Meet Choffy, Brewed Hot Chocolate

As you know, Sisters and Brothers, we in The Chocolate Cult are a volunteer group of folks who try to describe our experiences with chocolate of all sorts using our five senses.  Our goals are to help you determine what you want to buy and put in your body as well as expose you to variety in all areas of chocolate culture.  Choffy is a fairly new product that we had the pleasure of trying out

Snickers Dark Bar

The final candy bar from the trio of new variety bars I found at our larger, nearby CVS.  If you have been reading from the beginning of The Chocolate Cult and have a very, very good memory, the Snickers Dark may ring a bell. This isn't so new but I think when I last reviewed it, it was so long ago and didn't impress that much that I forgot.  So I'm going to look at it again and see if I like it

Old Time Candy Part 3

Today is part 3 of our four part series looking at the variety available from Old Time Candy.  Today we'll look at 8 more chocolate candy bars because Easter was just last weekend.  Sisters and Brothers, that I'm sure some of you will recall and some of you may have eaten all ready this year but I hope you'll discover something "new" that is actually a fairly old candy.  Remember, that Old Time

Recipe: Cinnamon Chocolate Chip Coffee Cake

Recipes are rare here on The Chocolate Cult. Let's be blunt our primary goal has been and continues to be the pursuit of chocolate in Moderation and with A Purpose.  We review products so that you don't have to spend money just to try it out.  Every now and again we do a cookbook review and sometimes when that happens your Chocolate Priestess gets inspired and wants to share a recipe.

Today is "

Protein Drink Recall from Odwalla

Odwalla, Inc. Issues Nationwide Allergy Alert On Chocolate Protein Monster Beverage


Contact:

Consumer:
Odwalla Inc.
1-800-639-2552

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - April 5, 2012 -Odwalla, Inc. is recalling Odwalla Chocolate Protein Monster beverage in 12-oz and 32-oz bottles, with “enjoy by” dates prior to and including 23 MAY 2012, because of reports from consumers allergic to peanuts and/or tree

DOVE Dark Chocolate for Baking

Do you remember, Sisters and Brothers, our interview in January with Food Network's Claire Robinson?  If not or if you want to review that, you may do so here.  Today we are going to feature one of the three types of chocolate bars we were sent for that interview and giveaway using one of Claire Robinson's own recipes: "Flourless DOVE Dark Chocolate Lover's Cake."  Her recipe only calls for two

National Caramel Day (with Chocolate)

In March we had National Chocolate Caramel Day on the 19th while this month, today, the fifth of April, we have simply National Caramel Day.  Whether the chocolate is part of the caramel or surrounding it, your Chocolate Priestess tends to really like the combination.  I prefer the buttery caramel with darker chocolate while I like the tangy variety with either milk or dark chocolate; I don't

Crunch Bunny 2012

Easter is fast approaching and while it is too late to order fancier gifts without paying a hefty fee, you may still be able to find treats at big stores in your area.  We've looked at a few of these all ready so I want to end this year's Easter reviews with a big bunny from a well-known mass chocolate maker in the world: Nestlé.  I'm talking about their Crunch bunny that I hope you can because I

Gifts of Chocolate Paper Part 1

As you know, from time to time here on The Chocolate Cult we talk about labor, agriculture, trade, health, your rights as a consumer, and charities that are associated with chocolate.  While we primarily feature food or drink in our Sacraments, we do include other products from time to time.  Today I want to share some of the interesting chocolate paper products we were sent by the Cocoa Paper

Chocolate in April 2012

There are not that many fun food holidays for chocolate in April but we do have Easter this year for western Christians on April 8th and for the Greek Orthodox tradition on the 15th of April.

Here are some other fun food holidays you might want to note that you could use Chocolate to mark.  If you know of any others, please leave a comment and let us know.

April 3 = on this day in 1892 the Ice

A Cadbury Easter

My UK readers will know Cadbury and I think a fair number of my North American readers will as well.  Cadbury is a fairly old name in chocolate.  Today, in time for Easter we're going to look at two treats I found in our nearby stores.  One of them is the Cadbury Egg and one is a Milk Chocolate Bunny.  I found these are our Target store, I didn't see them any where else and that surprised me

MilkyWay Simply Caramel Bar

Remember my trip to CVS where I said I found some newer varieties of old favorites, Sisters and Brothers?  Well today I'm going to review the second of these three bars for you all: the MilkyWay Simply Caramel bar.  MilkyWays traditionally have what in them?  Chocolate coating, nougat, and some caramel, right?  So this then should be the same bar without the nougat.  Some folks like that nougat

Totally Chocolate Easter Basket

Taraluna has a close relationship with Sjaak's and this means they carry a lot of Sjaak's products day in and day out, but especially for the holidays.  Easter 2012 is no exception and they sent us this adorable little Easter basket made by Sjaak's.  As you can see it is a milk chocolate basket, a milk chocolate bunny, and in this photo you see two of the three milk chocolate eggs as well as a

Peeps & Whoppers Easter 2012

To start off the general product reviews for 2012's Easter, let's look at two treats: Peeps and Whoppers.  This review was pre-written around Easter last year so you'll need to tell me, Sisters and Brothers, if you have seen these treats this year.

