Sweetly Demented
So, this young chocolate maker named "Sivonne Imnottelling" contacted me today about their brand new confectionary line called Sweetly Demented, ranging from the "morbid, shabby chic & just plain rude." There are chocolate bird skulls, brains, hypno pops and...well, you'll have to see for yourself. I find it creative, dark and charming in a raw, art school kind of way. 

Tis' The Season for Tins of Toffee!

I'm big on festive treats and toffee is hands down one of my favorite things to find inside a tin. Colorado based Enstrom's Almond Toffee with their light, airy, buttery, perfection and great ingredients such as pure cane sugar, fresh California almonds and sweet cream butter doesn't last a day in my hands. When it's all gone too quickly, I indulge in the delicious crumbs that line the box like snow. I was tickled to find that Enstrom's actually sells the crumbs separately! They are seriously that good.

Totally Gaga!

Mua! Mua! 

I'm loving these electrifying chocolate lips available this holiday season courtesy of Barneys New York x Gaga's Workshop. There's also chocolate lipstick, shoes and various wild treats. Pretty amazing gifts for the little monsters in your life.

Madhatter

Curiouser and Curiouser!

As an Alice in Wonderland fan, one of my fav quotes from Alice: "But if I'm not the same, the next question is 'Who in the world am I?' Ah, that's the great puzzle!" I was quite attracted to these Wonderland inspired mini honey cakes and brownies by UK based Lucky Chocolate. The mini cakes are handmade and coated in Grand Cru and Valhrona chocolate and individually packaged in their own box - so each one is almost like a little treat or gift. Their larger gift boxes are also fun, like the Honey Time Gift Set with 'rabbit fur' which includes collections of their larger Mad Hatter Bars. "It was much pleasanter at home, when one wasn't always growing larger and smaller, and being ordered about by mice and rabbits!"

New York's Finest

C&M Chocolatier epitomizes everything I love about New York from the success story--founder Chris Martorano started cleaning floors in a chocolate factory at the age of fourteen--nowadays he hand makes his own line--to the diversity of flavor-- Each flavor is a brilliant nod to the East Village's wide variety of foods and flavors and I can't decide which is my favorite. I savored them all...slowly...from the Peanut Butter Pretzel--gianduja truffle rolled in crushed, salted pretzels YUM!-- to the Black Sesame Tahini--sesame tahini filling with honey and black sesame seeds...brilliant! to the "Truffle" Truffle which features 70% dark chocolate ganache infused with white truffle oil...simply rich and savory! Each one is as crazy good as the next! OMG this chocolate rocks! He's the new kid on the block so you can say you were one of the first in the know before he blows way up! 

  Crown Jewels

There's nothing like art royalty featured on packaging to make me want want want it! Ligne Blanche offers these brilliant little tins of chocolate pearls featuring the art of Andy Warhol, Keith Herring and the awesome Jean-Michel Basquiat. What a great item to place next to your stack of art+design books. 

Sample Size
There may be times when you find yourself weighing your options: the chocolate cake? or that killer dress? The answer isn't always so simple especially for a chocolate lover. Author Debby Maugans has our backs! Her sample sized desserts are just enough to indulge without creating the bulge and most recipes call for just a tiny bit of ingredients like one egg, so they're easy to whip up in a pinch. I loved her first book, I thought that baking out of tin cans was a brilliant way to recycle while creating adorable little portion aware cakes. Needless to say, I was over zealous when I learned of the chocolate lovers release! Pick up a copy and shred those spanks!

Flight Of Fancy

In 1600, in the spirit of expansion, Queen Elizabeth I granted a Royal Charter to The East India Company. The company was sent East to explore. They returned with magical flavors that would change the West's palate forever. I feel like the Queen herself seated in front of a box of chocolate treasure packaged so artfully that it resembles an old tome that could belong to The Royal Collection itself. The confections inside feature flavors such as Creme Rose, Hazel Praline and Cafe Latte and reflect a heritage of quality and tradition along with a new found sense of adventure. My favorite among the truffles happens to be the Mimosa: cream, marc de champagne and orange essence. The taste is so right on it should be served in a flute! 

 
C Is For Cookie
so I've been totally obsessed with cookies as of late specifically Momofuku Milkbar's chocolate- chocolate variety. Also Vosges' Naga cookie is brilliant. Fans of the Vosges Naga chocolate bar know that the sublime combination between chocolate, coconut and curry is a winner. The soft, chocolate chip, coconut, curry cookie's base is cake-like pumpkin which really carries the spice well. The cookies are only available in store for now and the sales staff exhorts you to eat them asap. Not a problem! I don't have an image, mostly because I forget to take one, wrapped up in the moment I suppose. Here's an image via Munichbavaria.

