Dessert Darling

K Chocolatier Chocolates

K Chocolatier offers unique, often times dark chocolates that get me giddy for a few reasons.  

1) The stores have oodles of free samples that I can't keep my hands off of.  Since we all know free samples have no calories, a stop into a K Chocaltier shop is nothing short of delightful.  

2) They're unusually expensive chocolates that come in the most gorgeous boxes, adorned with realistic paper roses. My guy made me swoon on our first Valentine's Day by purchasing from this upscale shop. I knew immediately that he had made a significant purchase (Yay! He must really Like me!) and I still have the box for keepsakes.  

3) Vodka Balls, need I say more?

Finally, it should be mentioned that Diane Kron of K Chocolatier, the same lady who sits behind the cash register, used to make her famous truffles (with a family recipe from Europe) for Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis.  Now, if that's not fancy, I don't know what is.~   

 

  

 

 For more info on K Chocolatier, click here. 

 

XOXO

Flourless Chocolate Cake at Whole Foods

My friend's been trying to get me to try the flourless chocolate cake from Whole Foods forever, but it always looked so uneventful and boring that I couldn't bring myself to buy it.  She finally brought it to book club and the verdict was unanimous.. Completely and utterly delicious.

This fudgy "cake" is so dense, cool, thick, and rich, that it's almost like spooning away at a gigantic truffle. It's not for the faint of heart...enjoy with friends or brace yourself for a long work-out the next day! 

Just a Spoon Full of Sugar at Mary Poppins

The other night I went to see the award-winning theatrical musical, Mary Poppins. While I wasn't a huge fan of the movie growing up, I was blown away by the musical. The performers astounded me with their incredible voices, dancing and acting chops, the orchestra gave me chills reminiscent of my Les Mis days (fyi, I used to be obsessed with Les Mis), the set design delighted me, and the performance came complete with a flying Mary Poppins and upside down tap-dancing on the roof!

Most thrilling yet, though, was that the very night I was there, for that ONE night only... DICK VAN DYKE, the charming bloke from the original film himself, guest-appeared in a role towards the end. OH MY, the whole audience was in tears of joy when we saw him.  What a wonderful, magical evening.. it was rather like a bottle full of sugar to relish the whole week long ahead!  BRAVO!

 

 

Chocolaterie Wanders Chocolates

Ooh la la, I just discovered Chocolatiere Wanders from the Washington D.C. area, and aren't they the sophisticated little chocolate treats! These hand-made European styled chocolates truly melt in your mouth with their delicate shells and manageably petit sizes.  

These elegant chocolates would go brilliantly with fine wine, pearls, and a classy Chanel suit. (Forget that I'm wearing a bathrobe now.. and yet, they still taste amazing).  

For more info on Chocolaterie Wanders, confections that surely play a role in persuading our DC politicians, click here. 

 

 

Chocolate Birthday Cake

Ha ha! You must read this post by my best friend "Suri"  (click here).  

Well, here's the b-day cake from this weekend. Btw, one of my top favorite weekends of all time!!! Went to Magic Mountain and there were NO lines, clear sunny skies, fresh air, and oodles of fun. Tatsu was my favorite ride by far.  :)

After a day at the theme park,we came home for pizza, games, and cake.  I'm not going to lie.. I was getting nervous for a moment that cake wouldn't appear.  Let's just say, between the two BFs in my life, Cake isn't exactly a priority for either one of them, so it was very possible that this cherished dessert might have slipped through the cracks this year.  

Alas, just around mid-night, this chocolate creation emerged and all was almost right with the world. Almost right because... well, if I had a choice between chocolate or vanilla icing, one million times out of one million, I will pick the vanilla.. or cream-cheese, or strawberry, or whatever-other-icing-that's-not-chocolate.  Ha! I still love them both to pieces and was grateful for any cake at all ;)

 

 

 

January 24th

Na na na na na naa

You say it's your birthday!

Na na na na na naa

IT'S MY BIRTHDAY TOO YEA!