Peeps are those color marshmallow treats that I always saw around Easter time and then no other.  In the past decade they've started making Peeps for

Recipe: Green Velvet Mint Chocolate Cupcakes

It isn't St. Patrick's Day any more, that was two days ago.  I debated whether or not I should write this post or pre-write it for next year.  Then I realized that I see other blogging re-promote old posts all the time so I can always remind you of this post next year, too.  My ancestors were Irish, some of them, but since we aren't Catholic we never did anything particularly sacred for the date.

Italian Easter Bunny

For one final featured review, we turn again to PastaCheese before Easter for a lovely selection of holiday chocolates. Your Chocolate Priestess lived in Italy from August 1990 to May 1991, my junior year of college, and my spring break was right before Easter; just like this year though I don't have spring break any more.  I don't recall seeing chocolate bunnies when I wandered around Sicily

MARS Easter Options 2012

We've seen egg shaped and bunny shaped candies for Easter since probably before your Chocolate Priestess was born in 1969.  Today I want to look at two MARS treats that I have seen available in our local stores for years now.  This post was pre-written last Easter so that I've have things for you to read before the fabulous Sacraments we've been featuring as we approach Easter 2012.  As always,

3 Musketeers Truffle Crisp Bar

Not long ago I saw a few new varieties of some candy bars I grew up eating on sale in one of our nearby CVS stores.   We have two of these places within a mile of my house and they are much more an a block and a half apart.  I'm surprised they have survived for years now but depending on the direction you are traveling maybe it is easier to get to one over the other.  One is certainly larger

Old Time Candy Part 2

This Saturday Sacrament returns to that huge "Chocolate Lovers Box" from Old Time Candy.  There will be two more featured reviews to follow but today we're going to focus on 10 more candy bars from the collection that I hope some of you, Sisters and Brothers, will have a few comments about.  Our first foray into this four part review talked about the purpose of this shop but today I want to let

International Women's Day & Chocolate

In the Western world we often think that chocolate is more a woman and girl's treat than for boys and men, yet we have many volunteers, readers, and commenters here on The Chocolate Cult who prove that men love chocolate, too.  In fact most of the world's chocolatiers of the highest rank are male yet we've had wonderful chocolates from female chocolatiers from North, Central, and South America.  

Recipe: White Chocolate Cheesecake Brownies

Today is "National White Chocolate Cheesecake" and one of our readers, Sister Coleen H. recommended a white chocolate raspberry recipe. Since I'm not a big raspberry fan and frankly needed something a bit more simple with my arm, I used the website she recommended, All Recipes.com, and just wasn't happy with all the recipes there.

I also didn't want to go shopping.  I had an MRI on Thursday

Lindt Chocolate Spoons

Once more from the Lindt R.S.V.P. program, Amy Sue sent us something very adorable to reveal to you all today.  Remember the chocolate spoons we did not too long ago.  Those were made by an Italian chocolatier who is credited with creating the idea of a chocolate coffee spoon; as we saw they can be used in other ways.  These little spoons, Amy Sue sent us eight of them, are made in the Lindt

Leap into Chocolate in March

We get an extra day this year, today, Leap Day, so I tried to be clever with my title for this look ahead post for March 2012.

Easter is early this year but it still isn't until April so we have all of March ahead of us to celebrate with chocolate.  At this point we have three specific features lined up for you all from Old Time Candy, Taraluna, and Lindt R.S.V.P. and some filler features if no

"Cocoa Station" in Kirby's Epic Yarn

I haven't done a video review yet on the Chocolate Cult.  I've looked at books, TV shows, movies, even board games but not video games yet there are some that have chocolate in them or which are created around chocolate themes.  I have to finish that Chocolatier series!

Two weekends ago my husband came back from his lunch with his friends and from going shopping at Sam's Club.  Besides milk and

240 Sweet Hot Cocoa

You know that 240Sweet makes artisan marshmallows if you've been reading us for a while because we've done at least two features about their creations.  Now they have a new chocolate product that was perfectly timed for this backlash of cold weather where your Chocolate Priestess lives: Hot Cocoa Mix.  This is the "Ultra Rich Blend" that comes in an 8oz bag that looks exactly like the bags

What Do You Want in 2012?

