Tag: Dark Chocolate

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The Rise of Vegan Chocolate: Exploring Dairy-Free Options

Dark chocolate pieces crushed and cocoa beans. Chocolate background

The shift towards more inclusive and compassionate eating habits has brought vegan and dairy-free chocolates into the spotlight, transforming them from niche to mainstream. Branson’s Chocolates, known for its dedication to creating the most delectable types of chocolate, has embraced this trend, offering a delightful assortment of options for those seeking dairy-free and vegan indulgences!

The Allure of Dairy-Free Chocolate

Dairy-free chocolate broadens the horizon for those with dietary restrictions or allergies, eliminating dairy but still delivering the full chocolate experience. While ‘dairy-free’ doesn’t always mean vegan, many of Branson’s dairy-free chocolates are indeed vegan-friendly, thanks to our preference for high-quality dark chocolate as a base.

Understanding Vegan Chocolate

Vegan chocolate combines the rich flavor of cocoa with plant-based ingredients, ensuring that the final product is enjoyable for everyone, regardless of dietary preferences.

The Cocoa Base

  • The cocoa bean is the foundation of all chocolate, including vegan varieties. These beans are naturally vegan and are the key to the rich, deep flavors we associate with chocolate.

Plant-Based Creaminess

  • Vegan chocolatiers turn to alternatives like almond, oat, and coconut milk to achieve the creamy texture traditionally provided by cow’s milk. Each brings its own subtle flavor, enhancing the chocolate’s overall taste.

Sweetening the Deal

  • Sweeteners in vegan chocolate often include unrefined sugars, maple syrup, or agave nectar, chosen for their plant-based origins and natural processing methods.

The Making Process

Roasting and Grinding: The cocoa beans are roasted to develop their flavor and then ground into a cocoa mass.

Blending: The cocoa mass is blended with cocoa butter and plant-based milk, creating a smooth mixture.

Conching: This step involves heating and mixing the chocolate to refine its flavor and texture.

Tempering: Finally, the chocolate is tempered, giving it a glossy finish and that characteristic snap.

cropped view of chocolatier pouring melted chocolate in chocolate molds

Branson’s Approach

Recognizing that dark chocolate is inherently vegan due to its high cocoa content and absence of dairy, we’ve curated a selection of vegan and dairy-free offerings at Branson’s Chocolates that primarily feature various forms of exquisite dark chocolate.

Why People Choose Vegan Chocolate

The choice to indulge in vegan and dairy-free chocolates goes beyond mere preference; it’s a decision influenced by various health and ethical considerations. At Branson’s Chocolates, we recognize the importance of these factors and strive to create chocolates that delight the taste buds and resonate with our customers’ values and well-being.

Health Benefits

  • Antioxidant Powerhouse: Dark chocolate is central to our vegan offerings and is renowned for its antioxidant properties. These compounds are pivotal in promoting heart health, reducing inflammation, and enhancing cognitive functions.
  • Lower Sugar Content: Our meticulously crafted vegan chocolates aim to reduce sugar content, focusing instead on high-quality cocoa’s natural, rich flavors.
  • Gluten-Free: Many vegan chocolates, including those at Branson’s Chocolates, are often gluten-free, making them a great option for those with gluten sensitivities or celiac disease.

Ethical Reasons

  • Animal Welfare: Choosing vegan chocolate is a step towards supporting animal welfare, as it eliminates the need for animal-derived products, fostering a more humane approach to indulgence.
  • Environmental Sustainability: The production of vegan chocolate has a lesser environmental impact, primarily due to the more sustainable nature of plant-based agriculture, which typically uses fewer resources and results in lower carbon emissions.
  • Fair and Sustainable Sourcing: At Branson’s Chocolates, we’re dedicated to sourcing our ingredients ethically. This commitment ensures that our cocoa and other ingredients are procured through fair trade practices, supporting environmental sustainability and the communities involved in their production.

Exploring Vegan and Dairy-Free Options at Branson’s Chocolates

At Branson’s Chocolates, we embrace the vegan-friendliness of dark chocolate and offer a wide range of products, from simple dark bars to more complex creations that are infused with natural flavors and ingredients. Our selection of vegan and dairy-free options showcases the versatility and natural richness of semi-sweet dark chocolate, ensuring that everyone can find something they will enjoy.

