Dark Chocolate Craving

Good dark chocolate = high cacao content, high fat, low-ish sugar stuff. Meaning…it’s actually not bad for you. Good news for all of the chocolate lovers out there!

A good dark chocolate review from Mark’s Daily Apple (shortened and modified a bit):

Valrhona Noir Extra Amer – 85% Cacao

This bar looks fantastic: sleek, smooth, and dark, almost black, with a hint of red. A single square, if given sufficient mouth time, will slowly, smoothly melt, revealing floral, nutty, and coffee notes. If you try real hard, you may notice cinnamon, too.

The Noir Extra Amer goes well in a pot of spicy chili, right at the end just before serving.

(Trader Joe’s)

Chocolove XOXOX Extra Strong Dark – 77% Cacao

If you’re trying to wean your significant other off of milk chocolate, go with the Chocolove XOXOX. You get the unmistakable flavor and light sugar content of a high-cacao bar with the creaminess and accessibility of a lesser-cacao bar. I keep these on hand for those times where I just want a bit of sweetness without the commitment required by the heavy darks. It tastes a bit like coconut.

(Whole Foods, Target)

Green and Black’s Dark – 85% Cacao

Another brilliantly dark bar. It’s creamy, silky, smooth, and melts very well, but it’s not too bitter. Green and Black’s strikes an impressive balance between robustness and delicateness.

Dagoba Eclipse – 87% Cacao

Dagoba is full of complex flavors including fruit, clove, allspice, and other spice mixes. There’s even a bit of red wine in there.

(Whole Foods)

Scharffen Berger Extra Dark – 82% Cacao

Figs and red wine, honey and spice(y). There’s even a bit of esperesso lurking in there. It’s not just the cacao that’s bitter; there’s a bite that lingers minutes after you’ve eaten it.