The Mane Event

To celebrate my little Leo's first birthday, I went with a lion theme. I found this awesome lion cupcake design from Coco Cupcakes. I had Tonnie's Minis in Harlem execute them in buttercream with the multi-colored ears and chocolate manes of course! They were definitely a hit, even if a little beat up from the ride to the Sag Harbor. I assume the design from Coco Cupcakes uses fondant so the design looks much cleaner, but I prefer the taste of buttercream!

Married Well

It's no secret that I'm nuts about toffee especially when coupled with chocolate. I'm equally inspired by a great family recipe: "It's my husband's," says Lisa Schalk whose been in the biz of making heirloom toffee with hubby Jim for the past 6 years. I was especially lured by the white chocolate macadamia which Lisa describes as "addictive." I'm gonna have to agree. The classic toffee is perfectly crunchy, buttery and smooth, packed with generous chunks of macadamia, then layered between delicious white chocolate. It sticks to your teeth. Grab a box at Toffee To Go.

Fine Print
These cute little ‘printable chocolates’ by Jamie Wieck can help you seal the deal by impressing the lucky recipient with originality and wit. The chocolate pegs are arranged inside the box so that when the top is closed, they print a word or customized message inside the top. The chocolate is especially formulated with a low melting point in order to enable the printing to take place. Although still in the concept phase, wouldn’t it be nice to surprise someone with a box of these next Valentine’s? It does bring new meaning to the phrase ‘say it with chocolate’. Via designmilk.

Not For Noobs

Someone in the Chocolate Nerd camp ate my shiitake mushroom truffle...I believe the culprit is 11 years old and was caught red handed with a mouth full of truffle and a scowl when he exclaimed "Yuck! What kind of chocolate is this!? Gail Ambrosius' Adventurous Collection is not for everyone. I was looking forward to experiencing the earthy 65% Peruvian chocolate and the chewy bits of dried shiitake first hand, le sigh. I spent a minute or two savoring what was left in the box: Lemongrass with Ginger, Cinnamon/Cayenne and Sweet Curry with Saffron which I quite enjoyed. The rich, 55% Hawaiian chocolate ganache is intensely flavored with sweet curry, coconut bits and an unexpected touch of saffron. It was a taste experience rich with dazzling, sophisticated flavor for the grownup palate. Not for Noobs as the little Chocolate Nerd would say.

Yumtastic
"Awesomeness" is the word an 11 year old chocolate nerd used to describe the taste of Qbel's selection of all natural chocolate treats created by a husband and wife team with the kiddies in mind. The entire selection from the Belgian milk chocolate crispy rice bars made in the Netherlands to the crunchy, crispy peanut butter wafer rolls taste pretty good. Best of all, you can pack your kids lunch with a treat they'll enjoy sans artificial anything. As a new mom, I can totally dig that.

Stir It Up
I find these Hotchocspoons from Netherlands based Chocolate Company super clever. Just stir into a mug of warm milk and voila! you have a nice hot mug full of happiness. The spoons come in flavors such as Praline & Nougat and Brownie but the Strawberry & Pink Pepper white chocolate caught my eye. They'd make fantastic stocking stuffers. via coolhunting.

Spread Love
Your dwindling holiday gift budget will be easier to swallow once you learn that Sucre is donating a percentage of their seasonal sales to the LA/SPCA this year. There's nothing like win/win gift giving to put you in a festive mood...oh and uh smooth eggnog, gingerbread and candy cane truffles help too.

How I See It
Everyone loves chocolate so you really can't go wrong when searching for the perfect inexpensive holiday gift for associates, grab bags and difficult to please loved ones. It's especially great for people like Grandma who rants and raves when she feels like you spent way too much and complains that she "already has everything and doesn't need a new blender because her blender from the 1950s works perfectly well." In her case, I'd go for a tin of decent toffee or a box of grandma approved assorted chocolate. Why go though the trouble to save those gift receipts when no one in their right mind would ever dare have you return a box of perfectly fine chocolate. Happy Shopping!