Blueberry Dark Chocolate Bar
Midnight Chocolate Bar

Here are some standout options from our collection:

  • Blueberry Bar: This bar is a perfect harmony of flavors, featuring soft dried blueberries that beautifully complement the semi-sweet 62% dark chocolate. It’s a testament to how fruit and chocolate can create a sublime taste experience.
  • Hazelnut Clusters: Sourced directly from Oregon growers, the dry-roasted hazelnuts in these clusters add a crunchy texture and nutty flavor that pairs wonderfully with the semi-sweet 62% dark chocolate.
  • Midnight Bar: Our darkest offering, the Midnight Bar, features solid bittersweet 70% dark chocolate. It’s ideal for those who crave dark chocolate’s deep, intense flavors without any distractions.
  • Coconut Macadamia Nut Bar: This semi-sweet 62% dark chocolate bar has a creamy coconut center mixed with chopped macadamia nuts. Sweetened condensed coconut milk enhances the coconut flavor while keeping the bar dairy-free and vegan.
  • Cherry Cordials: These delightful cordials encase a sweet, tart cherry in a semi-sweet 62% dark chocolate shell. The gooey center, made with cherry liquor and an Amarena cherry, adds a luxurious depth to the chocolate experience.

Each of these options showcases our dedication to quality and inclusivity, ensuring that there’s a delicious vegan and dairy-free chocolate for everyone to enjoy.

Visit us at Branson’s Chocolates online or in-store to explore our full range of dairy-free and vegan options and other various chocolate types, such as ruby chocolate and infused flavors. 

If you have any specific questions about the ingredients we use in our gourmet chocolates, please contact us at info@bransonschocolates.com or call (541)488-7493 to speak with one of our knowledgeable chocolatiers. 

Discover the perfect treat for yourself or a thoughtful gift for a loved one, and join us in celebrating the rich diversity of chocolate—crafted with care and enjoyed by all!

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Cherry Cordials

Locals Guide: February

Cherry Cordials

Our February Product of the Month is Chocolate Cherry Cordials. Imagine a sweet yet slightly tart Amarena cherry, filled with cherry liquor, and then drenched in our rich semi-sweet chocolate.  Perfect for a sweet Valentine’s Day gift, or a delicious treat anytime. Be sure to check out our Chocolate Talk video about Cherry Cordials on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/c/BransonsChocolatesAshland  to see how we make them.

And our Valentine’s Special is back by popular demand. When you buy our heart-shaped box of delicious Truffles, we throw in a single red rose. So sweet! So romantic! (Limited availability)

This month we are celebrating five years of retail sales, and we would like to say Thank You! We are honored to have so many wonderful wholesale and retail customers. Whether you buy cases of chocolates or a single truffle, we thank you all!

If you are getting Valentine’s chocolate for your special someone, or especially if you are treating yourself, we’ve got your chocolate! Branson’s Chocolates is right here in Ashland at 1662 Siskiyou Boulevard.  We’re just a block south of 7-11, in the Minute Market shopping center. We won’t be out and about in February, so stop by our store and get all your Valentine’s treats. We’re open Monday – Saturday 10-5:30.

You can also find Branson’s Chocolates on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube, and at bransonschocolates.com for online chocolate shopping.

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Peppermint

Locals Guide: December

Peppermint

December is the perfect month for peppermint everything, and at Branson’s Chocolates that means Peppermint Squares, White Chocolate Peppermint Bars, and Gourmet Semi-Sweet Peppermint Bars. Our delicious Peppermint Squares have a layer of rich dark chocolate topped with a layer of smooth white chocolate and crushed peppermint candy. Our scrumptious White Chocolate Peppermint Bars mix peppermint candies and a touch of locally sourced peppermint oil right into the white chocolate. And our Gourmet Semi-Sweet Peppermint Bars have crushed peppermint candies stirred into the rich dark chocolate with even more sprinkled on top. Naughty or nice, you deserve some, so come in and pick up some for yourself.

The holiday season is fast approaching, so now is the perfect time to come in and order chocolate for the holidays. Branson’s Chocolates, your home for peppermint everything (and chocolate too!) is right here in Ashland at 1662 Siskiyou Boulevard.  We’re just a block south of 7-11, next to Abbey Carpet Mart. We will be creating chocolate deliciousness at our shop all month long, so come on in and treat yourself.  Buy chocolate for someone else too and you’re sure to end up on the ‘Nice’ list! We’re open Monday – Saturday 10-5:30.

