Godiva Truffle Bars: Strawberries & Cream in White Chocolate

Godiva Truffle Bars: Strawberries & Cream in White Chocolate
220 calories total, 55 calories per square (in case you need the nutrition)

This is a 1.5 oz (43 g) Truffle Bar consisting of four squares of white chocolate with a creamy strawberry filling. Created for the Summer Ice Cream collection, this bar is not currently listed anywhere on the Godiva website so it is unclear whether this, like some of the other products in the collection, will only be available for summer or if it will be sold all year-round.

Now, as far as my personal review of this bar, it was as I expected. I suspected this bar to taste as it did, and my expectations weren't very high. I'm not a fan in general of artificial fruit flavors in chocolate (as opposed to, per se, natural and real fruit being dipped into chocolate, which I am a fan of). The white chocolate was rich and thick, and the strawberry filling reminded me of strawberry jam. Although it tasted nothing like strawberry jam, its consistency was not very gooey, but sort of viscous (see below). It even looks like it might taste light strawberry jam, but when combined with the white chocolate, the flavor is completely unique. The white chocolate leaves a lasting impression and becomes almost overpowering. Again, I wasn't crazy about the combination in the first place, but this bar did not disappoint. 

As far as rating goes, I'd personally say 6/10.

But, if I were being completely unbiased, it'd be more like an 8/10. It does melt a little in your hands and the white chocolate overpowered the filling. However, I think it'd be difficult to further emphasize the taste of the filling without throwing all the flavors off balance. Godiva did a good job with this one. 

Godiva...FINALLY!

I finally returned to a Godiva store today, for the first time in almost two years! The first mall I visited had a Godiva Store listed under the Godiva Store Locator, but when I arrived at the mall, it had closed. So, I found another store to go to not too far out of the way. It's a shame, though, that they're closing so often. I really wish one would reopen closer to home. Anyways, here's what I got!

My budget wasn't particularly low, but I wanted to get stuff that I hadn't gotten in a while. So, I didn't indulge in too many of the Pint-Sized Ice Cream Parlor containers.

I got four Truffle Bars:

(From top to bottom) Strawberries & Cream in White Chocolate, Mint Chocolate Chip in Dark Chocolate, Cheesecake Filling in Milk Chocolate and Tiramisu Filling in White Chocolate.



And I got four truffles (See picture above):
A Banana Split Truffle, a Tiramisu truffle, a Chocolate Souffle truffle and a Peach Sorbet truffle.





I plan on reviewing each of these individually over time. I don't think I'll review the Tiramisu truffle in detail, because I've already had it before.

And I'm skeptical about the Peach Sorbet truffle because it looks suspiciously similar to a certain "Orange & Creme Truffle" from a few years ago.





But that doesn't mean I don't plan on eating some chocolate tonight! I got some oldies but goodies, too. One of my favorite truffles, the Roasted Almond truffle, which was my free chocolate of the month, along with a pint of mint chocolate chip ice cream--I mean truffles(:

Ghelfi's Candies of Cape Cod

So, recently I visited Cape Cod, MA, where there was a little store called Candies & Ice Cream. It not only sold yummy flavors of ice cream, but also homemade chocolate made by Ghelfi's Candies of Cape Cod. The choices were incredibly varied, and although some flavors may have been cliched, the chocolates themselves were original and unique. I'm rating them on their overall quality.

I tried a few things there, but, unfortunately, seeing as it was a stop made on my way out of town, I was running a bit low of spending fees. So, although the choices were difficult, I settled on these:

The one on the top left is Milk Chocolate Bark with Sea Salt. The truffle on the top right is a Caramarsh truffle. And the rectangular truffle on the bottom is a Black Forest Truffle.

The milk chocolate bark with sea salt was the classic square of quality milk chocolate drizzled in dark chocolate and topped with a few grains of sea salt. I love sea salt on any chocolate, because it's the perfect blend of sweet and salty. It explains why chocolate-dipped pretzels are such a crowd pleaser! As far as being a homemade chocolate store, the bark sure impressed me and had nice presentation as well as taste. To anyone visiting a beach this summer, be sure to get some sea salted-chocolate! 6/10

Now, the black forest truffle was actually the first one of this set that I got to try. It was delicious! It had a design of flowers on the top, and was filled with a ganache that tasted too rich to be milk chocolate. I don't know exactly what this one was contained of, but it was probably my favorite of the three. 8/10

Then the Caramarsh Truffle was a milk chocolate shell filled with an even balance of caramel and marshmallow. The marshmallow was sort of thick and contained while the caramel was gooey and fresh. Neither overpowered the other flavor but the textures of each didn't harmonize. Although the texture itself was not my favorite, the product overall was delicious! 7/10

These chocolates were delicious and unique and I wish I could have gotten more. They were completely worth the money, although they weren't even expensive compared to many chocolate stores. If anyone visits Mashpee or Falmouth, MA, visit a Candies & Ice Cream store for these delicious treats!

