Serious Heat: Spicy Chocolate for Halloween
On Wednesdays, Andrea Lynn, senior editor of Chile Pepper magazine, drops by with Serious Heat.
When others find out your world is spent submerged in hot and spicy food, there are questions galore. One of the most popular revolves around the best thing I've ever tasted.
Of course, the answer constantly changes. But recently I've been craving spicy chocolate. Start with the melt-in-your-mouth goodness of chocolate and add a tinge, or even a flame of heat, and you've got perfection. We searched for the best spicy chocolates, munching through bars that crunched and burned. I personally can't get enough of Chuao Firecracker—a smoky chocolate that pops in your mouth like tiny fireworks. It's a revelation for the senses.
These five chocolates aren't necessarily for the kiddos on Halloween, but who's to say adults can't get their own fix for the holiday?
Lake Champlain Dark Spicy Aztec: We tasted the cinnamon right away, and the crunch from the pepitas was a swift surprise in this organic bar. The heat creeps in and catches up in the throat. Definitely a Mexican-inspired chocolate and one of the spicier ones in the bunch we sampled. lakechamplainchocolates.com
Cowgirl Spicy Dark Huckleberry: The bold taste of sweet huckleberries melds perfectly with the rich, creamy chocolate. As delicious as this was, our mission was to find the best spicy chocolate so we wondered when the heat would hit. Then it came—in lingering, satisfying waves. cowgirlchocolates.com
Astor Belgian Jalapeño and Peanut Milk Chocolate: The peanuts in this chocolate are a cut above the usual, blending marvelously with the creamy milk chocolate and jalapeño. Wait for the subtle sparkle of spice right at the end. astorchocolate.com
Chuao Firecracker: Remember loving popping candy as a child? Chuao reinvented the snack in chocolate form, combining it with smoky chipotle heat and salt to highlight the chocolate's bitterness. "It's like the Fourth of July in my mouth," one taste-tester said. chuaochocolatier.com
Dagoba Xocolatl: A quick sensation is followed by a spicy tingle in this organic bar with a strong medium heat and crunchy cocoa nibs. "Spicy on my tongue from beginning to end," a taste-tester observed. dagobachocolate.com
What are your favorite spicy chocolates?
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8 Comments:
Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams makes a chocolate ice cream with cayenne pepper. It is unbelievable.
I am always tempted to buy one of these chili chocolate bars, but I am not really a fan of chocolate bars in general. Usually my chocolate fix is in a baked form.
eeels at 9:28AM on 10/28/09
Funny, I just blogged about this very thing today! A local artisan chocolate maker here in Nashville (Olive & Sinclair) is launching a Mexican Style Cinnamon Chili bar this week that I had the pleasure of sampling a few days ago. Got to try the bar as well as some hot chocolate they had made with it. Wow. It was heavenly!! Here's the link: http://tiny.cc/IhpB8
Some of these sound tasty too, so I need to search them out. The Chuao Firecracker especially because I love spicy chocolate, and I love salty chocolate, so I can't imagine what I would do if all 3 were mixed together!
andreabeth31 at 10:59AM on 10/28/09
Dang it! I was excited to order the "Firecracker" chocolates, but the cheapest shipping option was $27!! That was more than the 4 bars I was ordering. My taste buds will have to save more allowance money.
bdubdab at 12:09PM on 10/28/09
The Lake Champlain is one of my favorite bars! I only let myself buy the little ones. I'm a freak for spicy chocolate.
KarynMC at 12:38PM on 10/28/09
Theo's chocolates in Seattle sell a ghost chile caramel they describe as "Buttery caramel infused with the heat of ghost chile peppers, enrobed in dark chocolate and sprinkled with Hawaiian red sea salt and dried chiles." They are just amazingly good with a tiny bit of heat.
Oh my, they are absolutely wonderful. I bought a box for a friend who dogsat for me while we were in Seattle, but I haven't seen her to give them to her yet. I'm seriously considering eating them (or ordering more from online). People like gift cards better than chocolate anyway, right? Right??
Hopester7 at 2:20PM on 10/28/09
Cowboy Ciao in Scottsdale, AZ has this amazing spicy chocolate pot de creme--cuppa red hot chocolate. It is uh-mazing.
meleyna at 12:32AM on 10/29/09
The Chocolate Gecko in Albany NY has a great chocolate Habanero Kiss. It blows my mind. Also good is the Spicy Komodo Krunch- A delicious chocolate covered toffee with a serious kick of cayenne.
foodiebeth at 3:57PM on 10/29/09
Dolfin Dark Chocolate with Pink Peppercorns - not super-spicy, but a nice little kick and I like the gritty texture that the peppercorns give.
Vincci at 1:03AM on 10/30/09