Real CHOCOLATE CHIPS

[donandjim]

We did a Costco run this week and found large bags of REAL Chocolate Chips. They carry the Kirkland Brand and are very good. A bag is 2.04 kilos and the cost is 183.13 pesos. Enough to supply my chocolate chip cookie munch for a year or so.

[Al Berca]

Wow. That is a lot of chocolate chip cookies. Are you going to take before and after pix of yourself?

[Xena]

Thank you for the heads up!

[Alpha1]

Yes, thank you! I have been buying artificial chocolate chips, about $80 pesos for one kilo. so the real ones are only a bit more, as the bag is 2.04 kilos! Where were they in Costco?

[Travis]

Ummm, Walmart carries real chocolate chips. Or at least they used to. I know I've bought Hershey's there, and possibly Nestle.

[Alpha1]

Ummm, Walmart carries real chocolate chips. Or at least they used to. I know I've bought Hershey's there, and possibly Nestle.

Thank you! Yes, they did, maybe still do. Chipits. Expensive. The Costco choc chips are a better deal.

[osuespirit]

Superlake has Giradelli chocolate chips, dark chocolate, and I can guarantee you they are real. They also have Hershey and Nestle.

[Zeb]

Best anti-depressant in the world as far as I'm concerned.

I cut and pasted this from another source:

6 Health Benefits of Dark Chocolate

Dark chocolate has recently been discovered to have a number of healthy benefits. While eating dark chocolate can lead to the health benefits described below, remember that chocolate is also high in fat. Use FitDay to keep track of your calories and nutrition as you work towards your weight loss goals.

1) Dark Chocolate is Good for Your Heart

Studies show that eating a small amount of dark chocolate two or three times each week can help lower your blood pressure. Dark chocolate improves blood flow and may help prevent the formation of blood clots. Eating dark chocolate may also prevent arteriosclerosis (hardening of the arteries).

2) Dark Chocolate is Good for Your Brain

Dark chocolate increases blood flow to the brain as well as to the heart, so it can help improve cognitive function. Dark chocolate also helps reduce your risk of stroke.

Dark chocolate also contains several chemical compounds that have a positive effect on your mood and cognitive health. Chocolate contains phenylethylamine (PEA), the same chemical your brain creates when you feel like you're falling in love. PEA encourages your brain to release endorphins, so eating dark chocolate will make you feel happier.

Dark chocolate also contains caffeine, a mild stimulant. However, dark chocolate contains much less caffeine than coffee. A 1.5 ounce bar of dark chocolate contains 27 mg of caffeine, compared to the 200 mg found in an eight ounce cup of coffee.

3) Dark Chocolate Helps Control Blood Sugar

Dark chocolate helps keep your blood vessels healthy and your circulation unimpaired to protect against type 2 diabetes. The flavonoids in dark chocolate also help reduce insulin resistance by helping your cells to function normally and regain the ability to use your body's insulin efficiently. Dark chocolate also has a low glycemic index, meaning it won't cause huge spikes in blood sugar levels.

4) Dark Chocolate is Full of Antioxidants

Dark chocolate is loaded with antioxidants. Antioxidants help free your body of free radicals, which cause oxidative damage to cells. Free radicals are implicated in the aging process and may be a cause of cancer, so eating antioxidant rich foods like dark chocolate can protect you from many types of cancer and slow the signs of aging.

5) Dark Chocolate Contains Theobromine

Dark chocolate contains theobromine, which has been shown to harden tooth enamel. That means that dark chocolate, unlike most other sweets, lowers your risk of getting cavities if you practice proper dental hygiene.

Theobromine is also a mild stimulant, though not as strong as caffeine. It can, however, help to suppress coughs.

6) Dark Chocolate is High in Vitamins and Minerals

Dark chocolate contains a number of vitamins and minerals that can support your health. Dark chocolate contains some of the following vitamins and minerals in high concentrations:

• Potassium
• Copper
• Magnesium
• Iron

The copper and potassium in dark chocolate help prevent against stroke and cardiovascular ailments. The iron in chocolate protects against iron deficiency anemia, and the magnesium in chocolate helps prevent type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease.

[sambrit10]

I'm pretty sure the chocolate chips sold at Granero (next to Gossip's on the carreterra) are real. I've bought them to add to trail mix and they sure taste real, but I don't remember the price. She has many varieties of dark chocolate also.