You can also find Branson’s Chocolates on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube, and at bransonschocolates.com for online chocolate shopping.

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Fudge

Locals Guide: November

Fudge

November is Fudge Month at Branson’s Chocolates–everything fudge! Fudge is one of our original confections. In fact, the fudge recipes that we use originated in the late 1800s on Mackinac Island in Michigan. We’ve adapted those original recipes to include flavors such as Chocolate Huckleberry, Bailey’s Irish Cream, and Chocolate Cream Cheese. We make ten different flavors of fudge, so we have something for everyone. We know there are a few of you out there who aren’t really chocolate fans, so even though we don’t quite understand how that could be, we have Penuche and Maple Pecan for you guys. Penuche is a brown sugar and vanilla fudge, and Maple Pecan, well, it’s maple and pecans. And trust me, even you chocolate lovers will love them. Stop by to see what is currently in stock.

If you want to catch us out and about in November, here’s where we will be—

  • November 9th & 10th, Friday & Saturday, you can find us at the Holiday Market @the Expo from 10am-6pm.
  • November 10th & 11th, Saturday & Sunday, we will be at the 12th annual Ashland Culinary Festival at the Ashland Hills Hotel & Suites. More information at www.ashlandchamber.com/culinaryfestival .
  • November 17th is Paddington Station’s 45nd Annual Holiday Open House, and we will be there from 11am-2pm selling chocolate.

Branson’s Chocolates is your home for delicious fudge and all chocolate deliciousness, and is right here in Ashland at 1662 Siskiyou Boulevard.  We’re just two blocks south of Omar’s, next to Abbey Carpet Mart. We’re open Monday – Saturday 10-5:30.

You can also find Branson’s Chocolates on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube, and at bransonschocolates.com for online chocolate shopping.

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S’mores

Locals Guide: July 2018

S’mores

Warming up by a blazing campfire, gazing up at the starry night, roasting corn on the cob on the barbeque —we love camping! And everybody’s favorite part of camping is S’mores—gooey marshmallows, crunchy graham crackers, and sweet chocolate. Eat them together, and they’re heaven on earth! At Branson’s Chocolates, we’ve got S’mores for you in July—made in both our rich Semi-Sweet Chocolate and our creamy Milk Chocolate. Of course, we only use gluten-free marshmallows and graham crackers. In fact, at Branson’s Chocolates, all of our delicious chocolate is gluten-free except for beer-based and whiskey-based items, allowing you to relax and enjoy our chocolate with all your friends and family.

Branson’s Chocolates, your home for S’mores and all chocolate deliciousness, is right here in Ashland at 1662 Siskiyou Boulevard.  We’re just a block south of 7-11, in the Minute Market shopping center. We won’t be out and about in July, so come visit us in our store and get your S’mores while they’re here. We’re open Monday – Saturday 10-5:30.

You can also find Branson’s Chocolates on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube, and at bransonschocolates.com for online chocolate shopping.

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Gourmet Chocolates

Locals Guide: June

Gourmet Chocolates

Here at Branson’s Chocolates we have chocolates that we call our Gourmet line. Some are not your everyday flavors, some are elevated flavors. They all are delicious and decadent. This month we are featuring our Gourmet Chocolates.

If you like your dessert a little spicy, or slightly exotic, or even a bit adventurous, we have the chocolate for you—Wasabi Ginger Chocolate. We add wasabi powder to a dark chocolate ganache square, dipped it in milk chocolate and top it with candied ginger.  It’s a gourmet treat for adventurous chocolate lovers which is inspired by a wasabi ginger potato chip.

Matcha Green Tea square is made by mixing ceremonial grade match agree tea powder into a white chocolate ganache, formed into squares, and then dipped in dark chocolate with a green Matcha chocolate stripe. According to many studies, Matcha tea makes this a sweet treat loaded with benefits:  L-Theanine, an amino acid known to create calmness and improve memory, powerful antioxidants including polyphenols and EGCg which is believed to be a powerful anti-carcinogen and catechins which help lower LDL cholesterol, to name a few. Thanks to http://www.naturallivingideas.com/10-amazing-benefits-of-matcha-green-tea/ .

