Can you recommend ready-to-eat chocolate?

[Songwriter]

I heard something on the news lately about a new "healthy" chocolate but I canNOT recall what it was. Can you recommend a tasty chocolate that is good for you. I understand that dark chocolate has antioxidants or something good in there. The news item or promo item I heard was talking about some new breakthrough that made the very dark (and not so tasty) chocolate taste much better. I guess it meant it is sweeter or not as bitter as some very dark chocolates. I am pretty sure this was a major company, like Nestle or something. But bottom line, any product you know about. Preferably, something I could buy local instead of having to order online, but that would be okay, too. And preferably, something ready to eat. Although, I did see a recipe on this forum for bite-size choc pieces that was very simple. Just anything you can add is helpful.

[Kathy]

Lindt 85% is fairly low sugar and low carb. One serving is 4 squares, and has 8 g carbs and 3 grams fiber. It's so rich generally one square will satisfy a chocolate craving.

[Relief]

I don't know specifically what chocolate you areasking about but there are some fine, fine things available.

The best ready to eat chocolate, hands down is chocoperfection by low carb specialties. you can get it here: http://www.lowcarbspecialties.com/ or at netrition.com. it is sweetened with inulin and erythrytol; no splenda, no maltitol--hence little to no gastro complications ( the fiber content is pretty high from the inulin so it may take and adjustment period if you plan to eat a lot--just like flax does)
it is THE BOMB

Eat well Be well brand is also pretty good--though not as gourmet IMO this one is made with polydextrose ( a fiber) and splenda. I can get this at a couple of local stores--my Walgren's carries it. and also at netrition.com

all of these can be eaten as is and used in recipes-- I make fudge frosting, chocolate muffins, lava cake, and various candies-- chocolate covered cherries, coconut chocolate " bars" maple creams, truffles--you name it. couldn not get by wihtout it!!!!

[Songwriter]

Thanks for info. I bought four bars last night at Walmart. Lindt, Ghirardelli and Sam's Choice. Two are 70%, one is 72% and one is 85%. I only have tried the Sam's Choice 70% and the Lindt 85%. First one mentioned was pretty good. The 85% is a bit too bitter for me. These were all less than $2 each.

[scott123]

Bill, there's no free lunch here. A low sugar chocolate is going to be bitter. If you start getting into 70% chocolate, the bitterness decreases, but, at the same time, the sugar content/carb impact goes up.

I'm okay with a trace sugar carb here and there in things like bacon, mayo and some deli meats, but 70% chocolate is way too much sugar for me, even for a single square. And I don't think I'm alone in this sentiment.

If 85% is too bitter for you (it's way too bitter for me), I highly recommend tracking down a sugar free chocolate. Maltitol gets a lot of bad press, both in this forum and elsewhere, but not everyone is laxated by it, and, for those that aren't, the carb impact involved is better than sugar. It's far from perfect, but if the choice is a sugar laden 70% chocolate vs. a 70% maltitol based one, the latter is preferable. Assuming of course you can tolerate maltitol. The one nice thing about maltitol chocolate is that you can find it locally. Walmart has bags of Hershey's sugar free chocolate- that's maltitol based.

If you want to go the extra mile to avoid digestive issues/carb impact, then I would suggest the chocolates Relief mentioned. Out of the two, I think the Eat Well Be Well is the better choice. The jury is still not completely in (http://www.proteinpower.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1959) on oligofructose, the sweetener they use in sweet perfection, and, at about $30 a lb., it's almost double the price of the $16/lb. Eat Well Be Well.

A far cheaper/easier way of feeding your chocolate cravings/achieving the health benefits of chocolate is to make a ganache with unsweetened chocolate:

A good brand of unsweetened chocolate (Nestle's is cheap/good)
Heavy cream
2 or more sweeteners (splenda + one more- Sweet One is good)

A very small number of people are okay using only splenda in recipes like this, but for many, splenda sweetened chocolate is bitter/has issues. The second sweetener is critical to alleviating this problem. And, if you can swing it, a third is even better (erythritol works wonderfully).

[cmcole]

And as a bonus, making your own is rather fun (and you could add almonds or some type of nuts and make it into a "bark")

[Always]

We found an organic brand called Vivani that is 85% dark chocolate, but nowhere near as bitter as the Lindt which we also have.