Dark Chocolate

Test Date: June 2009 (original) July 2011 (revised)

Testers: Michele and husband Marc

All products for this test were purchased at Fred Meyer, Trader Joe's, and Whole Foods.

MICHELE'S OPINION: This test has taught me that chocolate is like wine, with completely different flavor profiles even though the ingredients are the same. So for this test if you need 70% cocoa chocolate for baking or just eating, choose based on what additional flavor undertones you prefer and if you like smooth or a little bit gritty. We were looking for the most 'pure' chocolate, or that with the least other flavors. Read on for the details......

Price Comparison for 3.5oz of chocolate (store first, then brand)
$5.82 Whole Foods Scharffen Berger
$4.64 Whole Foods 365
$4.07 Whole Foods Theo
$3.99 Whole Foods Green & Black
$3.09 Whole Foods Newman's Own
$2.99 Fred Meyer Godiva
$2.99 Trader Joe's Valrhona
$2.69 Fred Meyer Ghirardelli
$2.49 Fred Meyer Lindt
$2.05 Fred Meyer Hersheys
$1.99 Trader Joe's Organic
$1.99 Trader Joe's Swiss
$1.35 Fred Meyer Dove
$1.19 Trader Joe's Dark Mini Bars

1. Green & Black's Organic Dark Chocolate 70% (Purchased at Whole Foods and available on Amazon Fresh; per Green & Black's website, this product is also available at QFC, Target, and Walgreens): This product is not sweet at all, but is still smooth and not gritty. It has a rich chocolate taste with no other flavors and a very slight hint of tang/bitterness.

2. Newman's Own Organics Dark Chocolate 54% (Purchased at Whole Foods; per Newman's Own Organics their products can be found widely at natural food stores): This is a creamy and buttery product, sweeter than the 70% cocoa products of course, but not too sweet.

3. Theo Organic Fair Trade Rich Dark Chocolate 70% (Purchased at Whole Foods and available on Amazon Fresh; per Theo website their products can be found widely in the Seattle area): This product is relatively grainy and not sweet. There is a hint of dried fruit such as dried cherries which gives it a bit of a tang.

4. 365 Organic Swiss Dark Chocolate 52% (Only available at Whole Foods): This is a very smooth, rich chocolate product with a light honey flavor (but not as much as the Trader Joe's mini bars below).

5. Scharffen Berger Semisweet Fine Artisan Dark Chocolate 62% (Purchased at Whole Foods and available on Amazon Fresh; per the Scharffen Berger website their products can also be found at Albertson's stores nationwide, as well as other local grocery locations): This is a relatively smooth product in terms of consistency and has a tang of dried fruits similar to Theo but not as strong.

6. Godiva Dark Chocolate 72% (purchased at Fred Meyer; per the Godiva website, their products are also available at their own boutiques, Barnes & Noble, and Macy's): This is really smooth chocolate and has a nutty flavor like pistachios. It is not very bitter for such a strong chocolate percentage and has a rich chocolate taste.

7. Ghirardelli Intense Dark Twilight Delight 72% (Purchased at Fred Meyer; Ghirardelli website does not list other locations for purchase aside from their own boutiques located in California, Nevada, Illinois, Florida, Wisconsin, and Alabama): This product is relatively gritty with an unfortunate and strange taste like petroleum or plastic.

8. Hershey's Special Dark 45% (Purchased at Fred Meyer and available on Amazon Fresh; available widely): Even compared to the other products around 50% cocoa, this product is very sugary and sweet. It is relatively grainy as well.

9. Lindt Excellence Smooth Dark 70% (Purchased at Fred Meyer; per Lindt website, their products are also available at Safeway and Walgreens): This product is really smooth with coffee undertones in the flavor profile.

10. Trader Joe's Organic Super Dark Chocolate 73% (Only available at Trader Joe's): This product tastes like burnt chocolate and is very bitter. Marc says that it tastes like plastic.

11. Trader Joe's Swiss Dark Chocolate 72% (Only available at Trader Joe's): This product is relatively grainy and has a smoky, almost burnt flavor.

