We took a trip to Cost Plus World Market last week to stock up on some more good chocolate (they finally have Tim Tams! And Aero Bars!).

I got a nice little pile of chocolate I’ve been wanting to try and my husband went right for this one, which is saying a lot because he’s not really into sweets. I think it was the packaging that got him, though – all those almonds and chocolate, really? We had to give it a try and see!

First off, this bar is huge! I took a shot of it with my hand to show you just how big it is, weighing in at 8.75oz. Valor Chocolates is made in Spain, and the dark chocolate with almonds is considered one of their premium bars.

When you first open the bar this is what you’re greeted with! My husband let me open it up for pictures while he was at work and I knew he was in for a treat – his favorite type of chocolate is chocolate combined with almonds!

From the front you can’t even tell what’s waiting for you inside!

As you can imagine, each bite is guaranteed to have several almonds. The chocolate is truly delicious – smooth, not bitter, and very satisfying. The almonds taste fresh with a very nice crunch and neither of us came across any that had gone rancid.

At room temperature the chocolate is just slightly soft (hence the fingerprints, which I didn’t think about until I’d already handled it!), and melts perfectly in the mouth. Needless to say, as soon as he gets back from his current business trip I think we’ll be heading back to the store to stock up!

I highly recommend this bar if you happen to come across it!

Post from: Chocolate Bytes

Happiness is a box of chocolate from Canada! My old friend Mar and I did a goody exchange last week and my package from her showed up with some of my favorites (Coffee Crisp, Aero bars), and a couple I haven’t tried before (Mirage and Kinder Eggs – for the kids, of course, who also love the Smarties).

The Aero bars always take a minute to get used to. The air bubbles make the lightness of the chocolate almost seem wrong but you get over it quickly!

My kids love the Smarties. They’re not the compressed sugar buttons that we’re used to here in the U.S. – these are hard candy coated chocolate discs, kind of like slightly bigger M&M’s (although with a few more colors than what M&M’s off the shelf are available in).

Thanks, Mar!

Post from: Chocolate Bytes

So the husband and I were watching Food Network the other night and caught a blurb about a new item called… Bubble Chocolate. How ingenious! But wait a sec, this is familiar! Their website says:

“During one of his brainstorming daydreams, Frank was thinking about various candy concepts – ones that would produce a fun taste sensation or call forth a smile. From tongue-wrap fruit rolls to bubble-wrap gum, his musings lead him to research bubbles and candy, and he happened upon aerated chocolate. Frank, who was neither a candy aficionado nor a chocolate connoisseur, had never heard of bubble-infused chocolate. He felt compelled to find out more.

“He soon discovered a short yet lively history, from its steady popularity in England since the 1940s to its ill-fated US introduction in the late 1970s. He viewed aerated chocolate as a delightfully tempting twist on a classic taste, and soon found himself paired with thirty-year confectionery veteran, Bruce Smith.

“Together they determined that the timing was perfect to premiere a premium line of aerated bars stateside. Bubble Chocolate debuted at Chicago’s Candy Expo in June 2006.”

So to be fair, I’m not sure who created the original Aero bars and apparently it was introduced in the U.S. 30 years ago and flopped, but heralding it as a new chocolate breakthrough is kind of sketchy. But I will admit, I’d gladly give it a shot (I mean, that’s some beautiful chocolate up there!).

When and where is the next Candy Expo and do you think I could get tickets?

Post from: Chocolate Bytes