Summer’s Heat Can’t Beat These Chocolate Treats
You may have noticed that the chocolate sections of our website are a little less populated this summer than they have been at other times of the year. This is because summertime heat, especially in this record-breaking year, makes creating, storing and shipping chocolates problematic. 
As you probably know, we have extremely high standards for the taste, quality and presentation of all of our products. In the case of our fair-trade chocolates, they’re made by hand, in small batches, using only the very finest dairy-free, organic and fair-trade ingredients. After all the premium ingredients and loving preparation, it would be a shame to have them arrive as a chocolate puddle. So, to avoid that tragedy while the warm weather continues into Fall, here are a few wonderful chocolate gifts that will not melt in the heat.
Our chocolate, salted chocolate, and chocolate rose caramel flavors all have the chocolate-y goodness we all love while being impervious to heat. If they get a little soft in warmer temperatures, simply refrigerate them for a short time to re-harden. Classic and peppermint drinking chocolates are perfect for creating rich and decadent dairy-free chocolate milk or milkshakes on hot summer days. For some taste-test fun, try several different non-dairy milks and ice creams in your milkshakes, then pick your favorite.
Last but certainly not least, our baked goods offer a variety of chocolate flavors that don’t mind the heat. Double Chocolate Chunk Cookies and several flavors of brownies are currently available including Toasted Coconut and Pecan. These artisan baked goods make excellent corporate food gifts for compassionate and eco-conscious companies. A dozen cookies or a tray of brownies cut into bite-sized pieces can easily be shared around an office or conference room. Don’t let the heat get in the way of your chocolate cravings…
Act now!
Warm Weather Treats
I had a sweet treat revelation a few days ago when Allison handed me a frozen Mint Chocolate Chip Cookie to try. Oh my gawd! 
It had been out of the freezer for maybe five or ten minutes, so it was still hard, but not rock solid, and it was absolute cookie perfection. Cold, crunchy and minty, this is the ideal way to enjoy a cookie on a hot day. And, it’s also a perfect way to turn our normally chewy cookies into crunchy ones for those crunchy cookie people out there. 
I think I’m going to start freezing our other cookie flavors and maybe Peppermint Creme Patties too!
Since it’s hot out and I’m on the topic of summer treats already, here are few more recipe ideas for you to try:
Chocolate Milkshakes using your favorite non-dairy milk and/or ice cream, our classic or peppermint drinking chocolate, and optional frozen fruit combined to taste and blended completely smooth.
Iced organic coffee with non-dairy creamer (we like So Delicious Coconut Milk Creamer) and sugar (or stevia) to taste.
Your favorite fair-trade tea brewed strong, iced and sweetened with stevia. (Add stevia one drop at a time to avoid over-sweetening.)
If you make any of these recipes we’d love to see photos and get your comments either here or on our Facebook or Twitter pages. Come back next week for my Mango Ceylon Thai Iced Tea recipe inspired by a recent jaunt to our favorite Thai restaurant.
Taste Testing: Hot Cocoa
Hot cocoa (aka drinking chocolate) is the perfect antidote to a chilly, damp, snowy winter like we’re having here in Northern California. Last week Allison and I discovered that a batch of Peppermint Drinking Chocolate was being made in the kitchen. We immediately went to investigate and decided that a taste-test was necessary to make sure this particular batch was up to snuff 
. 
These are the kind of sacrifices we make on a nearly daily basis to ensure that you always receive perfect and completely delicious products. Yeah, Allison tastes pretty much every batch of everything that comes out of the kitchen, just to make sure… It’s a hard job, but somebody’s got to do it!
So anyway, there we were, tasting hot cocoa: Yum! It’s creamy and rich and perfectly minty. The only thing we’re thinking about changing is the preparation directions. Right now our label recommends using 4 ounces of hot water and 4 ounces of non-dairy milk, but we’ve decided that we like our cocoa way better with 8 ounces of milk. It’s richer that way, and the more chocolate-y the better, I say. But what do you think? Do you like your cocoa thin or thick? Sweet or not-so-sweet? Classic or Minty? Hot cocoa or cool chocolate milk? We want to know!
Fun with Snow Days!
We can usually expect a few inches of snow once or twice a year here in our small foothill community in Northern California. It’s just enough to make it feel like winter, but little enough that many people in this area do not have 4-wheel-drive cars. This year, however, it has already snowed three times and last weekend it snowed over a foot! Now I know we’re not the only ones getting hit with more severe winter than usual this year, and if you’re reading this in the Midwest a foot of snow may not seem like a lot, but around here at least it’s enough to shut down the town. 
Most people were out of power and stuck at home all weekend long and school was canceled for most of last week. While being trapped at home can be a drag, especially if you have work deadlines or screaming kids with cabin fever I like to see it as an opportunity.
Snow days can be really fun and delicious, especially if you have some treats on hand. I know for a lot of people, no power means no heat, so curl up under a blanket (or by the fireplace or wood stove if you have one), light some candles for their warm glow, and indulge in a cup of hot cocoa and some scrumptious gourmet cookies. We spent our snowed-in weekend playing Monopoly for the first time in years and going sledding in our back yard. Then we made one of Allison’s amazing Veganize It! recipes: Shepherd’s Pie. Yum! (Stay tuned for photos coming on Monday).