Free Coco
In time for hot coco season Caribou Coffee is adding Guittard drinking chocolate to their menu. I'm more excited about the take home tins as I prefer to drink my hot chocolate in the comfort of my own home. If chillin' in coffee houses still floats your boat you can catch the launch festivities on November 27th where free samples and buy-one-get-one free mochas and hot chocolates will flow.

Reese's Dark Peanut Butter Cups Giveaway!
Use Twitter to tell us why you should be one of three winners to receive four two-packs and two bags of miniatures. Link to your tweet in the blog comments. Three best tweets win! Good Luck!

What a Gem!

A fellow Chocolate Nerd just asked what one should eat while avoiding refined sugars. Xan Confections Wholly Cacao Caramel collection is an exciting option. Made with agave nectar, they're completely delicious without compromising decadence. Flavors include espresso almond, coconut pecan and banana foster. Best of all, they're completely fabulous in their gorgeous jewel tones.

Fly Me To The Moon!
It's been 40 years since the Apollo 11 crew landed on the moon in the Lunar Lander. To commemorate, Los Angeles based ChoclatiQue has created a special edition collection of Moon Rocks with flavors like Apollo Almond and Mission Control Fig. I'm completely excited about Nasa's Orion Spacecraft which is set to shuttle a new generation of explorers to the moon. Infact, we may live to see space colonies and moon tourism in our lifetime. Nasa's Constellation Program hopes to establish a human outpost on the moon by 2020! Check this out.

A Girl's Best Friend? Not So Much
I just received this email from Mervis Diamond. Apparently their attempt is to use 2 tbs. of chocolate mousse and 1 organic blackberry to peddle a 2 carat diamond. It can all be yours for just $18,000. Considering that in this economy chocolate is one of our last affordable luxuries I find this strategy completely preposterous. Not to mention that that is the most unappetizing chocolate looking thing I've ever seen.

Brilliant Brittle
I've been all about toffee, chocolate and nuts as of late so I was thrilled when Jer's sent over a few packs of their Chocolate Covered Peanut Brittle Bites. My favorite was the Coco Nutty hands down. Think buttery peanut brittle covered in dark chocolate then sprinkled with coconut flakes. The brittle center tastes more like a smooth, peanut flavored toffee rather than a classic peanut brittle with whole nuts but it works well. Also, if you're into chocolate in your peanut butter then Jer's Original Peanut Butter IncrediBars--which were devoured within the hour by my dear friends-- are also definitely worth a try. I would even go as far to say that they almost rival the traditional Reeses in terms of satisfaction.

Ties Vs Toffee

If your debating what to get dad for Father's Day, let me give you a little tip--the same old ten dollar necktie is a pretty lame idea while a box of Enstrom's Almond Toffee would kick the tie's behind and look pretty handsome sitting on dad's wooden desk. The toffee is made with only four ingredients-California almonds, sweet cream butter, pure cane sugar and milk chocolate. Then it's finished with a powdery coating of crushed almonds. The result is extremely almondy, not overly chocolatey, definitely awesome. 

Creamy Dreamy Caramels
Amella's Artisan Cocoa Butter Caramels are nice and buttery, rich with flavor and made from wholesome ingredients. The flavors are awesome. Seen here are Passion Fruit, Black Forest (made with cherries and 70% dark chocolate) and Carrot Cake-which really hits the spot with fresh carrots, toasted pecans and unsalted butter. Each is crowned with a dollop of frosting made of creamy white or milk chocolate. They remind me of quaint little petit fours and the packaging is even more elegant, making Amella the perfect gift for a very lucky caramel enthusiast.

I'm a Barbie Girl!
The original synthetic diva turned 50 this year. In homage to her fabulousness, UK based Hotel Chocolat created this fantastically girly Barbie Chocolate Box. It features Barbie inspired flavors such as strawberry, vanilla and caramel in hot pink, pink and even more pink! I want it!!!

That's Rich!
I've actually been bribed in life with a John-Georges Vongerichten Warm, Soft Chocolate Cake. I'm not kidding. His original recipe calls for bittersweet Valrhona but when I have extra bounty laying around, it's fun to experiment. This time I merged together a few Jembrana origin bars from award winning Amano and Costa Rican Rainforest Alliance bars from the Chocolate Truffle Company of the UK. Together, they made for a super decadent, complex, cake, although I'd add a small amount of extra sugar next time.

Juiced on Java
The hilarious ads for Zaini Chocolate's Kofli, coffee bean candies feature an overly caffeinated Easter Bunny and friends. I'm sure we could all use an extra perk! You can find the Italian candies here.