[vetteforron]

Best anti-depressant in the world as far as I'm concerned.

I cut and pasted this from another source:

6 Health Benefits of Dark Chocolate

Dark chocolate has recently been discovered to have a number of healthy benefits. While eating dark chocolate can lead to the health benefits described below, remember that chocolate is also high in fat. Use FitDay to keep track of your calories and nutrition as you work towards your weight loss goals.

1) Dark Chocolate is Good for Your Heart

Studies show that eating a small amount of dark chocolate two or three times each week can help lower your blood pressure. Dark chocolate improves blood flow and may help prevent the formation of blood clots. Eating dark chocolate may also prevent arteriosclerosis (hardening of the arteries).

2) Dark Chocolate is Good for Your Brain

Dark chocolate increases blood flow to the brain as well as to the heart, so it can help improve cognitive function. Dark chocolate also helps reduce your risk of stroke.

Dark chocolate also contains several chemical compounds that have a positive effect on your mood and cognitive health. Chocolate contains phenylethylamine (PEA), the same chemical your brain creates when you feel like you're falling in love. PEA encourages your brain to release endorphins, so eating dark chocolate will make you feel happier.

Dark chocolate also contains caffeine, a mild stimulant. However, dark chocolate contains much less caffeine than coffee. A 1.5 ounce bar of dark chocolate contains 27 mg of caffeine, compared to the 200 mg found in an eight ounce cup of coffee.

3) Dark Chocolate Helps Control Blood Sugar

Dark chocolate helps keep your blood vessels healthy and your circulation unimpaired to protect against type 2 diabetes. The flavonoids in dark chocolate also help reduce insulin resistance by helping your cells to function normally and regain the ability to use your body's insulin efficiently. Dark chocolate also has a low glycemic index, meaning it won't cause huge spikes in blood sugar levels.

4) Dark Chocolate is Full of Antioxidants

Dark chocolate is loaded with antioxidants. Antioxidants help free your body of free radicals, which cause oxidative damage to cells. Free radicals are implicated in the aging process and may be a cause of cancer, so eating antioxidant rich foods like dark chocolate can protect you from many types of cancer and slow the signs of aging.

5) Dark Chocolate Contains Theobromine

Dark chocolate contains theobromine, which has been shown to harden tooth enamel. That means that dark chocolate, unlike most other sweets, lowers your risk of getting cavities if you practice proper dental hygiene.

Theobromine is also a mild stimulant, though not as strong as caffeine. It can, however, help to suppress coughs.

6) Dark Chocolate is High in Vitamins and Minerals

Dark chocolate contains a number of vitamins and minerals that can support your health. Dark chocolate contains some of the following vitamins and minerals in high concentrations:

• Potassium
• Copper
• Magnesium
• Iron

The copper and potassium in dark chocolate help prevent against stroke and cardiovascular ailments. The iron in chocolate protects against iron deficiency anemia, and the magnesium in chocolate helps prevent type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease.

Add this to red wine and coffee. WOW! Life is good....

[Xena]

The OP said a bag of the Kirkland brand is "2.04 kilos and the cost is 183.13 pesos." I would be interested to know how that price compares to the real chocolate chips sold at Superlake, Granero and WalMart if anyone knows. As I recall, the cost of real chocolate chips locally almost made my heart stop so I have not bought any in a long time.

[hensley]

I saw them last week at the Costco at Galerias and they were near the peanut butter which was almost out.

[chapala45900]

I purchased Hershey milk chocolate chips at Wal-Mart a couple of weeks ago....the cost was 55 pesos bag of 326 grams.

[Travis]

Dang. I can't take it any more...all this talk about chocolate chip cookies. Now I absolutely have to make some. And then eat every single one of them. Yep, the Hershey's chocolate chips at Walmart are $55 (or 58?) for 340 grams. The exact same bag was $92 at El Torito, so whatever you do, don't buy them there. If you don't mind buying such a huge amount, the Costco chocolate chips do appear well-priced.

[Xena]

If God did not want us to buy such large quantities of chocolate chips she would not have invented freezers.

[osuespirit]

Chocolate does not freeze well. Especially since so much of it has been frozen before it gets here. Every buy chocolate that is kind of cloudy in color - it has been frozen. Buy only what you need for the next couple of months. We can all have lots of chocolate chip cookies.

