Yes, yumtious drinking chocolate from Ghirardelli. The Home Team of chocolate making for us San Francisco Bay Area natives. At the retail price of $10 a can for 12 ounces of chocolate, it was a reasonably affordable luxury -- and I found it for sale at 50% off! O the cleverness of me, I thought, and took my spoils home to make creamy GDC choco-lusciousness.
Well, what with me being the chocolate fiend I am, it didn't take too long until I was in need of some more GDC. But alas, wandering through the Safeway, no Drinking Chocolate did I behold. I was perplexed and befuddled. Then in the baking aisle, my eyes lit upon a bag of Ghirardelli chocolate chips.
You're probably way ahead of me here.
11.5 ounces of chocolate for $2.50. So half an ounce less, for a quarter of the retail price of GDC. And the ingredient list was identical.
It was at this moment that I achieved chocolate enlightenment. I took the chips home and poured them into my empty GDC tin. Made a cup of choc-chip-based hot chocolate this morning; the chips melted down beautifully and the taste was exactly the same as that of GDC -- because it's exactly the same stuff, only in slightly larger chunks and for a much better price. I cannot believe I didn't think to do this before.
Learn wisdom from my folly, children, and get your Ghirardelli hot chocolate love straight from the bag.
12 comments:
I never cease to be amazed at the range of stuff you USA guys can get in your stores, (and the cheap price!) or is it just because it looks strange and exotic? I seem to remember that originally hot chocolate was made directly like this, (about two centuries ago in Europe) instead of the powder form which replaced it. Me, I'm a Cadburys girl. With nutmeg.
Trust me, you have much better chocolate than we do. The Cadbury chocolate we get here is actually an imprint of the Hershey company. To get actual British chocolate one must go to an import store.
Mmm, nutmeg. I like to tart mine up with cardamom, or a little almond extract.
I am extremely loyal to Stephen's Gourmet Hazelnut Cocoa (the mint chocolate, irish cream, or amaretto flavors doing in a pinch when I can't find hazelnut). Now I am wondering if I should lay in a 1 year food supply in case I can't find it anywhere else. I have never tried chocolate with nutmeg or cardamom. A very dear kindred spirit of mine did introduce me to Mexican chocolate which I sip on occassion with fond memories. ;)
Mmmmm, Ibarra!
Captain Midnight does not appreciate the joys of Ibarra. He's more of an herb tea guy.
No, hang on, I don't want to be rude about your Hershey's but I have tasted it and, well, to be honest, it's not a patch on Cadburys...not that Cadbury's is really special, but the Hershey I tasted was more like what you might call candy than chocolate...does that mean that some real British Chocolate would be well received?
No, I agree with you about the Hershey's chocolate bars. Good for making s'mores, but... well, let's just say most of the big American chocolate bar companies could learn a lot from the UK and Europe yet. :)
And yes, that means British chox would be VERY well received around here. I love them, and Captain Midnight has fond memories of them (as an Air Force brat, he spent some years of his childhood in Norwich and in Dundee, Scotland).
Very smart...! When I was in US I got a pack of choclate from Ghirardelli and thats it...!Will try this trick...and get the treat.
That chocolate looks yummy - I can tell by the packaging! and your description!
I am always on the search for the perfect hot chocolate too, one of the best ones I've had was in Paris - they make it out of a thick chocolately goo, probably much alike to the way you make yours, by melting down the choc-chips! mmmmmm.
And I must tell you about our ventures into Italian hot chocolate! More like thick, hot, chocolate pudding!? served in tiny, chic, coffee cups. Lots of flavors (not all of which we could decipher).
Very, very wonderful...
yum...sounds like you found your spriritual home tara...
Sooz did you get my email about paypal etc? Just in case your mail thought I was spam...
It seems choclate enlightenment is still continuing....!!
What a great idea. I must say the best hot chocolate I ever had was in France and it was powder. I think it might have been the fresh hot milk it was stirred into or maybe even their powder is better.
We always come home from England with lots of chocolate because theirs is better. Although I do love Hershey Kisses.
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