TCHO is Nerdy!
A bunch of chocolate loving tech geeks from San Fran got together to create TCHO, their very own luxury chocolate operation. The name is a hybrid of technology + chocolate. Their approach to chocolate sourcing, packaging, production and tasting is totally geeky--providing us with long, technical reports on sourcing, formulations and tasting techniques. They even created their own flavor wheel which organizes the flavors inherently found in chocolate. I'm especially fond of the packaging which is based on algorithmic guilloche patterns. I'm trying to get my hands on a few of their bars asap. I'm certain they'll make me smarter. Via The DIELINE.

Chocolate Lab
My girlfriend just rescued a Labrador pup from some backstreet in Mexico. I think I'll send her a few of these cute little pooches from Martine's Chocolates to welcome the little guy home. Dog lovers, these chocolate canines also come in Chihuahua, Bulldog, Cocker Spaniel and just about any other purebred you can imagine. I think you have to special order the mutts...

Cookware for Chocolate Nerds
Preparing chocolate inspired dishes generally requires the use of tools that you normally wouldn’t use for everyday cooking. Chocolate is a very particular food and special care must be taken to insure that it is prepared properly. Here are a few simple kitchen tools and dinnerware that no chocolate lover should be without.
Hot Chocolate Maker Hot chocolate can be prepared in a variety of different ways. While some people are content simply mixing cocoa powder and hot water, I prefer to brew hot chocolate with a ceramic hot chocolate maker. These makers whip milk and cocoa together into a creamy and frothy decedent beverage whose taste cannot be beat. Hot chocolate made the way it was meant to be, in a traditional hot chocolate maker, puts modern microwave style chocolate to shame.
Double Boiler I love to melt chocolate to use in cakes and brownies or to cover pastries or cookies but without a double boiler this feat is almost impossible. Simply boiling chocolate in a standard pan will burn and harden the chocolate, making it difficult to spread or cover foods. A double boiler will heat chocolate to the optimum temperature, keeping it at a consistency that allows for drizzling, spreading, and dipping.
Fondue Pots Fondue is a popular party dish that is as much fun to eat as it is delicious. While some people prefer to melt cheese to accent meats and breads, chocolate fondue is the only decadent option. By heating and keeping chocolate at a deviously creamy consistency, your friends will love dipping assorted fruits into the pot for a luscious after dinner treat. Fruits like strawberries, bananas, apples, raspberries, and many other foods can be paired with chocolate to create mouth-watering flavor combos.

Goodness Grace-ous!
I'm sure a ton of people have wanted a piece of Grace Jones for years. Now they can sink their teeth right into her dark chocolate with this life sized chocolate replica molded directly from the iconic diva's actual body parts. I'm in awe. Leave it to Grace Jones to do this! More here.

Space Case
I've been feeling way spacey recently. I'm certain a box of these solar system inspired truffles would beam me back down to Earth. Too bad they're all the way from Barcelona, may as well be from Pluto:(

My Type Of Keyboard
My recent post on Kohler confections made me wonder what other companies would do with chocolate. Someone totally beat Apple to this one! Found via gizmodo.

Pamamania
I'm huge fan of all things pomegranate. I love the antioxident goodness in Pom Wonderful. There's my favorite Gus Dry Pomegranate soda, and when I'm feeling really grown up, I reach for Pama liquor. So when I learned of their limited edition collab with Garrison Chocolates just imagine my excitement! All the chocolates are laced with Pama, but each with one of three flavor variations: Pama Tart-layered ganache and graham cracker crust--Pama Cosmo--chocolate, vodka, and lime juice and my favorite--Nutty Pama-roasted nuts.

Hob Knob
Kohler, the people who make faucets, have set a very intriguing precedence with their luxury chocolate collection. It's obvious that their keen eye for design translates marvelously to chocolate as these are just about my favorite truffles-- aesthetically speaking. Such high gloss little works of art. They look like beautiful buttons or even knobs. At first I didn't know whether to play with them or eat them. Glad I caved as the coconut and hazelnut are amazingly yumtastic. I wonder what companies like Apple or BMW would do with chocolate?

Check Mate 

This handsome chess set from Astor chocolate consists of 96 pieces of solid milk and dark chocolate. And while it will set you back $175 bucks, how much fun would it be to gobble up the opponents Queen? 