[Ginger]

I always freeze chocolate with no problem I just make sure it's well-wrapped so it doesn't pick up any odors.

[Wookie]

We buy the extra large bags of Nestle chocolate chips in the States when we go and I freeze them and use them frozen in my cookies. They are great ... been freezing them for 10 years now. No. problem.

[Travis]

The chocolate chips at El Granero, next to Gossips, are $92 per kilo. I tasted one of the milk chocolate, and it certainly tasted like chocolate. However, they are the smaller kind, which I've always found unsatisfying in a cc cookie.

[bmh]

I have "cloudy" chocolate and it was never frozen..The chocolate I have is pure toasted and ground coco beans, sugar and cinamon sticks... I saw it made and got it right from the molio so it never was frozen but after a while it looks "cloudy".

[More Liana]

Chocolate does not freeze well. Especially since so much of it has been frozen before it gets here. Every buy chocolate that is kind of cloudy in color - it has been frozen. Buy only what you need for the next couple of months. We can all have lots of chocolate chip cookies.

What you guys are talking about is called chocolate bloom. It has nothing to do with being frozen--in fact, the opposite is true: bloom can be caused by heat. Here's an article to dispel the myths.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chocolate_bloom

[Ginger]

The chocolate is still good.

[Rony]

What you guys are talking about is called chocolate bloom. It has nothing to do with being frozen--in fact, the opposite is true: bloom can be caused by heat. Here's an article to dispel the myths.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chocolate_bloom

That is right,C. It is also called sugar bloom or fat bloom. The sugar or fat rises to the surface, and it looks whitish, but it doesn't effect the taste or quality. After you melt it or start the tempering process, the nice dark colour will return. Dark chocolate doesn't spoil easily (up to 2 years or more)..... white or milkchocolate is a different matter (because of the milk in it).

Also, the amount of cocoa percentage will tell you more about the quality of your chocolate. For a dark chocolate it should be at least about 50 %.

A lot of the cheaper chocolate has no cocoa at all and contains sugar and artificial tastes (the title of this topic being "REAL chocolate"). On the international markets, prices of the cocoa beans have (and are) surged big time for the last months.

I really don't want to hurt anybody's feelings, but after you tried Callebaut cocoa powder, you will never want the Hershey again. Callebaut, all over in the world stands for number one quality (just google it) and is the most used by chocolatiers (and it actually is not that much more expensive).

According to international statistics, Mexico (where cocoa originated from)is worldwide the very last country in the consumption of chocolate (because of a lot of so called chocolate products that are made with the cheapest ingredients and the total lack of cocoa).

You really don't want to know how much chocolate, us,Belgians, consume..... And even a chocolatier doesn't get tired of it (since November, I worked 12 hours a day...... with chocolate..... and I still love it...... probably eat about 3 ounces a day.... eating all my profit away). Working hard keeps me slim.

When I was 4 years old, my grandma had to run an errand and locked me up in the bedroom,..... but she had hidden the chocolate in the closet..... Later she found me completely covered in chocolate,..... sheets, blankets and all. Instead of going to church.... I spent my church money on candies and skipped mass (don't tell my parents.... they probably noticed the chocolate on my mouth anway). That is why, I will not go to heaven, but that is fine with me (the chocolate was worth it). If the rice pudding, made and served in heaven, is prepared the Mexican way, where you can actually drink it,.... I will gladly give that a miss too.

The benefits of REAL dark chocolate are endless (and a lot more than mentioned above). One of the latest studies revealed that it slows down dementia, but you need to drink a hot dark chocolate before going to bed (not eating it). Now.....what was I talking about ?

Rony but...."Chocolate still is cheaper than therapy, and you don’t need an appointment."

[lcscats]

Hershey is the bottom of the Choco market in my opinion but many folks think this taste is Choco heaven. I disagree. Cadbury in US has been made by Hershey for years. Turin has some new small dark 70% eating choco bars at Walmart. Pretty good and cheap but I still find that Belgium Choco is still the closest thing to sex in Choco products. Ever try Belguim cookies covered in dark Choco compared to those P. farm gourmet cookies? No comparision.

Best buy in Choco in US? Trader Joes huge bars from Belguim for five bucks plus tax. I always bring back many bars for friends and my cuboard.