Sunday Spotlight: Chocolate, chocolate and more chocolate!

I hate to be a stereotypical chick, but I dig chocolate.  Not like I absolutely, positively must have it everyday, but I definitely crave it from time to time.  I'm a milk chocolate kind of girl, which makes satisfying my chocolate cravings a little difficult when I'm off dairy.  I won't kick dark chocolate out of bed, but it just doesn't get the job down.

I am nothing if not an optimist, so every time I see a tempting chocolate something, I immediately check the ingredients, on the off chance it's "safe."  I've found a few things that help quiet the chocolate monster, to varying degrees.

Okay:  First, I want to mention Enjoy Life.  This is a great little company that specifically caters to the allergic community.  I've only had experience with their cookies, but the side of the box boasts that they're free of the top 8 allergens (dairy, wheat, eggs, soy, tree nuts, peanuts, seafood, shellfish.  I'm not sure what kind of cookies generally include shrimp, but good to know.), which was so exciting to me the first time I found them, since that was exactly what I couldn't eat.  While I can't say enough how much I appreciate their products and mission, these are not my favorite cookies (the snickerdoodle ones are pretty good, though, especially warm).  They'll do in a pinch, but I won't be seeking them out when I can eat wheat again.

Better:  These Fudge Drop Cookies from Fat Free Vegan take more time and effort, but I think they're worth it.  Susan offers 2 different recipes, one that calls for vegan margarine, and a fat free version she says comes out softer and more brownie-like.  I guess you'll have to try both versions, see which you prefer.  :-D  While the recipe calls for soy yogurt, you can try substituting applesauce instead.  It's been a long time since I've whipped up a batch, but I'll report back when I do.

Okay:  Baker's Semi-Sweet Chocolate Squares are great, *if* you can stand/like a little bit of a dark chocolate bite.  Otherwise, it's just adequate.  On the plus side, Baker's Semi-Sweet Chocolate is dairy-free, although it does contain soy lecithin, and it is relatively cheap.  I grabbed my package from Wal-Mart for just over $2.  It's especially good for dipping things that are already plenty sweet on their own.

Better:  Guittard's Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips (in the gold package) are my *favorite* dairy-free chocolate.  I don't know how these delicious little morsels are dairy-free, but they are (although they do contain soy lecithin as well).  They are great for baking, and yummy right out of the bag.  While doing my research for this blog entry, I learned that they are relatively local (no public tours :( ), family-owned and operated company, so that's nice.  You can read their official allergen statement here.  These little gold bags of deliciousness are a little on the expensive side for my tastes, so I always stock up when they're on sale.