Pop's Shop
During his travels to Champaign, IL my father encountered Rubens Chocolates and hasn't stopped raving since. So today I celebrate the man who I can thank for my healthy appreciation for chocolate by eating an entire box of what he considers the best handmade Belgian Chocolate available. This kind of endorsement means much coming from a highly opinionated Aquarius who to my amusement scoffs at most. Happy Birthday Dad!

Cholivetini
The classic martini has its olive and apple martinis have their apple slice while chocolate martini lovers have pretty much been left out in the cold. Milwaukee based Cholives must of recognized the void as they've created the perfect garnish for our drink of choice. Their 55% dark chocolate is formed in the shape of a dimpled olive then filled with creamy ganache. The portable tin comes with your very own bunch of skewers. Rejoice!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Think I'm officially psychic. Was thinking that I wanted something yummy for Valentine's day from my favorite New Orleans shop. Before I could place the order, these gorgeous, iridescent, gem-like hearts filled with raspberry, grand coeur and rose scented ganache arrived at my door. It's great to be loved!

A Better Butter Cup
The world of designer chocolate sees plenty of classic flavor combos get modern gourmet makeovers. Until now no one had successfully remixed the peanut butter cup. Not only are Los Angeles based Ococoa's dark chocolate butter cups sexy, they're presented in an elegant brown box and feature a variety of killer nut butters, jams and exotic flavors. Almond butter with Morello cherries, pistachio butter with sweet dates and sesame butter layered with figs are so ridiculously delicious that a simple review wouldn't suffice. I had to get the full scoop from Ococoa's owner, Diana Malouf in a Q&A session:

CN: When did you start making chocolate?

DM: I always loved baking. About 10 years ago I started making truffles and would make them for friends for Christmas. I got bored making truffles one year and decided to try making peanut butter cups. They were a hit. So my mind starting swimming with ideas and being of Middle-Eastern descent I drew on the flavors I grew up enjoying and turned them into the butter cups I now sell.

CN: The butter cups are gorgeous, do you have culinary or artistic training or was creating with chocolate a hobby that came naturally?

DM: Working with chocolate started out as a hobby and a desire to make food that people enjoyed. It took years of practice, trial-and-error to hone my skills. I don't know if I have a natural talent, but I know I have always had an inclination toward working with desserts.

CN: Why peanut butter cups?

DM: I love peanut butter and chocolate together but it seems like the selection on the market is just too sweet. I had to make something that I enjoyed eating. And being creative, I couldn't stop with just peanuts.

Handy Candy
Boy Scout or not, we should all "Be Prepared" to dive into this Swiss Army concept chocolate made of hazelnut praline. Perhaps it's the perfect gift for the chocolate loving MacGyver fan in your life?

Pixel Perfect
These adorable custom chocolates from Decochoco of Japan were designed by the bridegroom for his pixel-themed wedding. You have to check out the pixel-flower wedding cake and a break down of the lovely event here.

A Piece of the Pie
Give the bean counter in your life a better chart to feast their eyes on with this Chocolate Pie Chart from Mary & Matt. The clever confection is broken down into 70% Milk Chocolate, 20% Dark and 10% White. But none of those boring stats would seem to matter much while stuffing yummy chocolate into your pie hole.

Live Richly!
Chocolate is an essential part of coping with troubling times. In fact, the New York Times recently reported that casualties of the financial downturn are craving chocolate fudge sundaes. It makes sense, chocolate is one of the few affordable luxuries left. If you managed to salvage $6.25 from your 401K, a bar of Patric Chocolate is a great way to spend it. Each bar comes with a ten-step guideline that will transform your dining room into an oppulent tasting. I love Tip #5: "Smell the chocolate; it should smell fresh and full of aromas such as: cocoa, roasted nuts, fruit, coffee, vegetal-like aromas, tobacco, and others." And just in case you weren't sure about the notes of tobacco you thought you tasted, a description of the complex flavors present in each bar is printed on the package. When the "Lively notes of plum preserves" dance with "fruits rouges and enticing hints of butter-hazelnut toffee" on your tongue, I promise, you'll feel rich again in no time.

Sagmeister Bar

Like chocolate, journaling can be stimulating and deeply personal, or in the case of graphic design superstar Stefan Sagmeister, deeply public. This chocolate bar is part of the creativity sparked by a personal, reflective list written in Sagmeister's diary. The list soon evolved into a series of very public, interactive works of art. If you're in need of some introspection or inspiration, check out Things I Have Learned In My Life, So Far. The creative project encourages reflection, journaling and offers more than a few nuggets of wisdom to chew on.