It’s not like I need another reason to eat chocolate. But if I were looking for one, I think the South Korean company Lotte might have found it. Probiotic chocolate. Or more specifically, Lactic acid bacteria - (lactobacillales) fortified chocolate.

In Japanese it’s called nyuusankin, and I’ve seen the characters written on all kinds of foods throughout the years. But it was just recently, while poking around the impulse item shelf of my local supermarket waiting to check out, I spotted this box. Of course, I bought it with very little internal debate, even less guilt. I mean, chocolate, right? Healthy chocolate.

I went home and searched around online to see what I could find out about Sweets Days Nyusankin Chocola Almond. It only gets better folks. These little chocolate covered almond nuggets of goodness also contain polyphenols and fiber.

Lotte, you don’t have to try so hard, you had me at lactic acid bacteria.

Photo: Thersa Matsuura Read the rest

When my son was very young, he referred to S'Mores as "ores," as in, "I really want an ore. Can we make some ores?" We always laughed but apparently the original name is indeed a "Some More," at least according to the 1927 edition of the Girl Scout manual "Tramping and Trailing with the Girl Scouts" where the treat was first mentioned. From Smithsonian:

The oldest ingredient in the s’more’s holy trinity is the marshmallow, a sweet that gets its name from a plant called, appropriately enough, the marsh mallow. Marsh mallow, or Althea officinalis, is a plant indigenous to Eurasia and Northern Africa. For thousands of years, the root sap was boiled, strained and sweetened to cure sore throats or simply be eaten as a treat.

The white and puffy modern marshmallow looks much like its ancient ancestor. But for hundreds of years, creation of marshmallows was very time-consuming. Each marshmallow had to be manually poured and molded, and they were a treat that only the wealthy could afford. By the mid-19th century, the process had become mechanized and machines could make them so cheaply that they were included in most penny candy selections.

"Let Us Tell You S’more About America’s Favorite Campfire Treat" (Smithsonian)

image: Kevin Smith/Flickr Read the rest

Pastry chef and Bon Appétit's senior food editor Claire Saffitz has been reverse engineering popular candies like Kit Kats and Skittles in an effort to make her own gourmet versions. For both candies, it's quite the process to recreate artisanal versions of them!

If this is your kind of thing, Saffitz has also tried to recreate junk food like Cheetos and Twinkies.

(digg) Read the rest

Poundland is a British discount retailer where everything costs a pound. Thameslink is a British railroad operator suffering from freqently late or cancelled services. Ferrero Rocher is an inexpensive but fancy chocolate snack famously marketed with the line "Why, ambassador, with these Rocher you are spoiling us."

Last week, a traveler mocked Thameslink by tweeting a photo of its sad cancellation-strewn departure board with the quip "Why, Ambassador ... with this fine service you are really spoiling us."

Thameslink, in a tweet later deleted, replied "Very sorry Kevin. Appreciate at the moment the service is less Ferrero Rocher and more Poundland cooking chocolate."

Poundland chocolate responded to defend the quality of their chocolate, issued a legal threat, and suggested that Thameslink travelers might not reach their destination: "You’re ‘off the rails’"

The BBC reports that apologies were subsequently issued. Read the rest

Easter is a busy time for chocolatier Andy Karandzieff (aka "Andy Candy"). He expects to sell over 10K chocolate bunnies this month at his candy shop, a St. Louis institution since 1913.

However, when one of his hand-poured chocolates breaks coming out of its mold, the Crown Candy Kitchen owner doesn't toss it or re-melt the chocolate. He instead takes the broken pieces and starts franken-ing them together, forming "misfit chocolates."

He told KSDK, "You can start getting creative and you get these oddball, misfit things that come out of my demented imagination sometimes."

I wish his shop was closer to me, so I could buy some of his mutant mashups to gift. Easter is on April Fools Day this year, after all (not that I need an excuse). Read the rest

Gabe at H.I.S Survival demonstrates the fascinating process of making chocolate from bean to bar. He also describes some of the many kids of cacao pods and has plenty of tips on how to improve the yields from each batch. Read the rest

I'm a big fan of all the wee things that come out of Leafcutter Designs (previously). Now, for Valentine's Day, they've got tiny packages of TCHO chocolate in their shop. If you order 12 or more of them, you'll also get a 005 Micron pen so you can decorate the little bundles of chocolate-filled joy.

Of course, if you want to mail these out, you'll have to put them in a larger mailer first.

Read the rest

Just when you think they can't make foods any weirder, out comes an unusual crossbreed: a cough reliever/candy bar.

