chocolate gourmet - ugly truffles and damn good cookies

All photographs
©2010 Ron Dunlap/Doglight Studios

During my teenage years of angst, no matter how many times my mother told me that "true beauty comes from within", I never really got my arms around the concept. Who cared about within when your exterior was without? How could your life really ever be meaningful if you didn't have high tops which you would leave undone and hanging open to indicate to all your maximum coolness and insouciance? Or a Michael Jackson Thriller style leather jacket? Or Earth Shoes? Come on - at least Earth Shoes! How could any self-respecting teenager not have a pair in blue or brown suede? (Sadly, my parents were steadfast in the matter of Earth Shoes. None of us ever got a pair, no matter what angle we tried or how hard we begged.) However, I do believe that if I had sampled a Chocolate Gourmet Ugly Truffle way back then, the notion would have been crystal clear and the trauma of not owning a pair of Earth Shoes would not have affected my life as profoundly.

Chocolate Gourmet 's Ugly Truffles do their best to live up to their name. They simply aren't pretty. Even though some of the Ugly Truffles are technically round, they are still lumpy and bumpy, and more often than not resembled deflated soccer balls. But once you opened the box and smelled the chocolatey goodness and then put the most misshapen Ugly Truffle in your mouth, (to put it out of its misery, which is similar to the reason you need to bite off the head of your Easter bunny first), how these truffles looked goes right out the window. These are great truffles that don't need fancy outfits. Each truffle is meaty, flavorful and deeply satisfying. I think of them as "comfort chocolate" similar to the concept of comfort food but, the kind of comfort food that your grandmother (or great grandmother) used to make from scratch, with wholesome ingredients, before the advent of TV dinners, cream of mushroom soup casseroles (with potato chips on top) and cake mixes.

We sampled the 9 piece box, Living Dangerously, which came with Oozy, Boozy Caramel, Gordita Picante, Morning After Merlot, Messed Up Mocha and Put Your Clothes on Chocolate. (In case you are wondering, we tried the last with our clothes on.) We loved that there was a "something, something" in each truffle that made it extra special. For example, Oozy, Boozy Caramel has a hint of brandy and Morning After Merlot is rolled in red velvet cake crumbs. My favorite was the Gordito Picante: smooth cinnamony Mexican chocolate with chili spices and toasted corn tortillas. Yes, toasted tortilla chips! This neato ingredient, which goes so surprisingly well with chocolate, needs to be immediately recognized as one of the great inventions of this century, if you ask me. Even better than the Internet even if Al Gore invented it!

Once you've had Chocolate Gourmet 's Ugly Truffles, you will be glad their offerings include Damn Good Cookies too. While, I am sure your parents told you never to swear, they probably told you to always tell the truth as well, and these sassy cookies are really that good. These cookies have ganache centers sandwiched between little bittersweet, soft, luxuriously chewy cookies generously studded with thick chocolate chips. The ganache comes in four divine flavors, each flavor better than the next: chocolate, raspberry, peanut butter (my husband's favorite) and mint. Be prepared though. Due to their diminutive size, you can easily cram a Chubby Wubby in your mouth but, they pack a powerful chocolate punch, enough to knock the unsuspecting off their feet.

Only available by mail order to guarantee maximum freshness!


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