12. Trader Joe's Dark Chocolate Mini Bars 54% (Only available at Trader Joe's): This product is pretty sweet and has a honey flavor as an aftertaste. It is very smooth chocolate.

13. Valrhona Le Noir Amer 71% (Purchased at Trader Joe's; per Valrhona US website, their products are also available at select locations in San Francisco, San Mateo, Chicago, and New York): This product is relatively grainy with sour chocolate and strong dried cherry flavors.

14. Dove Dark Chocolate (Purchased at Fred Meyer and available on Amazon Fresh; per Dove website, this product is also available at Rite-Aid, Safeway, Target, QFC, and Albertsons): This chocolate is very smooth and not too sweet compared to the other 50% cocoa products. Along with the rich chocolate flavor is a light caramel undertone.

NUTRITIONAL NOTES: (serving size: approximately 40grams) All of these products contain between 180 and 250 calories per serving, with Hershey's at the low end and Lindt at the high end. All but one product contains between 15 and 19 grams of fat (Hershey's claims only 12 grams in its bar). Hershey's and Lindt are the only two products in this test that contain any salt (15g and 10g respectively).

As for ingredients, all of these products contain some combination of cocoa, sugar, soy lecithin, vanilla, and cocoa butter. Three of them however, include other ingredients as well. Newman's Own also contains cane juice and chocolate liquor; Green & Black's uses raw cane sugar and whole milk powder; and Hershey's includes milk fat, lactose, PGPR (emulsifier), artificial flavor, and milk in their products.

TASTE WINNER: (original 2009 test, with four brands) Dove (revised 2011 test, as detailed above) For the 50% range chocolates, Dove is still the best with 365 a close second. For the 70% range brands, it really depends on what flavors you like in your chocolate, be it fruit, coffee, or nuts. We enjoyed the Godiva and Green & Blacks products.

Yellow Cake Mix

Test Date: March 2011

Testers: Michele and husband Marc

All products for this test purchased at Fred Meyer, Trader Joe's, and Whole Foods.

Note: All cupcakes prepared according to package directions.

MICHELE'S OPINION: The most surprising thing about this test is that the Trader Joe's product tastes like corn bread! Very strange in my opinion. I would stay away from that one, but for another more natural option with no trans fats the Cherrybrook Kitchen was pretty good, if you're ok with a dense consistency and a steep sticker price. For the mainstream brands either Duncan Hines or Betty Crocker would be great; I would just stay away from the Pillsbury options, which was surprisingly spongy. Read on for more details.....

Price Comparison for one box of cake mix (store first, then brand)
$4.99 Whole Foods Cherrybrook Kitchen
$3.99 Whole Foods Arrowhead Mills
$2.99 Trader Joe's Baker Josef's
$1.99 Fred Meyer Duncan Hines
$1.88 Fred Meyer Betty Crocker
$0.89 Fred Meyer Pillsbury

1. Baker Josef's Golden Yellow Cake Mix (Only available at Trader Joe's): This product tastes just like corn bread and not like yellow cake at all! It has a good fluffy texture but is also a tad grainy and is moderately sweet.

2. Duncan Hines Moist Deluxe Classic Yellow Cake Mix (Purchased at Fred Meyer; Duncan Hines website does not list other locations for purchase): This product has a very vanilla-y flavor and is very moist. It is a relatively sweet option with a light and fluffy texture.

3. Pillsbury Moist Supreme Classic Yellow Cake Mix (Purchased at Fred Meyer and available on Amazon Fresh; per the Pillsbury website, this product is also available for purchase at QFC, Albertsons, and Safeway): This option has a surprisingly spongy consistency. It is moist and pretty sweet but fairly tasteless otherwise. It is also interesting to note that the cupcakes 'fell' somewhat after coming out of the oven, ending up flat on top, whereas the others maintained their dome shape.

4. Betty Crocker Super Moist Yellow Cake Mix (Purchased at Fred Meyer and available on Amazon Fresh; Betty Crocker website product locator was not working at the time of this post.) It is funny that this product is called 'super moist' and I think it is actually the least moist of all of the options tested. It does have a good sweetness level and light vanilla flavor though.