SoraNews24 reports:

Called Kit Kat Nodo Ame Aji, which translates to Kit Kat Cough Drop Flavour, this new chocolate actually delivers a dose of 2.1 percent throat lozenge powder in every serving...

Accompanying the unique release is some equally unusual packaging which features the image of Yasutaro Matsuki, a former national soccer player and manager who’s also well-known for his work as a soccer commentator. His enthusiastic commentary acts as the perfect inspiration for the sweet, which has been designed to support Asahi TV sports broadcasts while helping to soothe the throats of supporters as they cheer for the Japanese soccer team.

Each box, which contains three individually wrapped Kit Kats, features an image of Matsuki yelling out “It’s one more point! Another point!!” alongside a slogan that reads “There’s a battle there that most definitely can’t be lost”, as a nod to the fact that Kit Kat is pronounced “Kitto Katsu” in Japan, which literally translates to “Surely Win”.

If you want to get one, better hurry. The cough drop-flavored Kit Kat is only available until September 5th, and only in Japan.

image via PRTimes Read the rest

With Coco Loko you can snort chocolate, sorry, raw cacao infused with a "special energy blend."

The entrepreneur behind this product, 29-year-old Nick Anderson, said he was inspired by Europe's "chocolate-snorting trend." He told the Washington Post, “At first, I was like, ‘Is this a hoax?' And then I tried it and it was like, okay, this is the future right here.” He then invested $10,000 into creating his own.

The Washington Post reports:

It took about 10 tries over two months to come up with the mixture, which was created by an Orlando-based supplement company.

“Some versions, they just burned too much,” Anderson said. “Other times they looked gray and dull, or didn’t have enough stimulants.”

The effects of the cacao-based powder, he said, last about 30 minutes to an hour, and are “almost like an energy-drink feeling, like you’re euphoric but also motivated to get things done.”

Wondering if it works? Watch this guy's video first:

Gotta have some of that sweet, sweet (well, not that sweet) raw cacao snuff? One 1.25 oz. jar will set you back $19.99.

(Sean Bonner) Read the rest

I've written about Lindt 90% cocoa chocolate before. I try to take some with me on every trip (along with macadamia nuts and beef jerky). Like I wrote earlier, his dark chocolate is surprisingly smooth for a high-cocoa chocolate, and a 40g serving has just 3g of sugar (by comparison, a 40g serving of a Special Dark Hershey bar has 20g of sugar).

It's usually $30 for a 12-pack, but Amazon has a lightning deal right now for $22.19, and the deal is already 53% claimed. I just bought some! Read the rest

Just when I think I have seen it all on Amazon, I am reminded that no, I have not.

Today I learned that you can buy a type of chocolate gift box called 'Edible Anus.'

Yup. Read the rest

A classic English chocolate bar. The finest Japanese wine. Together, at last.

QUESTION: Is it a kit kat that tastes like sake or sake that tastes like a kit kat? ANSWER: hi,it is not sake but sake flavored chocolate.

It is said to contain 0.8% alcohol; turns out that Japan has all sorts of wildly-flavored Kit Kats. If anyone gives them a try, report back for knowledge assimilation. Read the rest

What would you do? Not much if you are my daughter. She offered me the remaining half of hers, not enjoying her few bites. I bought the Heath Bar variety. Read the rest

This ad for UK chocolate brand Maltesers—like Whoppers, but edible—is airing during the paralympic games. When there is so much about British media to appreciate never having to see again, this reminds me of what I miss most. Read the rest

London chocolatier Chocolatician has made a custom Benedict Cumberbunny for Easter, available in milk, dark and white chocolates, dusted with gold- or bronze-coloured finishes (£50), or with a 22 carat gold bowtie (£70). Read the rest

I love coffee. I love chocolate. I shop a lot on Amazon for coffee accessories and for good quality cacao (I dig making chocolate). When I saw Crio Bru show up in my recommendations, I lost my impulse control, and ordered a large $24 bag of these roasted and ground cocoa beans. It's marketed as an alternative to coffee beans.

Verdict: Hell yeah. I love it and will be ordering more. Additionally, I will be evangelizing this newly discovered warm chocolatey beverage to my friends, whether they want to hear about it or not, and I will be unable to shut up about it for at least a few weeks. Yes, this shit is just that real. Read the rest

The Mast Brothers, a pair of bearded chocolatiers in Brooklyn, have built an empire on beautifully packaged "artisanal" chocolates that run $10/bar, billed as "bean to bar" confections. Read the rest