Send a Chocolate “I Love You”
Most people agree that nothing says “I love you” like chocolate, but that doesn’t mean that you have to give the same kind of chocolate every Valentine’s Day. 
After all, there are so many ways to enjoy chocolate! For lovers of chocolate candy we offer chocolate-covered vegan toffee, and peanut brittle beautifully united with chocolate caramels in our Chocolate Lover’s Gift Set. 
For those more inclined towards baked goods we have myriad vegan brownie flavors and Double Chocolate Chunk Cookies as well as rich, creamy Drinking Chocolate to go with them. And, of course, for truly decadent chocolate gifts there’s always vegan fudge in flavors like Chocolate Orange, Java Crunch and Chipotle Cinnamon.
Order now and choose a delayed delivery date of February 10th for shipment in perfect time for Valentine’s Day!
Chocolate Will Get Us Through
I know they’re a week away yet, but I’m excited about next month’s flavors, so I’m going to post about them now. Although February is the dead of winter and pretty much always dark and cold, flavor-wise at least, it’s one of my favorite months of the year. 
Double Chocolate Chunk Cookies, Cherry Chocolate Brownies and Chipotle Cinnamon Fudge are just the things to chase away those winter blues. The warming spices in the vegan fudge, extra chocolate in the cookies, and succulent cherries in the brownies to remind us of spring on its way, make the perfect antidotes to frosty, rainy weather. They’re also great flavors for Valentine’s Day! For the ultimate warming chocolate experience try your favorite vegan fudge, cookie or brownie flavor with a warm mug of hot cocoa.
Flex Your Spending Power!
As the holiday shopping season gets going, I’d like to take this moment to remind everyone (including myself) of the impact that our spending habits have 
on the global economy, human rights, animal rights and the health of the environment. Each purchase we make supports whatever system or company is behind it. For example, by purchasing fair-trade gifts like our vegan chocolates, fair-trade teas, and fair-trade coffees, you will be directly supporting eco-conscious agriculture, healthy working conditions and a decent wage for farmers around the world. 
It seems like an obvious choice, when the alternative – buying non-fair-trade items – supports child labor, hazardous working conditions, impossibly low wages and the destruction of the environment world wide. What’s really wonderful about buying fair-trade gifts is that you get higher quality products as well as the knowledge that your purchasing power is making a positive impact on the world. And, the same goes for buying vegan and organic!
Cocoa Love
I was in the bakery yesterday while Jada was making a batch of our Classic Drinking Chocolate mix. The smell of organic, fair-trade chocolate blended with just the right amount of vanilla was positively heavenly. 
Although the cocoa powder in the air did make me want to sneeze, it also made we want to go right home, make a cup of rich hot cocoa, curl up with a book and wait for the first snow. I know it’s early, but that’s what cocoa always makes me think of. But, if it’s still warm in your part of the country, try our drinking chocolate in an iced mocha or as cold chocolate milk. For an extra-special treat, get a taste of our Peppermint Drinking Chocolate and prepare to fall in love.
Simple Chocolate Bliss
We’re going back to basics for our vegan fudge flavor coming up in August. Simple flavors can often be the most delicious, and we think our simply elegant Original Fudge is the best thing this side of heaven. Plus, it makes a great chocolate gift for someone you love. 
All our vegan fudge is gluten-free by nature, as are many of our other chocolates, including vegan peanut butter cups, peppermint bark, and peppermint creme patties.
For summer-safe chocolate gifts we recommend double chocolate chunk cookies, classic and peppermint flavors of drinking chocolate, and individually-wrapped chocolate caramels for decadent chocolate flavor without the melt-ability factor.
Tips for Shipping in the Summer Heat
Ordering perishable items in the summer can be a bit of a pain. You either have to order chill packs and faster shipping, which means more money, or you risk receiving melted and/or spoiled products. 
However, you can minimize this hassle for yourself by ordering products that are less perishable and more hearty when it comes to heat exposure. Our Classic and Spiced Peanut Brittle, Classic Almond Toffee, and individually-wrapped Caramels, for example, will ship well without being adversely effected by the summer heat. Our fresh-baked cookies and brownies, are actually surprisingly good at enduring high temperatures as well. Sealed in their plastic bags they won’t go stale or spoil even with our slowest shipping method (which is only 3-4 days). Ordering flavors without chocolate chips also makes your life easier, although the chips and the cookies are no worse for some melted chocolate, just perhaps a bit messier. Coffee, Tea and Drinking Chocolate are other obvious choices for summer shipping, although you may need to remind your recipient that these drinks are as delicious served iced as they are hot.
For heat-friendly gift combos, look no further than our Classic Vanilla Lover’s and Spice Lover’s Gift Sets which include Toffee, Caramels and Peanut Brittle, or our Cookie, Brownie, and Beverage Samplers.
If you do decide to order a more perishable item, especially one containing chocolate, we strongly encourage you to include the recommended chill pack in your order as well as choosing FedEx 2-day air shipping, as our chill packs only remain cold for 2 days.
PS. For those of you wondering about your monthly club orders, today is a shipping holiday, so we will be shipping all the monthly clubs tomorrow, for delivery later in the week. 
