A visit to the chocolate factory

(charlie3) #1

Morely Chocolate has a plant along my route home from work. It has a store front that says it’s a Sanders outlet. I don’t know if Sanders is a national brand. In Michigan their hot fudge sauce is legendary. I ate my share as a kid (and a grownup) and probably it contributed nothing good to my metabolism.

I stopped there to see what was available in sugar/carb free chocolate and may be I could get some baker’s chocolate. The place was crowded which was sort of depressing. I explained what I was looking for. The reaction was dismissive. The sugar free snack bar had 28 grams of carbs.

I staggered out empty handed, so hungry from looking at the bakers finest creations I was light headed. It didn’t help that I’m skipping 3 meals today. I’m home and recovered. Next meal will be a late breakfast tomorrow. I won’t make that mistake again.

Where can I get some plain jane baker’s chocolate that isn’t outrageously over priced? I’ve been looking. What am I missing?

(Jay AM) #2

Walmart carries a few baker’s chocolate bars in the baking section. Lindt has 85% and 95% chocolate bars. I think it’s $3 a bar in Michigan. Haven’t shopped in that state in a few weeks though.

(charlie3) #3

I go there. I’ll check. Thanks for the tip.

(Todd Allen) #4

If you want healthy chocolate, you might ask if they have cocoa(or cacao) powder, nibs and/or butter. If they have it, get natural cocoa powder as opposed to the more common dutched cocoa.

Add your favorite fats, sweetners, flavorings, etc. its hard to go wrong.

(Cristian Lopez) #5

Look for the 100% Bakers bar ?

(charlie3) #6

So I can get the same results with coco powder? (bachelor, not a cook…yet)

(Todd Allen) #7

Traditional chocolate that is solid at room temperature and slow to soften in a bare hand uses cocoa butter and takes effort/time because it needs to tempered - heated slowly over a double boiler to melting, cooled, reheated to 118F and then cooled to 90F and molded.

But it is easy to make endless variety of chocolatey things from cocoa powder and the fat and sweetener of your choice. Most fats have a lower melting point than cocoa butter, so refrigerate or even freeze to eat solid or roll in a coating like shredded coconut to keep fingers clean for room temp eating. Or make a mousse and eat with a spoon.

Cocoa powder clumps easily in liquid but mixes(creams) evenly into a fat that is at a frosting like consistency such as softened butter or slightly warmed coconut butter or oil and room temp or chilled nut butters. It can be as easy as creaming the cocoa powder into your fats of choice with your sweetener of choice, tasting as you go until you get it as chocolatey and bitter or sweet as you like it. Maybe add some salt and/or other flavorings like vanilla or cinnamon. Then heat or cool to your desired hardness/softness.

Or google for endless recipes for easy chocolate things from cocoa powder and you shouldn’t have much trouble adapting them to your choices of sweetener. Or just experiment and you’ll likely more than satisfy any chocolate cravings.

(Troy) #8

Try Lindt 90%

in CA
$2.35 -$3
Winco or Walmart

When I do the dancing drug store (Tri)-shopping shuffle :smile:
(Walgreens, CVS, and rite aid )

They will have 2/$5 ocassionaly
Even better w register printed or added coupons

(LeeAnn Brooks) #9

I haven’t been able to find anything higher than 85%.

#10

But lindt 90% uses low-fat cocoa powder… Any possible alternative? Or melt with butter?(actually I tried today, and it tasted quite interesting, in a good way.)