I bought this red velvet cake for my friend's b-day at Ralphs, of all places, and she swore it was the best cake she'd ever had!  (I taste tested before I purchased, of course, but I always have success with Ralph's cakes). I wonder what my friends (or BF, eh hem) will get me?!  To be fair, BF got me an amazing cake from Hansen's two years ago.. so...TBSeen!  :D

 
 

 

ChoclatiQue Chocolates

As the Millionaire Matchmaker, Patti Stanger, says: "Chocolate will warm a girl's heart and warm a guy's bed." Yes, I really did just quote Patti Stanger... it won't happen again.

Well nothing could be more true for these heavenly morsels made by ChoclatiQue.  After trying back-to-back boxes of chocolates this week that have ranged from average to typically delightful, this box came out of left field, surprising me with sinfully gooey centers, colorful designs, and exotic flavors (Madagascar Vanilla Cola, anyone?)

ChocolatiQue chocolates are truly a unique and must-try experience!!!

For more info on ChoclatiQue, click here :)

 

 

Cadbury to be Taken Over by Kraft

This little snippet below from the New York Times bums me out. Growing up I LOVED Cadbury chocolate. It was a special and exotic delight from our English friends across the pond, enjoyed thoroughly around Easter time.  

I mean, how Amazing were Cream Eggs??! They served as serious currency at lunch time. You could get just about anything trading a Cream Egg.. but why would you? Why would you release such a nugget of joy for someone else's pleasure? No, if you truly enjoyed Cream Eggs, you collected them at lunch from other, less skilled lunch-item negotiators.  And let's not even start on the mini eggs.. so yummy my best friend and I would eat one at time, making sure the other didn't cheat (I cheated).

Anyway, Cadbury's not exactly disappearing on us, per se, but it's being bought by KRAFT.. KRAAFT. And if those capital letters make it look like I'm practically saying Crass or..Crap.. well, er..you get it.  How un-European, How un-exostic.. How bland and generic. It reminds me of my recent discovery that After 8 Mints were bought by Nestle.. albeit in 1988, but truly.. there were better in the early '80s.. I swear it! 

((calming down)).. ok, well Good news.. my palette has since moved on from the store-bought candy of childhood's past and finds them, well.. dare I say it.. kind of disgusting now anyway.  But now it's sure to be gross and generic with it's KRAFT label.  Boo.~

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cadbury Board Accepts Takeover Offer From Kraft

The British confectioner Cadbury agreed to the deal with the
American food giant after Kraft raised its original offer to
about 19 billion dollars, the two companies said. The deal
creates the world's largest confectioner.

Read More:
http://www.nytimes.com?emc=na

 

Get Married in your Wedding Cake

Omg omg Omg, if you know me, you'll know this post is perfect for me. I might be slightly obsessed with weddings (but that's only because I've attended 17 in the last two years!!) and of course, I'm obsessed with cake. 

Check it, this girl made a Wedding Dress out of cake!

 

 For more info, click on Coco Perez here. 

 

Blisscuits - A Healthy Treat

I just discovered Mariel Hemingway's healthy line of "Blisscuits," which truly saved my life this afternoon as I was stuck in traffic for hours starving, when it dawned on me "Wait, I have a package of Blisscuits in my bag!" They were wholesome, sweet, filled-me up, and made me feel great (unlike other packaged foods that only drag down your energy).

Made with no chemicals, no sugar, and 40% organic, healthy immune boosting ingredients, how could you go wrong? Not quite a dessert per se, but when I have kids, I'll put it in their lunch pales and tell them it is!

Click here for more info the Mariel's Blisscuits!  

Chocolates: Lake Champlain Chocolates

MMmmm! Yummy! Lake Champlain Chocolates are a sturdier chocolate with firm shells that break with a crunch.  While they don't have a thin-shell that simply melts in your mouth, the smooth fillings are so tasty and fresh with their fine and quality ingredients, that I don't begrudge the crunch.  Instead, of immediately melting away, they do a sultry Cha Cha with my taste buds and I like it!

These delicious, organic, and Kosher chocolates from Vermont can be found in specialty stores like Whole Foods or ordered online at their site. :)

For more info on Lake Champlain Chocolates, click here.

 

Website Improvement

 

Hi Friends!  