The end of February is fast approaching even if we get an extra day this year.  We have now been writing this blog for three years and your Chocolate Priestess thinks it is time to ask you, Sisters and Brothers, what you want us to talk about, research, or try in the future.

So please leave a comment and give your opinion.

You could say "more holiday reviews" or "more historical information" or

Presidents and Chocolate

A note from my contact at MARS reminded me that we named the American Heritage Chocolate as our best of 2011 and that chocolate has a long history in the USA.  So since today is Presidents' Day (or George Washington's Birthday) let's talk about chocolate and the presidents of the USA.


The first president, George Washington (1789-1797), apparently loved to have a warm chocolate cream with his

Chocolate Spoons #1

Have you heard of chocolate spoons, Sisters and Brothers? They are also called chocolate coffee spoons or simply coffee spoons followed by a flavor since primarily they are marketed as a way to add some chocolate to a cup of coffee.  Since your Chocolate Priestess is not a coffee drinker I had never heard of these before I received two different sets of chocolate spoons (from two companies and

Valentine's Choco Celebrations 2012

So tonight, or yesterday evening since I bet most will see this on the 15th, I made a lot of treats for my Valentines -- I have two!  Ok, I made two of the three things that I had out for us of a dessert nature.

The first was this cake and a dozen cupcakes -- not chocolate, per request.  Frankly why do I love this boy when he isn't terribly fond of chocolate? Oh, yes, cause we never have to

Chocolate! Chocolate! 2012 Review

Yesterday as a pre-Valentine's Day treat for myself and my hubby we went to Chocolate! Chocolate! for the second time.  Last year had been our first time and some of you may remember I did a photo review of the event afterwards.  Today I'm doing the same thing.

This event benefits the Brown County Humane Society here in Indiana and it the organization that puts on the Chocolate Walk that we

Old Time Candy Part 1

This is the first of a four part featured review for our friends at Old Time Candy.  An online store that specializes in keeping candy favorites from the past century plus around for us all to enjoy.  Let's face it, healthy or not, a good habit or not, many of us associate a more carefree attitude about candy with our childhoods.  We got these at holidays, for rewards, at parties, sometimes just

Valentine's Wrap Up 2012

Sisters and Brothers, Valentine's Day is only six days away now so I thought it would be a good time to recap the features we've done and get  your feedback on them.  I really do want your feedback!





Who can forget the beautiful box of chocolates from Chocolats du CaliBressan?
















Or our features on the Slitti Collection -- Part 1 and Part 2?












Lindt had that excellent

Chocolate Recalls for 2/5/12

As happens all too often here on Sundays, I feel it is my duty to you all, Sisters and Brothers, to pass along any food or drink recalls from the U.S. Food $ Drug Administration that are related to chocolate.  There are only two today and not of them seem to be related to Valentine's Day -- go back and look over our Sacraments since the beginning of the year to see some good and not so good

Lindt Dark Chocolate Selection

Lindt has a special R.S.V.P. Program where you can find speciality products from them year around.  One of their consultants, Amy Sue, sent us several samples of these items and today I want to reveal the "Dark Chocolate Selection" while you still have time to order it before Valentine's Day, now a mere 10 days away, Sisters and Brothers.  There are 14 pieces in this 5.11 oz collection with a

Valentine's Treat & Charity for Animals 2012

Last year you may recall that your Chocolate Priestess went to another chocolate themed charity event for the Brown County Humane Society in Nashville, Indiana.  I posted a bunch of photos after the event and did a little review.  We has so much fun, that my hubby and I have got out tickets to the event, called Chocolate! Chocolate!, again which happens on February 12, 2012, in the Season's Lodge

February Chocolate 2012

The entire month is a Chocolate Celebration literally called the "Celebration of Chocolate Month!"

You ready to celebrate every day not just these special fun food holidays, Sisters and Brothers?

February 1 = National Dark Chocolate Day -- 70% and above for your Chocolate Priestess is best

February 5 = National Chocolate Fondue Day -- potentially romantic, too

February 5/6 =  World Nutella

Kissable Chocolate Lips

Chocolate can be used for a lot of things and in 2011 we started reviewing products that were not food nor drink but body care items.  Just in time for Valentine's Day 2012, the folks from indi chocolate sent us a five pack of their "Chocolate Lips" -- lip balms made with chocolate and cocoa absolute with added flavors for the different varieties as well as coconut oil, shea butter, olive oil,

Book Review: The Treats Truck Baking Book

Near the end of 2011 I received two cookbooks to review via the Amazon Vine Program and today I want to share my evaluation of one of these books. The Treats Truck Baking Book: Cookies, Brownies & Goodies Galore!is a fairly small book of only 159 pages from start to finish, you might expect a lot more given the long title, huh?