The Return Of Felix

Hello, out there!
I'm sorry I haven't blogged in well over a year. I haven't been as engaged in chocolate as I would have liked, I admit. But I'm going to try to be more consistent with this blog! I've been very caught up in so many things. I, honestly, forgot about this. And on top of that, I've been trying to lose some weight, so I haven't been able to enjoy many chocolate indulgences. It's been difficult. Besides, I can't make it to our nearest Godiva without having to schedule a trip. But, with summer and all, I'll have more free time, and I'll definitely be blogging!

So, let's start.

Have you seen Godiva's Summer Ice Cream Parlor Truffles? Are you as excited as I am that they're back?! It's been too long. Be still my stomach, I'm craving.

My personal favorites, as I've blogged about before, are these.

The Mint Chocolate Chip Truffles

Probably my 2nd or 3rd favorite truffle ever. I can't wait to have some.

While we're talking about them, here's a list of my favorite truffles (so far) in no particular order.

• Mint Chocolate Chip Truffle
• Harvest Truffle (which I don't think they make anymore)
• Roasted Almond Truffle (at least, I think that's what it is)

And truffles I want to try include

Ultimate Dessert Chocolate Éclair Truffle

This little guy was definitely not part of the original group of Ultimate Dessert Truffles, and I want to see if he's as good as the others. 

Before I bid you farewell, I'll leave you with a picture of a truffle that I had while I was at the beach. I was in a candy store and wanted to try some truffles, so I managed to buy a few with some spare change I had. I recall this one because it had sea salt on top, which I found to be relevant to a beach trip. I forget what it tasted like, but I do remember the sea salt adding a nice touch.

Until the next truffle...

Rekindling my old flame

It's been over 11 months since I last posted here. Wow. Weird, huh? Well, I'm (temporarily) back. I can't promise weekly posts, but I'm hopefully going to be visiting the Godiva store tomorrow! The problem is that the closest store near me is over a 45 minute drive away. How annoying, right? Well, I haven't made the journey in a while, so it's high time I do. In a little over 24 hours I'll have pictures and maybe a review or two here for you! It's the perfect time, too, with all the new Halloween treats and the fall gifts. I might even revisit a subject I did last year: the bakery dessert truffles newly named "Ultimate Dessert Truffles." A few points off from originality there, guys. But, hey, they're still gonna be delicious.

This year they've added the Chocolate Éclair Truffle, the  Crème Brûlée truffle, the  Caramel Apple Tarte, Chocolate Soufflé, Pecan Caramel Tarte, Vanilla Mousse, and the Strawberry Créme Tarte. A few of these, such as the Caramel Apple Tarte, the Peacan Caramel Tarte and the Strawberry Créme Tarte look like they're just spins on old turffles with new names. We'll just have to see what they're gonna be. From this collection I look forward to trying the Chocolate Éclair Truffle and the  Crème Brûlée truffle. 

This collection is also the Godiva Homepage Headliners!

However, I'm most looking forward to the Halloween collection. Halloween/Fall is one of my favorite times for chocolate. Autumn is my favorite season, and I love the way Godiva has translated it all into chocolate. Since I'm a big truffle person, I'm probably going to be stocking up on the Caramel Apple Gems, because they're a seasonal must-have. Sure, they're available all year round, but it doesn't seem right having them at any other time. I also look forward to the Pumpkin Patch Truffles. It's an extremely cute name by itself, and the truffle perfectly interprets the deliciousness of pumpkin into a ganache filling. Unfortunately, my favorite truffle of all time, the Harvest Spice truffle of 1992, seems to be retired. It's perfect for this time of year, and I'm not able to find it in their online store. If anyone knows differently, please, don't be afraid to email or comment. I'd love to know if they're still selling(:


This year, I've also decided to treat myself to one of their pops. I'd probably choose the ghost pop. But, we'll see!

Untill then...:D