  They sent me samples of their latest new truffle line and I can't wait to review them!!  In the meantime, let's get back to coconut.  They have a bar that is nothing short of amazing:



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:



I have to say - it's pretty damn good.  You can't really compare it to the others because it is so different.  Totally yummy, but sweet.  And I like the little squares!!

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:



I think I would really like this bar if it weren't for the hemp seeds.  They add a little grainy seedy taste - just like you can imagine.  I swear I think Vosges adds ingredients just to show off.  Or to up the bullshit factor - it actually says on the wrapper - "hemp oil will provide softer skin, stronger nails and thicker hair."  Dear God.  At least they have in tiny print a disclaimer saying the FDA hasn't approved any of this idiocy.

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



This bar is all about the curry.  If you like curry - you'll like this bar.  Me - I'm not that big a fan of curry.  This is an interesting bar to me, I'm glad I tried it, but I wouldn't ever crave it.  Or buy it again.

Vosges has great chocolate, but when you add curry - well, the chocolate doesn't matter as much.

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



You all know how I love Lindt, but this bar is not for me.  Not because it's necessarily bad, but because milk and dark chocolate go so much better with coconut!

I'd have to say my favorite chocolate bar with coconut (where the main ingedient is chocolate, not a coated coconut) is the Seattle Chocolates bar - so creamy, with such a fantastic combination of flavors.  And I LOVE the fabulous art deco wrapper!

Lindt's Chocoletti is kind of a hybrid with its coconut filling, but it's pretty great too.

I think the most exciting thing is the variety of choices and the creativity of all the chocolate makers.  How great is that?  I'm telling you, no matter how bad a day you have, at the end of it, if there's still chocolate out there, everything will be alright.  And as long as there is a new chocolate bar to try, there's a reason to carry on!

Woohoo!!!!!

6 comments:

Kris, in New England said...

White chocolate ... is not chocolate. It is a poseur.

Now that Seattle Chocolates bar looks so scrumpdillyicious that I have ordered 3 of them - and their 10 truffle bar stack.

I am bad. And I'm OK with that.

Denise Ryan said...

Woohoo!!! Kris, you will LOVE this bar - can't wait to hear what you think!!!!

Kris, in New England said...

Oh sweet dear lord. I got my Seattle Chocolates order over the weekend.

The coconut bar is beyond - just totally beyond. The tangy salt flavor is so subtle and oh so perfect.

The Husband had the Cherry Truffle bar - he enjoyed. I have 9 more assorted truffle bars to go, plus 3 more coconut ones.

This could become a very bad addiction. Thanx Denise - I think. :-)

Denise Ryan said...

YAY!!! Kris, I'm so glad you liked it!!! I consider you a connoisseur of coconut, so your seal of approval is awesome!! Hee, hee - better to have one awesome chocolate bar than 10 mediocre ones! And much less fattening! : )

Anonymous said...

I would absolutely LOVE any of those bars! Fantastic, how did you manage to recieve samples and such? Are you some sort of chocolate critique?

Denise Ryan said...

Hey Kali Rea! Thanks for the comment! Some of these get sent to me - most of them I purchase. But those I get as samples are because I review them in the blog and have met many of the people at Candy Expo and the Fancy Food show.