5. Arrowhead Mills Organic Vanilla Cake Mix (Purchased at Whole Foods and available on Amazon Fresh; Arrowhead Mills website product locator does not list this product.) This cake came out very wet, moist, and dense. It is not sweet compared to the others and not vanilla-y.

6. Cherrybrook Kitchen Yellow Cake Mix (Purchased at Whole Foods and available on Amazon Fresh; per Cherrybrook Kitchen website, their products are also available at Fred Meyer and QFC in the greater Seattle area.) This cake is very dense and moist with a good sweetness level. It actually has the consistency of more of a banana/zucchini bread then a cake. It is the darkest in color of all of the options; it looks like it has wheat in it.

NUTRITIONAL NOTES: (per 43g serving size) All of these products have similar calorie levels (dry mix only) at around 160 per serving. The fat content varies widely though, with no fat in the Arrowhead Mills and Cherrybrook Kitchen products, and 3.5 grams per serving in the Pillsbury and Duncan Hines options. Sodium levels are also very different, with only 140mg per serving of the Arrowhead Mills product, 270-290mg for the big name brands Duncan Hines, Pillsbury, and Betty Crocker, and a whopping 300mg in the Trader Joe's product. Unfortunately, the Duncan Hines, Pillsbury, and Betty Crocker brands also all include trans fats (partially hydrogenated soybean oil) as the third or fifth ingredient.

TASTE WINNER: Duncan Hines with Betty Crocker in second

Ready-to-Eat White/Vanilla Frosting

Test Date: March 2011

Testers: Michele and husband Marc

 

All products for this test purchased at Fred Meyer, Whole Foods, and Trader Joe's.

MICHELE'S OPINION: The results of this test really depend on your preferred frosting consistency, and if you like sprinkles in it, and if you like them crunchy or moist. I've tried to describe each product in detail to help you make your own decision. For us, the Duncan Hines whipped frosting had a great flavor and a smooth consistency so we'll choose that one again at the store. Read on for more details....

Price comparison for one jar of frosting (store first, then brand)
$3.99 Whole Foods Cherrybrook Kitchen
$1.89 Fred Meyer Duncan Hines
$1.79 Fred Meyer Betty Crocker Rich and Creamy
$1.79 Fred Meyer Betty Crocker Whipped Fluffy
$1.43 Fred Meyer Pillsbury Creamy Supreme
$1.43 Fred Meyer Pillsbury Confetti Funfetti

1. Betty Crocker Rich & Creamy Rainbow Chip Frosting (Purchased at Fred Meyer and available on Amazon Fresh; Betty Crocker's website product locator was not working at the time of this post.) This product has a very smooth consistency and already includes sprinkles. Unfortunately, it has a fake aftertaste and is very sugary. Marc thinks the product is fairly tasteless.

3. Betty Crocker Whipped Fluffy White Frosting (Purchased at Fred Meyer; Betty Crocker's website product locator was not working at the time of this post.) This product tastes like whipped cream and confectioners sugar, but still has a fake aftertaste. This product has less flavor than the other whipped frosting (Duncan Hines).

4. Pillsbury Creamy Supreme Vanilla Frosting (Purchased at Fred Meyer; per the Pillsbury website, this product is also available at QFC, Safeway, and Albertsons.) This is a relatively dense product with a smooth, light vanilla flavor.

5. Pillsbury Confetti Funfetti Vanilla Frosting (Purchased at Fred Meyer; per Pillsbury website, this product is also available at Albertsons and Target.) This product has crunchy sprinkles that you add in just before using. So if you like a crunch in your frosting this one's for you. However, relative to the other products, it has grainy texture and sugary (less smooth) consistency.

6. Duncan Hines Whipped Vanilla Frosting (Purchased at Fred Meyer; Duncan Hines website does not list other locations for purchase.) This product is fluffy yet really creamy, and sweet and flavorful with a rich vanilla taste.

