Last week I received some goodies from the generous folks at Enjoy Life, among them were their new Semi-Sweet Chocolate Mega Chunks. Enjoy Life is a great company for those of us with food sensitivities and especially allergies, as they source ingredients that are completely gluten, dairy, nut, and soy free!
In the past I’ve used other brands of semi-sweet chips in baking, but I realize that people with Celiac’s have to be very careful about which brands they choose; even though they may not have gluten ingredients the company may use gluten on their equipment or even consider trace amounts inconsequential (and we don’t!). But with Enjoy Life you can be sure their products are free from gluten and the major allergens.
But we all know what matters is taste and performance! Here’s how the Mega Chunks stack up.
Inside the bag you will find big pieces of semi-sweet chocolate – no chips, though Enjoy Life does make a regular-shaped chip – that are great in baked goods or for snacking. I decided to try them in a meringue recipe I tested (found here) and they did very well – I’m not posting the full recipe here because I chose to make meringues on a humid day, so they didn’t come out quite right. (Oh, but they were goood out of the oven, like warm, gooey, chocolatey marshmallows.)
I did have to chop up the chunks a bit, as some of them are rather large, but they baked well, and actually the taste and texture was improved by baking. The larger size would be well-suited to chocolate chip cookies, though. The chunks stayed chewy after the cookies cooled, and were sweet without being overpowering. Their texture when melted is also very pleasing, and I imagine they would be great for dipping, decorating, etc.
Overall, I would recommend the Enjoy Life Semi-Sweet Chocolate Mega Chunks to anyone who is concerned about allergens or gluten; they are proof that safely-made products are equal to their competitors in performance, and allow consumers to have confidence in the integrity of their ingredients!
What a beautiful blog! I haven't tried the mega chunks yet and I bet you're right - they'd be awesome in big chewy chocolate chip cookies. I've been somewhat addicted to Enjoy Life mini chips lately. It's so nice to have lots of safe options.
ReplyDeleteThank You for this splendid post
ReplyDeleteThank you so much!
ReplyDeleteThose meringues look yummy!!! I wanted to send you the recipe I made yesterday! http://www.denverpost.com/search/ci_7686479
ReplyDeleteThey are supposed to be vanilla cupcakes, but with the ground almonds replacing the flour, I just added some almond extract and then topped them with some shredded coconut and slivered almonds. They were so good. :)
They were actually really good and there was almost more chocolate than meringue :) Since it's so hot today I think I might try again and hopefully they won't get sticky.
ReplyDeleteThose cupcakes sound yummy, especially with the orange zest! I haven't used almond flour yet, but I've been wanting to try it; I think it would be really good for making pie crust.
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