i think it’s supposed to be some kind of fruit - cut in half and whole behind.
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FWIW, at a premium price, apricotking.com has walnuts without the bitter aftertaste, as well as red walnuts, which add color to baking and salads.
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The fruit gummy swimming fish.
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Does anyone have a favorite “bittersweet” dark chocolate bar from Trader Joe’s that they would recommend for baking? Looking to make this Milk Street dark chocolate ganache tart:
If results would be better I’m willing to get a brand name instead!
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What cocoa content are you looking for? I’m partial to the organic 72% bars in the yellow-green package, which are well balanced and good for eating and baking. The “dark” three-packs of small bars or Pound Plus are only 54%, so not really bittersweet. For something in the 65% range, I usually go with Guittard.
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This is helpful, thanks! They didn’t specify a percentage. I like to eat dark chocolate. 65-72% would probably be a sweet spot.
I was not a fan of the TJ’s 70% chips I tried out. On the spectrum from ‘fruity’ to ‘toasty’, they go hard toward toasty, and lack any of the brighter notes of chocolate I tend to like better.
If you wanna splurge, you might be able to find Scharffen Berger Bittersweet. A lot of professionals will swear by Valrhona as a very nice ‘balanced’ chocolate.
I find for everyday sorts of stuff, Ghirardelli is an excellent sweet spot of price/quality. Their 62% chips and bars are my general choice for inclusions for cookies and or melting down for ganache, and I have excellent results making brownies and cakes with both their natural and Dutch process cocoa.
Guittard is ok, but I don’t care for the texture as much as Ghirardelli.
For base unsweetened chocolate, Bakers (which is named after the founder, and not the profession) is your sort of ACME. If you make a cake or brownies with it, they taste exactly like basic chocolate cake or brownies.
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I like the semi-sweet chocolate chunks (that are back in stock) for ganache.
Tart looks amazing!
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Don’t think these have been covered yet. Picked some up today and not sure how I feel about them. I don’t know how they process these, but they appear to be dehydrated shishito peppers that are almost weightless and not “crunchy” really. Flavor is pretty good. The bag is very small; just over an ounce in weight. Maybe a one time buy.
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Gingerbread men mini cookies avail day after Thanksgiving.
I picked up the gingerbread loaf this morning. Tasty with a schmear of cream cheese.
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Pound Plus 72% in the red packaging is top quality imported Belgian bittersweet dark chocolate at an incredible price.
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With you on this one. I ate about a half bag in just a few minutes before deciding that this is going to be a return. These are a swing and a miss for me even though I’ve enjoyed other freeze dried veggies and like fresh cooked shishitos blistered in oil. Papery unpleasant thin skins, some with a good amount of salt and some with almost none at all.
In general, try the Sugar Glider Kitchen on YouTube. Gesine Bullock-Prado is very specific and picky about the ingredients she uses in her breads and desserts. She’s enthusiastic and engaging, as well. I watched a recent one in which she recommended Callebaut for whatever it was she was making.
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YEA 
The pavé is back, one of our favorite seasonal cheeses.
Qualified YEA for the Boozy Bottles.
Qualified because they are not a substitute for the Brandy Beans.
YEA because brandy-filled chocolate is hard to resist.
(Reminder that the Boozy Truffles were MEH to NAY last year)
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You want boozy chocolates, the Vermont Country Store has you covered: Chocolates Filled With Liqueur | Liquor Candy
Costco has a big box this time of year too. But none of them are brandy beans (which are still available, I’m just annoyed that they’re not at TJs anymore)
Vermont Country Store has lots of Ashbach filled chocolates, including brandy beans.
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The last time I had some of these, they were awful.
Hopefully for the newer consumers, they’ll be good.
