Wednesday, December 19, 2007

Trader Joe’s The Art of Chocolate

The Art of ChocolateThis is one of those times where I missed the boat when photographing a selection of chocolates. This eentsy-weentsy box holds 1.76 ounces of chocolate. The box itself is about 3 1/2 inches square. There are nine pieces of molded Belgian chocolates.

So for the same calorie count that you’re used to with a candy bar, you can indulge in these cute little bon bons. They’re a perfect little stocking stuffer, especially when you see that the price is $1.99.

The Art of Chocolate

There’s even a little guide to each of the pieces (I’ll go kinda clockwise starting at the top with the biggest piece):

  • Cream and Vanilla Truffle - a milk chocolate shell with a stiff white chocolate truffle cream filling. Sweet but super-smooth.
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  • White Chocolate Praline - The white chocolate coating has a little dab of dark on the top and a dark chocolate base. The inside is a hazelnut praline paste, a little crunchy with crystallized sugar bits in it.
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  • Dark Chocolate Mocha Praline Tuffle - a sweet hazelnut and coffee praline center with the nice offset of a bittersweet shell. One of the true winners in this box.
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  • White Chocolate Mocha Praline Truffle - what a difference the shell makes, this one was far sweeter overall and the coffee notes lost in the milkiness of the white chocolate.
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  • Milk Chocolate Crisp Hazelnut Paste - this is a lovely little heart-shaped piece with a hazelnut on the top. A nice, well rounded hazelnut flavor, not really that much crisp to the praline, but tasty.
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  • Milk Chocolate and White Chocolate Nougat - pretty much the same thing as the above hazelnut paste but with half a white chocolate shell. Again, making it kind of sweet, but adding a milky quality to it.
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  • Milk Chocolate Crisp Chocolate Truffle Cream - a little triangle with a buttery milk chocolate truffle center with a light caramelized sugar crisp to it.
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  • Milk Chocolate Praline - little roses are embossed on the top of this in dark chocolate, but the rest is milk chocolate with a hazelnut paste center. The simple ones, as usual, are the best.
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  • Dark Chocolate Cream and Pistachio Truffle - a very buttery white creme center with a strong pistachio flavor to it. The texture is wonderful, the flavor rather floral and slightly medicinal.
  • Though you could just pop each piece into your mouth whole, I bit each in half while eating them, so there are 18 bites total ... a nice way to slow down and enjoy such a small portion.

    The selection is a little sweet and hazelnut-focused for an assortment for me. I wanted a bit more dark chocolate (and the dark ones were good). As a change from the normal Toblerone or tube of Droste as a stocking stuffer, party favor or office gift, these are pretty spectacular. As something I’d grab to satisfy me, they don’t quite make it.

    Update 1/10/2008: It looks like these may be made by Duc d’O, check out Chocablog’s review.

    Related Candies

    1. Trader Joe’s Designer Chocolates
    2. Pralines Leonidas
    3. Equal Exchange Miniatures
    Name: The Art of Chocolate (Belgian Miniatures)
      RATING:
    • 10 SUPERB
    • 9 YUMMY
    • 8 TASTY
    • 7 WORTH IT
    • 6 TEMPTING
    • 5 PLEASANT
    • 4 BENIGN
    • 3 UNAPPEALING
    • 2 APPALLING
    • 1 INEDIBLE
    Brand: Trader Joe's
    Place Purchased: Trader Joe's (Silverlake)
    Price: $1.99
    Size: 1.76 ounces
    Calories per ounce: 167
    Categories: Chocolate, White Chocolate, Nuts, Belgium, Trader Joe's, All Natural, Christmas

    POSTED BY Cybele AT 5:55 am Tracker Pixel for Entry    

    Comments
    1. Okay.  I’ve been needing to go to TJ’s anyway, but after reading this post I went RUNNING there tonight!  OMG, these chocolates are so good!  I’m used to the peanut butter cups they sell year round, which are mediocre in my opinion.  I’m quite impressed with these little chocolates, though.  Thanks for adding to my calorie intake!

      Comment by Jane on 12/19/07 at 2:21 pm #
    2. Thank you for reviewing these! I agree that they’re too sweet, but I’m in love with how cute they are. I used some to decorate a cheese tray for a party and they were gone in an hour. I think they’d make an adorable garnish for a dessert. And yes, they’re definitely going in the stocking.

      Comment by JR on 12/19/07 at 3:33 pm #
    3. are you sure it is that many calories?
      its quite low.. and a bit unbelievable.

      Comment by Shana on 4/16/08 at 6:51 am #
    4. Cybele's avatar

      Shana - that’s the calories per ounce that I list (so that all candies can be compared on the blog on a one to one basis). 167 per ounce is actually one of the highest caloric densities on the blog.

      Comment by Cybele on 4/16/08 at 6:53 am #
    Commenting is not available in this channel entry.

    Next entry: Snickers Nutcracker

    Previous entry: Hershey’s Mint Truffle Kisses




     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

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