Exotic jasmine tea is steeped to create the flavor in a semi-sweet ganache center, which is then dipped in delicious Belgian milk chocolate and topped with a sprinkling of jasmine tea.  Jasmine Tea Square is a delicious combination of bitter tea’s antioxidants and jasmine’s floral delicacy with gourmet Belgian chocolate.  Blissful everyday indulgence!

The best thing about Earl Gray Tea is that it is delicious, which is why BRANSON’S CHOCOLATES created our EARL GRAY TEA SQUARES. We steep Earl Gray Tea into rich cream, and then stir it into a dark chocolate ganache. We cover the ganache in milk chocolate and top it with a stripe of more dark chocolate. We are passionate about local products from local vendors, so we use tea from Full Leaf Tea Company based in White City, and cream from Umpqua Dairy.

This is just a few of our Gourmet Chocolates. To see the entire line of Gourmet Chocolates you can come into our retail location or check our website.

You can also find Branson’s Chocolates on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube, and at bransonschocolates.com for online chocolate shopping.

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Lavender

Locals Guide: May

Lavender

We have partnered with our local English Lavender Farms this month to bring you all things lavender—Lavender Ganache Squares, Lavender Sea Salt Caramels, and Gourmet Lavender Chocolate Sauce. They are all part of our gourmet line. Our delicious Lavender Chocolate confections are made using English Lavender Farms buds and essential oil, which is distilled locally in the Applegate Valley. Lavender Ganache Squares are made by steeping the buds, infusing them into a semi-sweet ganache center, then dipping the ganache in our rich semi-sweet chocolate. Lavender Sea Salt Caramels and Gourmet Lavender Chocolate Sauce are both made with the essential oil. The lavender is a subtle background flavor and beautifully complements our dark, delicious chocolate. English Lavender Farms Lavender Squares are an indulgent, aromatic treat for the senses.

The English Lavender Farm, run by Sue and Derek Owen, opened to the public for the first time in the summer of 2014. They have been planting Angustafolias (English Lavenders) since 2012 and are turning their lavender farm into a luxurious venue for weddings and other events. Their farm is set on a gentle hillside, and there are stunning vistas of row upon row of purple lavender. They have spent time in Provence with French lavender farmers, and love to discuss the history of lavender production. Their drying barn serves also as a gift shop, and it is well-stocked with a wide variety of handmade lavender products produced on the farm, including Branson’s Chocolates English Lavender Farms Lavender Sea Salt Caramels.

If you want to catch us out and about in May, we will be at—

  • The Jackson County Master Gardener’s Spring Garden Fair at the Jackson County Expo, Saturday May 5th 9am-5pm and Sunday My 6th 10am-4p.

You can find Branson’s Chocolates on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and at bransonschocolates.com, or come down to our store at 1662 Siskiyou Boulevard here in Ashland. We’re just a block south of 7-11, in the Minute Market shopping center. We’re open Monday-Saturday 10-5:30. Stop on in, say Hi, and take home some Lavender Chocolate today!

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Sugar Free/No Sugar Added Chocolates

Locals Guide:April

Sugar Free/No Sugar Added Chocolates

If you’ve been drooling over all the deliciousness here at Branson’s Chocolates, but stayed away because of the sugar, you are in luck! We’d like to introduce you to our Sugar-Free/No Sugar Added Chocolates. We have Hazelnut Clusters, Peanut Clusters, Almond Bars, and Solid Chocolate Bars in both Milk Chocolate and Semi-Sweet Chocolate; and Hazelnut Bars in Milk Chocolate, Espresso Bars in Semi-Sweet Chocolate.

We use maltitol, a sugar alcohol, in our sugar free chocolates. Sugar alcohol is a somewhat misleading term, as it is actually neither sugar nor alcohol. This type of sugar substitute is particularly helpful to people with diabetes, because only a portion of it is digested and absorbed. And the part that is absorbed through the intestinal tract is absorbed slowly, so there’s a relatively little rise in blood sugar. So if you are watching your sugar intake, come on in and try our Sugar-Free/No Sugar Added Chocolate. You’ll be glad you did!

