Category Archives: Chocolate

Upscale Candy, Lobster Galore & More

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Gummy Love Bento Box ($60). (Photo courtesy of Sugarfina)

Gummy Love Bento Box ($60). (Photo courtesy of Sugarfina)

Sugarfina Coming to Santana Row

Champagne gummy bears? Twenty-four-karat gold marshmallows? Absinthe chocolate cordials?

Nope, these aren’t your run-of-the-mill candies.

Sugarfina, an upscale candy shop out of Southern California, is set to open in San Jose’s Santana Row in August with those goodies and a whole lot more.

Founders Rosie O’Neill and Josh Resnick set about to create a decidedly adult candy store. That means combing the world for exquisite sweets that appeal to a more sophisticated adult palate rather than a child’s super sugary cravings.

Gold-leaf marshmallow. (Photo by Sugarfina)

Gold-leaf marshmallow. (Photo by Sugarfina)

The 883-square-foot shop will be located next to Donald J. Pliner.

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Just Try to Resist Huckleberry Bakery’s Chocolate Chunk Muffins

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Nothing says "I love you'' like a basket of fresh-baked muffins loaded with chocolate.

Nothing says “I love you” like a basket of fresh-baked muffins loaded with chocolate.

 

There are times when I con myself into thinking muffins are just a smidge healthful.

After all, if I choose one with bran or whole wheat or carrots or blueberries, it’s not so very bad, is it?

I mean, it’s not as indulgent as eating actual cake, right?

Forgettabout it.

Yeah, with “Chocolate Chunk Muffins,” I’m not going to attempt to play that game.

HuckleberryCookbook

That’s because there’s no getting around it. These muffins are rich, tender, and super chocolatey.  They are like chocolate-chip cookies in muffin form.

And they’re every bit as good as that sounds.

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Chuao On This

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Chuao Pretzel Toffee Twirl, and Ravishing Rocky Road bars.

Chuao Pretzel Toffee Twirl, and Ravishing Rocky Road bars.

 

Chuao Chocolatier bars pronounced “chew-WOW) are not made for purists.

That’s because they come loaded with everything imaginable and then some. Panko breadcrumbs. Potato chips. Toasted corn chips. Bacon. Chipotle. Pop Rock-style candy bits. You name it.

These imaginative bars are the creation of Chef Michael Antonorsi and his brother Richard, whose Venezuelan ancestors once owned a cacao farm.

After moving to San Diego from Venezuela, the brothers forged a career in high-tech, before deciding to go into the chocolate business. Michael Antonorsi trained as a chef and pastry chef in France, before opening his first chocolate cafe in Encinitas with his brother in 2002. They named it Chuao, after Venezuela’s cacao-growing region.

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A Spook-A-Licious Halloween with Woodhouse Chocolate

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Woodhouse Chocolate says "boo'' in the sweetest way.

Woodhouse Chocolate says “boo” in the sweetest way.

 

Woodhouse Chocolate in St. Helena has long been one of my favorite chocolatiers.

First off, its chocolates are incomparably smooth and creamy.

Second, its shop on Main Street is like the Tiffany’s of chocolates. They are displayed like precious jewels, making enjoying even one bonbon feel like such a special indulgence.

When samples of its Halloween offerings arrived on my doorstep to sample, I couldn’t wait to dig in.

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Happenings on the Peninsula: New Bakeries and More

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The "chocolate burger'' at Alexander's Patisserie. (Photo courtesy of the bakery)

The “chocolate burger” at Alexander’s Patisserie. (Photo courtesy of the bakery)

Alexander’s Patisserie to Open In Mountain View on Oct. 16

The folks behind Alexander’s Steakhouse in Cupertino and San Francisco, as well as The Sea by Alexander’s Steakhouse in Palo Alto, are expanding their mini empire by opening a patisserie in downtown Mountain View on Oct. 16.

Led by Executive Pastry Chef Dries Delanghe, the new Alexander’s Patisserie will offer breads, sandwiches, cakes, tarts, cookies, macarons, chocolates and other confections, as well as Equator Coffees.

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