7. Cherrybrook Kitchen Vanilla Frosting (Purchased at Whole Foods and available on Amazon Fresh. Per Cherrybrook's website, this product may also available at QFC, Fred Meyer, and Madison Market.) This product must be stirred and then has the consistency of wet taffy. Marc and I are not sure how this would spread on cupcakes because of its loose consistency. It has the flavor of confectioners sugar.

NUTRITIONAL NOTES: (serving size 35g) The majority of these products have about 150 calories per serving, with one exception: the Betty Crocker Whipped Fluffy White frosting has only 100 calories per serving. This product also has a lot less sodium than the other options: only 25 mg per serving instead of the more common 60 or 70mg. If you're going for low carb, this Betty Crocker product is also for you: there are only 15g of carbs per serving compared to a more average 23-25g. Fat content is pretty much the same between all of the products though, between 5-7g per serving. If you want to avoid trans fats, then the Cherrybrook Kitchen frosting is your only option, since all of the others contain partially hydrogenated soybean and cottonseed oils.

TASTE WINNER: Duncan Hines Whipped Vanilla

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Test date: October 2010


Testers: Michele and husband Marc


Products for this test purchased at Fred Meyer, Trader Joe's, and Whole Foods.

MICHELE'S OPINION: Frankly, both Marc and I were very disappointed with this test. We were so excited to try tons of cookies (who wouldn't be?), but none came close to homemade. This is the first test where we would say that if you have a good homemade recipe (even the one on the back of the Nestle chip package), use that instead and enjoy the best option out there- your own! Read on for more details.....

Price comparison for 10oz of cookies (store first, the brand)
$5.70 Trader Joe's Highbrow
$4.36 Whole Foods 365
$4.29 Fred Meyer Keebler
$4.29 Fred Meyer Pepperidge Farm
$3.39 Whole Foods Newman's Own
$3.32 Trader Joe's Charmingly Chewy
$3.00 Fred Meyer Cougar Mountain
$2.60 Fred Meyer Mother's
$2.22 Trader Joe's Crispy Crunchy
$1.96 Fred Meyer Chips Ahoy
$0.68 Fred Meyer Kroger brand

1. 365 Organic Chocolate Chip Cookies (Only available at Whole Foods): Flaky and buttery, these small cookies taste more like shortbread and are not overly sweet. If you like butter cookies, you'll like these.


2. Newman's Own Organics Champion Chip Cookies, Chocolate Chip (Purchased at Whole Foods and available at Amazon Fresh, per the Newman's Own website, Newman's Own Organics products are also available at PCC, Central Market, Larry's Market, and Organic to Go): These taste like they have fruit juice sweeters instead of sugar. They are relatively crunchy and small.


3. Keebler Chips Deluxe Cookies Original (Purchased at Fred Meyer and available at Amazon Fresh, per Keebler website, this product is widely available): These are relatively flaky and larger than the first two options. They have a higher concentration of chocolate chips and are sweeter than the first two. They taste fake though and definitely like processed, packaged cookies.


4. Cougar Mountain Original Chocolate Chunk Gourment Cookies (Purchased at Fred Meyer and available at Amazon Fresh, per Cougar Mountain website, this product is also available at QFC, Metropolitan Market, Safeway, Whole Foods, PCC, and Top Foods): These cookies look like homemade, with ther large size and plump consistency. They are relatively chewy cookies and have a nice yeasty flavor, with also a lot of chocolate chips. There is a slight vanilla accent too. Very chocolate-y!


5. Mother's Chocolate Chip Cookies (Purchased at Fred Meyer, per Mother's website, this product is also available at Safeway, Albertson's, and QFC): These cookies are large but relatively flat and taste processed. They are crunchy and relatively brittle. They have a medium chocolate level compared to the other products. Although processed, these taste slightly more authenic than the Keebler variety.


6. Chips Ahoy Real Chocolate Chip Cookies (Purchased at Fred Meyer and available at Amazon Fresh; Chips Ahoy website does not list other locations for purchase): Dark in color and very crunchy, these have very small chocolate chips. The chocolate is a bit darker than the others, so it has more of a semi-sweet taste.


