I can't tell you how many times I have received emails to the effect of, "That recipe isn't dairy-free, it contains chocolate!" But I am here to share with the world, once and for all, that dairy-free chocolate does exist! In fact, there are several brands. For an in depth discussion on dairy-free living and chocolate, see Go Dairy Free: The Guide and Cookbook. But, for a quick taste of some "safe" chocolates you can purchase, I am happy to present the following comparison report from Speedbump Kitchen ... "It's a tough job ...but someone needs to taste-test the CHOCOLATE!! In the wake of Valentine's Day leftovers, and an impending baking challenge, I pulled out all the dairy, egg and nut-free chocolate from the pantry and did a little taste test. Yes, there is safe chocolate out there...you just have to look! ...
The chocolate we tried today were Divvies chocolate chips, Enjoy Life chocolate chips, Amanda's Own chocolate chips, No-Nuttin chocolate chunks, a nibble on the Enjoy Life Dark Boom Choco Boom Bar, plus a few Amanda's Own chocolate hearts and the rest of the Divvies Benjamint Crunch bar from Christmas (sorry those last 2 items were devoured before picture time!). You can buy all these directly from their respective companies, but I ordered them all through peanutfreeplanet.com to get a little free shipping.
1.) Divvies: I love Divvies, their products are cute and the company has such a positive attitude. I also loved finding them in Disney World! Their chocolate chips are my standby. I order a 5 pound bag along with some cookies twice a year. They are full-sized semi-sweet chips and remind me of the intense chocolate in Ghirardelli semi-sweet chocolate chips. The price is $30 for 5 pounds, or $6.50 for a 1 pound bag (but why would you go small?) Their chocolate bars are so fun for a sweet treat. The Benjamint Crunch is a huge hit around here with little crispy shavings of peppermint candy mixed in the bar ($4/ bar).
2.) Enjoy Life Chocolate Chips: These are mini chocolate chips, but are pretty intense on the chocolate flavor. They melt a bit too much in chocolate chip cookies or granola bars, but they are great for sprinkling on sundaes or rolling around the edges of ice-cream sandwiches. They cost $3.49 for 10 ounces and are being stocked more frequently in health food stores. They also make a chocolate bar called Boom Choco Boom ($1.99 for 1.4oz) that is a treat to snack on or chop into chunks.
3.) Amanda's Own: These are mini chocolate chips and look exactly like the Enjoy Life chips, but are more sweet/waxy and not as chocolaty as Enjoy Life. They cost $6.65 for 1 pound. These were not my favorite. I'll save my money and buy Amanda's Own amazing chocolate creations instead! Their shaped chocolates are truly their niche, where else can you get a dairy and egg-free chocolate advent calendar!!
4.) No-Nuttin' 70% Dark Chocolate Chunks: Wow! Intense, bittersweet chocolate chunks. My girls love dark chocolate, so these were actually their favorite for snacking on and for adding to trail mix. These run $8.99 for 13 ounces, not the cheapest of the bunch, but a little goes a long way with these guys.
So my final report on the allergy-friendly chocolates: Divvies wins for the "normal" style of chocolate chip, Enjoy Life wins for being the only option I can find easily in a bind at my local health food store, Amanda's Own chips are not something I will buy again but I will keep buying her amazing little shaped chocolates, No-Nuttin' is something I'll use only for special occasions and even then, it will be sparingly due to the strength of the chocolate."