If you want to catch us out and about, we’ll be—

  • Thursday April 12th, we will be at the Opening Night Bash—Savor The Rogue®—from 7:30pm to 10:30pm. This event includes a delicious tastings of local foods and beverages, including our chocolates, and a no-host bar. Ticket required. For more information go to ashlandfilm.org
  • April 13th-14th, Friday 3-10pm and Saturday 10-5pm, we will be at the Pear-a-Fare in downtown Medford during the Pear Blossom Festival. This event includes vineyards, breweries, distillers, local artisan food makers all under the festival canopy serving tastes, and selling products. Tasting glasses and tickets to sample the flavors will be for sale at the Pear-a-Fare entrance. Vendors will also be selling wine, beer, coffee, and other local drinks by the glass. Our artisan food makers will have a wide variety of products for sale as well as samples available.org

 

You can also find Branson’s Chocolates on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube, and at bransonschocolates.com for online chocolate shopping.

Thanks to https://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/features/taste-test-sugar-free-chocolate#1 for the maltitol information.

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Chocolate Sauce

Locals Guide: March

Chocolate Sauce

Ten years ago, the owner of a local restaurant asked me to create a chocolate sauce that he could use with his espresso machine. We have perfected our Chocolate Sauce recipe and now make it by the kettleful. We mix sugar, vanilla, and water with pure chocolate liquor–which is made by grinding the nib of the cocoa bean into a thick paste that melts when heated. Chocolate liquor contains no alcohol, as opposed to chocolate liqueur, which is alcohol with chocolate added to it. Chocolate Sauce is delicious on ice cream, fruit, waffles, and is perfect as a base for hot cocoa and chocolate milk. One of our customers even swears it’s best just eaten straight from the bottle. However you like it, and whatever you like it on, we have your Chocolate Sauce!

If you want to catch us out and about, we’ll be—

  • March 9th-11th, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, we will be at the Oregon Chocolate Festival at Ashland Hills Hotel & Suites.
  • March 17th-18th, Saturday 11-5 and Sunday 11-4, we will be at the Oregon Cheese Festival at Rogue Creamery in Central Point.

Easter is Sunday, April 1st this year. We are busy making chocolate treats, including everyone’s favorite bunnies, so stop in, get your favorites, and fill your baskets. We’re at 1662 Siskiyou Boulevard, just a block south of 7-11, in the Minute Market shopping center. We’re open Monday-Saturday 10-5:30.

You can also find Branson’s Chocolates on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube, and at bransonschocolates.com for online chocolate shopping.

Thanks to https://www.amanochocolate.com/faqs/whats-difference-bestween-chocolate-liquor-and-chocolate-liqueur/.

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Port Ganache Square

Locals Guide: December

Port Ganache Square

Branson’s Chocolates is debuting a new chocolate just in time for the holidays—Port Ganache Squares. We start with our delicious semi-sweet chocolate and local cream, stir in a heavy drizzle of Port, let it set, and then dip it all over again in that rich semi-sweet chocolate that you love. Can you say gourmet?

Fun fact about Port—the name Port is derived from the city of Porto, Portugal, where for centuries merchant ships loaded with casks of Port began their journey up the coastline to England. Port is a fortified wine, because brandy is added during fermentation, which helped sustain the fragile wine during its voyage to England, and also made the wine considerably sweeter. Port is known to pair well with decadent desserts, which makes it a perfect match for our chocolate!

The idea for Port Ganache Squares came from our newest intern, Tori. Tori is only a junior in high school, but is working with us for her senior project because she plans on graduating a year early—talk about hard work paying off!

If you want to catch us out and about in December, you’d better hurry! We will be at—

  • The 4th Annual Christmas Showcase December 1st-3rd at the Jackson County Expo in Central Point. It’s the region’s largest holiday gift and craft show with over 190 vendors. We will be there Friday & Saturday 10am-6pm, and Sunday 10am-4pm.

The rest of the month we will be right here at our store to fill your all holiday wish lists, your must-impress gift needs, and your own candy bowls and secret stashes. We’re at 1662 Siskiyou Boulevard, just a block south of 7-11, in the Minute Market shopping center. We’re open Monday-Friday 10-6, and Saturday 11-5.

You can also find Branson’s Chocolates on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube, and at bransonschocolates.com for online chocolate shopping.

(Thanks to www.thespruce.com/what-is-port-wine-3510911 for the history of Port.)