7. Pepperidge Farm Soft Baked Chocolate Chunk Milk Chocolate (Purchased at Fred Meyer; Pepperidge Farm website does not list other locations for purchase): Large and chewy cookies, these have a different flavor then the others that I can't put my finger on. They taste kind of like cookie dough, with a relatively low chocolate chip count.



8. Kroger Value Chocolate Chip Cookies (Available at Kroger locations including Fred Meyer and QFC in the Pacific Northwest): These taste like sugar cookies with a chocolate chip here and there. They are relatively dry and crunchy.


9. Trader Joe's Highbrow Chocolate Chip Cookies (Only available at Trader Joe's): Very crunchy and very dark in color, these taste like they have a ton of brown sugar in them and are close to overcooked. There are not many chocolate chips in these cookies. I can see why they're called Highbrow cookies though; they would probably be good served on a fancy plate with an after-dinner espresso drink or crumbled over ice cream.


10. Trader Joe's Charmingly Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies (Only available at Trader Joe's): These are very chewy cookies and are small in size. On first bite they taste like fresh baked out of the oven, but unfortunately further into the bite I pick up an additive taste that reminds me that it is a processed cookie.


11. Trader Joe's Crispy Crunchy Chocolate Chip Cookies (Only available at Trader Joe's): These are very small, bite sized cookies, that also taste like sugar cookies more than traditional chocolate chip. Not many chocolate chips, and very sugary.


NUTRITIONAL NOTES: (serving sizes vary between 26g and 35g) Calorie levels of these products are all very similar, varying only by 30 calories per serving for all 11 options (130-160 calories). Surprisingly, the product with the highest fat level is the Trader Joe's Crispy Crunchy product, with 9g per serving. The product with the lowest fat level is also from Trader Joe's: the Charmingly Chewy cookies have 5g per serving. All others fall somewhere in between, with Mothers, Keebler, and Chips Ahoy coming in at 8g per serving, the highest after the Crispy Crunchy product. Interestingly, these products also have a substantial amount of salt, with the Trader Joe's Highbrow comng in with the highest level at 140mg per serving. Conversely, less than half of the products contained under 100mg per serving, including the Trader Joe's Charmingly Chewy, 365 Organic, Kroger Value, and Trader Joe's Crispy Crunchy.



TASTE WINNER: If you need to go all natural, the 365 are not a bad bet. I enjoy them and I"m not usually an 'all natural' fan. But Cougar Mountain are the best for an overall, closest-to-homemade taste. A majority of the others just taste processed and unnatural.

Semi-sweet chocolate chips

UPDATE COMING SOON - MORE PRODUCTS, PHOTOS, ETC!

Test date: July 2009

Tester: Michele

All products for this test purchased at Albertsons, with stores around the U.S.

MICHELE'S OPINION: Although I do have a favorite in terms of taste, I think that baking is such a subjective science that any of these would be just fine. If you really want to stay away from the chocolate liquor ingredient, then either the Nestle or Ghirardelli would be fine, depending on what taste profile you prefer. Read on for more details on price, nutrition, and taste:

PRICE COMPARISON FOR 12OZ OF CHIPS:
$3.69 Ghirardelli
$3.29 Nestle
$2.89 Albertsons brand

1. Nestle semi-sweet morsels: These have slight vanilla flavor, are mildly grainy, and the least dense out of the three products tested.
2. Ghirardelli semi-sweet chocolate: These have a rich, smoky flavor and are very dense chips.

3. Albertsons real semi-sweet chocolate chips: These chips have a medium density and a rich, dark chocolate flavor.

NUTRITIONAL NOTES: All three products have very similar calories (70 per TB), fat (4-4.5g to TB), and carbohydrates (9-10g per TB). Interestingly, the Nestle and Ghirardelli have essentially the same ingredients of sugar, chocolate, cocoa butter, milkfat and soy lecithin. However, the Albertson's product, instead of any chocolate, actually has chocolate liquor.

TASTE WINNER: Albertsons real semi-sweet chocolate chips. Although now that I know that they are made of liquor instead of pure chocolate, I'm a little more skeptical to recommend them. But regardless of what is in them, they are the taste winner, so I'll stick with that. These tasted the most like real chocolate to me, without any other flavors mixed in.