Trader Joe’s Dark Chocolate Minty Mallows

I usually make my own homemade marshmallows around the holidays, with good results. I’ve even made chocolate dipped marshmallows to mimic the ones I’ve seen sold in high end, gourmet stores. The gourmet marshmallows tend to be ridiculously overpriced for what you get – 20 for 6 marshmallows, anyone? – and even if they are tasty, it’s not worth buying them. But when I spotted Trader Joe’s Dark Chocolate Minty Mallows on my last shopping trip, I didn’t hesitate to pick them up.

These gourmet, chocolate-dipped marshmallows run only $2.99 for a box of 10 (one box I bought had 9, the other had 10), making them much more affordable than most, and perfect not only for a holiday stocking stuffer, but as a treat around the house. The marshmallows are fluffy and elastic, with a nice chew and sweetness to them. The dark chocolate layer is thin and provides a great contrast with the minty marshmallow, giving them a flavor that is reminiscent of a York peppermint patty. I liked them straight out of the box, but also popped them into some hot chocolate to see how they fared. They held up well and, while they did give my hot chocolate a hint of mintiness, I wasn’t patient enough to let the marshmallows dissolve and simply scooped up the warm mallows with a spoon and ate them after a bit.

Candy Blog has another review of these marshmallows, so take a peek at that review, too!

Starbucks revamps pastry menu

You might have noticed a change in the pastry case at your local Starbucks over the past few weeks. In an effort to cut costs while increasing overall quality, Starbucks has completely changed the way that they do their pastries. Previously, Starbucks used a variety of regional bakeries to stock their stores. This meant that you could find different types of pastries in different areas, according to what was popular there, and that the ingredients that went into the items varied widely.

Starting today, Starbucks is using fewer bakeries, each of which will produce and ship more items. This consolidation also allowed Starbucks to tinker with its recipes and refocus on slightly healthier options with all natural ingredients. They cut out corn syrup from their Marshmallow Dream Bars, eliminated the artificial flavorings from berry muffins and real egg whites are making an appearance in a heart-healthy breakfast sandwich. Starbucks says that its new options have “15 percent fewer calories, 5 percent less fat and 8 percent less saturated fat” than previous items.

Time Out Chicago has done a taste test of the newest items on the menu, if you want to see how they stack up. Not all of these items may be available in your region, but some are nationwide.

Zagat ranks Starbucks as no. 1 coffee

The newest Zagat ratings are out, and Starbucks ended up with the Number 1 Best Coffee ranking in the Fast Food and Quick Refreshment category and the No. 1 Most Popular Quick Refreshment Chain overall. Its competitors included Dunkin’ Donuts, McDonald’s, Peet’s Coffee & Tea and The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, just to name a few of the 28 establishments that also fill that category.

Zagat’s ratings are not done by food professionals, but are compiled from user-submitted reviews of the restaurants and eateries that they regularly (or irregularly, if they’re bad) visit. This makes the Zagat reviews significant because they offer companies some insight into how the consumers are enjoying their products.

Starbucks in Paris

When I first went to Starbucks  in Paris, I felt a little bit guilty that I was bypassing several local cafes that had a more “authentic” feel to them. When I read David Lebovitz’s comments about how bad French coffee is, any remaining guilt quickly passed. Starbucks in Paris is great because the bathrooms are usally clean and easy to access, the cafes are air conditioned and, unlike regular cafes, you aren’t charged more if you stay and linger instead of taking your cafe to-go. Plus, it’s nice to be able to order a french press or a big Americano without getting strange looks.

Price-wise, the drinks are a little bit more expensive than it is in the US (mostly because the Euro is stronger than the dollar), but the food comes out to about the same price points. I also thought that the food and pastries were better overseas. It seemed like there was a lot more variety and, while I do like the classic coffee cake here, I don’t think I can argue with things like this gorgeous chocolate-covered donut or the Starbucks Fusion desserts created by pastry chef Michalak.

Chocolate and Cinnamon Mills

One of the easiest things you can do to spice up a drink is to add a little bit of garnish to the top. A dusting of chocolate or cinnamon can boost the flavor, as well as really enhancing the overall presentation of a drink. I like to put a sprinkle on my drinks just for fun, but I almost always do it when I’m serving family or guests. Ground spices and coarsely chopped chocolate work out nicely, but this pair of Chocolate and Cinnamon Mills makes the garnishing process a whole lot easier. The mills function just like pepper mills, but are filled with chunks of chocolate and pieces of cinnamon. Both are refillable, so you can change up the type of chocolate or use a custom blend of whole spices, too.