The Treats Truck can be found in Brooklyn, New York, so not far from

French Chocolate for Valentine's Day 2012

Many European nations boast of a particular style, taste, or formula for their chocolate.  Europeans can do that because they are the ones, one people at a time, often one chocolatier at a time, who took what the native Central American populations did with cacao and turned it into the chocolate that we know and love.  What do you do if you don't have that tradition because you're in the good old

Chocolate Heart Box For Valentines 2012

Heart shaped boxes are popping up everywhere in the USA as Valentine's Day is now only a little over three weeks away.  Originally created back in the 19th century, chocolate boxes allowed chocolatiers to sell a selection of what they created and allowed the giver to present it in a decorated box.  The heart-shaped chocolate box seems to have appeared soon after the turn of the 20th century and

Slitti Selection of Pralines Part 2

This is our second featured review of the Slitti Selection of Praline's box from PastaCheese.  We looked at 8 pieces on Saturday and so we'll finish the final 8 today with a bit of help from some of our Acolytes.  Five of the reminding eight pieces have something added to them that your Chocolate Priestess doesn't really love -- coconut, coffee, tea -- rather than just tell you that each piece

Meet Claire Robinson & Win DOVE Chocolate

Sisters and Brothers, your Chocolate Priestess has an amazing opportunity to do a very high profile interview with one of the stars of The Food Network.  I'm sure many of you watch this cable challenge and I'm betting many of you have seen Claire Robinson's show 5 Ingredient Fix or the show she hosts called Food Network Challenge.  DOVE Chocolate offered me the opportunity to conduct an interview

Chocolate Recalls 01.15.12

Sorry to have to bring these recalls to your attention, Sisters and Brothers but I want you all to stay safe if you are in the USA.  I get these from the U.S. Food & Drug Administration's weekly summaries.  Keep your eyes and ears alert for recalls during the week so you have the most up to date information.



D.F. Stauffer Biscuit Co., Inc. Issues Allergy Alert and Voluntary Recall on Safeway

Slitti Selezione di Praline Part 1

Valentine's Day is approaching and you may not be thinking that far ahead but the chocolatiers and companies who send us products to review for you all, certainly must think this far ahead.  Today we are looking at another product you can find at the website of PastaCheese, one box of Selezione di Praline from Slitti, a Tuscany chocolate company started in 1969.  Starting in 1993, their head chef

Semi-Homemade Recipe: Peanut Butter Chocolate Chips Bars

I'm sure you've all heard the phrase "semi-homemade," right, Sisters and Brothers.  Magazines, websites, even books are put out giving recipes about using mixes and pre-made food items into something else by twisting the directions, adding extra ingredients, or using it in different ways.  We review a lot of products here on The Chocolate Cult because part of our goal is to help you spend your

Toffee for National English Toffee Day

Where do you expect to find English toffee, Sisters and Brothers, to help you celebrate "National English Toffee Day" which tomorrow, January 8th?  If you live in the UK it will probably be easy to find or even makes some from a family recipe.  For the rest of us, we may have to turn to other sources and some of these combine our Sacred Substance with the toffee.  One such place is Brooke's Candy

Heath vs. Skor

In two days time we're going to look at some chocolate covered English toffees in time for the "National English Toffee Day" on January 8th.  But today we're going to look at two readily available check out line "toffee" candy bars here in the USA.  We're calling this our "Heath vs. Skor" match and if the response is good, maybe we'll do more of these comparisons in the future, Sisters and

January in Chocolate 2012

So sorry, Sisters and Brothers, that this post is so late.  The end of the year and the beginning has been a challenge with my continued arm injury and resulting very limited writing as well as a death in the extended family.

So without further waiting, here are the fun food holidays you can mark with chocolate this month.  Let me know if you have others (along with links to information about

American Heritage Chocolate: The Best Chocolate of 2011

In the past it has been relatively easy for your Chocolate Priestess to select the "best" of the past year and I did that on the last Saturday of 2009 and 2010.  This year, however, was more of a challenge because of the quality and variety of chocolate we've been privileged to feature here on The Chocolate Cult.  We have written 67 featured reviews in 2011 covering retailers, small independent

New Year Starts with Recalls

Here we are, only one day into 2012, and your Chocolate Priestess has one recall to share with you to help keep you and your loved ones safe.
Maribel Sweet’s Inc. Recalls Their New York Handbag Collection Gourmet Chocolate Candies Due To Undeclared Tree Nuts And Peanuts12/23/2011 05:32 PM EST

Maribel’s Sweets Inc. of New York, is recalling its New York Handbag Collection gourmet chocolate