So, I've decided:  Instead of having ONE section for REVIEWS, and another for DIARY (with random thoughts and article), I'm going to combine it All into one. 

This means, every time you check out www.DessertDarling.com, there should be something fresh and new, even if it's not a review. And that rhymes.. so WooHoo.  

 

Bodega Chocolates

I ordered Bodega Chocolates online as I was "researching" Chocolate.com and thought they looked promising in the photos.

Ehh, I really wasn't impressed. I think a measure of great chocolate is the ability to melt in your mouth and let the flavor of fine ingredients dance on your tongue without being drowned out by sugar. These chocolates were a bit firm and rubbery on the outside with fillings that were overly sweet.  Frankly, I might find better chocolates in a drug store. Eeeg, I hate giving poor reviews :(

For more info on Bodega Chocolates, click here. 

Chocolate and Fudge at Figi's

Every now and then I receive a catalog from a Wisconsin brand called Figi's.  I figured, what the heck, I'm the Dessert Darling, I can order myself a few chocolates and finally see what this brand is all about.

Um, all about amazing deliciousness is what they're all about! I demolished the fudge that I only intended on having one bite of and the the turtle caramel nut cluster didn't last much longer.  The blueberry chocolates were a bit sweet and citrusy for me, but if you're a cherry cordial person, you might enjoy the variation.  Finally the divinity was somewhat saccharine for my tastes, but still resembled a pillow cloud of loveliness.  

For more info on Figi's, click here! Btw, my order came with freebies- Woo!

   

 

 

Teuscher Chocolates

Teuscher chocolates please and delight even the snootiest of chocolate connoisseurs.  Finely made with chocolate that's been directly imported from Zurich, Switzerland, Teuscher features popular morsels like the signature Champagne Truffles (a favorite for weddings), Milk and Dark Buttercrunch, and Bailey's Irish Cream, to name a few. Perhaps the most impressive accomplishment, in my book, is their ability to create divine white chocolate truffles... no easy feat for sure.

Additionally, Teuscher boasts whimsical and joyful packaging that would delight children and love-birds alike.  A courting gentleman could truly score points this Valentine's day by investing in a box of Teuscher chocolates.

For more info on Teuscher Chocolates, click here. 

    

 

 

Cupcakes at Swingers Diner

Today I swung by the trendy S.Cal diner, Swingers, to grab a much needed cupcake.. or two.  My oh my did I see some mighty fine looking cupcakes displayed on the countertops.  I opted for the vanilla vanilla as a costumer told me they were the best and she'd been dreaming about them on her whole trip in Thailand. That's some powerful cupcake. I also got the red velvet, because at a Swingers diner, a girl's gotta have more than one.

These were delicious desserts that I could sink my teeth into and I probably inhaled both in record time.  They're rather large and have a generous serving of icing, which is key for me.  That said, there was a lot of cake and I found myself dismanteling it to get the desired bites with icing.  Overall, a solid 4-Cherry rating for Swinger's cupcakes!

For more info on Swingers Diner, click here

Trader Joes Macarons

If I didn't already have a crush on Trader Joe's, I just developed a balls out love affair. Um, have you seen the Macarons "a la parisienne" in the freezer section??!  

First of all, the freezer section. This is genius for two reasons: 1- fun! Cool frozen cream inside a cookie varies up the consistency if you're too impatient to let them de-thaw (like moi) and 2- They're fresh! these cookies are made with real ingredients.. not packed with preservatives to give them a shelf life of 3 eons.

I've had many a macaron in my day and simply put, these are the creme de la creme~

Gianna's Sugar Cookies

MMMMMMMmmmmmmMMMMMMMMMmmmmmMMMMMMMMMM~~

Gianna's makes THE best iced sugar cookies.  Handmade with natural, organic ingredients, each bite is a dip into sweet, buttery, and childlike joy.  

Don't let the fact that you can find these delectable treats in a grocery store fool you into thinking that they're ordinary cookies.  They are actually superior to any gifted cookie basket I've ever experienced.  

For more info on Gianna's, click here and check out all the other delicious treats that you can order online! Mmmm~