Vegan chocoholics don’t neet to get their fix from mercury-laced, high-fructose corn syrupy Hershey’s stuff. Behold this beautiful box of nicobella vegan organic dark chocolate truffles!
Look at nicobella truffles’ ingredient list, and you’ll notice there are no strange, unpronounceable ingredients in there. In fact, the truffles are full of ingredients known for their antioxidant power — from blueberries to green tea to ginger!
Created by dietitian, nutritionist and yoga instructor Nichole Dandrea, nicobella truffles are made with 70% dark chocolate — fair trade, of course — and slightly sweetened with agave nectar and brown rice syrup. Open the package and you’ll be able to identify the flavor of each truffle by the decorative garnish. The Ginger Green Tea truffle (right), for example, is sprinkled with a green tea powder; the Blueberry Almond truffle has a piece of almond pressed onto a corner.
How do the truffles taste? My favorite of the six is the most crunchy-sounding of the bunch: Walnut Flaxseed Crunch. This decadent truffle had a perfect nutty creaminess — full of Omega-3s, to boot. I also loved the Pumpkin Chia truffle, which tasted like a rich, flavorful pie covered in chocolate, and the Ginger Green Tea truffle, which had a fierce ginger kick that made it the most intense of the six.
I did find the Pure Cocoa Bliss and Blueberry Almond truffles a tad bland — and I actually disliked the Sunflower Banana Butter truffle, which tasted oddly like a low-carb energy bar. But since I generally dislike most truffles in any given variety box, nicobella truffles box scored higher than most for me!
I’m hoping nicobella will start offering boxes with just one type of truffle — in which case I’d order boxes containing just the Walnut Flaxseed Crunch — or mix-and-match options — in which case I’d still order boxes containing just the Walnut Flaxseed Crunch (Yes, I often eat the same breakfast every day too — I’m a creature of habit).
Because nicobella truffles come in an attractive, plastic-free package — made from FSC-certified paper, no less — a box makes a fantastically pretty gift for your favorite eco-chocoholic, vegan or not! nicobella’s Pasadena’s based, but sells its creations through Theo Chocolates in Washington. A box of six truffles costs $15.
Top photo by Siel; bottom photo via nicobella
Thanks for posting this! They look delicious!
Comment by Whitney — September 28, 2009 @ 5:04 pm
Okay, let’s not get hyperbolic. You’re comparing Hershey’s syrup to chocolate truffles? Do you really need to resort to those sorts of scare tactics? They’re totally different products.
For the record, there are VERY few candies that use high fructose corn sweeteners. (Probably not because of mercury issues but simply because of the chemistry of making candy is very specific.)
Comment by cybele — September 28, 2009 @ 5:40 pm
Ha! Hershey’s syrup was just the first vegan choco product that came to mind :P I’m guessing there are other vegan chocos that are around that would be a better comparison to truffles than syrup — but probably none have the brand recognition Hershey’s does….
I was by no means trying to imply that most candies have high fructose corn syrup in them, but I can see how a lay reader could interpret it that way. Sorry ’bout that!
Comment by Siel — September 28, 2009 @ 5:47 pm
Hi Ladies!
Siel, thanks so much for the great review! Wanted to add to your high fructose corn syrup note…some candies may use HFCS, as well as other processed sugars. Typically truffles are made with some sort of processed sugar, as well as cream and possibly butter for the ganache (center). We created nicobella truffles as an alternative to traditional truffles. We wanted to take out the cream, butter and processed sugar and replace them with healthier ingredients like oat milk, coconut oil and agave nectar. Because nicobella truffles taste like traditional truffles we often compare them to traditional truffles…just a healthier version! Thanks again Siel!
Comment by nichole — October 1, 2009 @ 10:12 am
siel – the vast majority of dark chocolate (without some dairy in it) is already vegan. Vegan chocolate has been around for over a hundred fifty years. It’s one of the first solid chocolate products innovated. (The only issue becomes whether you accept the use of white cane sugar in your chocolate, then finding one with beet sugar or evaporated cane juice is a little harder, but still not so difficult that it can’t be done at any Target or Ralph’s.)
nichole – please tell me a chocolate that uses HFCS. I grant that yes, most use “processed sugars” but really, candy is not in the HFCS debate. HFCS simply do not perform the same duty that plain corn syrup does (as a glucose syrup it’s used for a specific reason, it prevents crystallization of sucrose). HFCS in a chocolate ganache makes crap – there’s too much moisture and it causes graininess.
Siel – I think it’d be great if you could demystify this “agave nectar” business. First, it’s not a nectar (which comes from flowers), it’s a syrup made in a similar fashion to corn syrup. It’s been a few years since you did a little article about it.
Comment by cybele — October 1, 2009 @ 11:18 am
Well dude, if the choco doesn’t contain dairy, then of course it’s likely to be vegan! It’s not like choco products, dark or not, are known for containing chunks o’ meat! :P
Making agave nectar sound like corn syrup’s really a skewed oversimplification IMHO, but regardless, maybe I should do an agave nectar post soon, since so many new products with the stuff are hitting my co-op’s shelves. Thanks for the suggestion :)
Comment by Siel — October 1, 2009 @ 11:42 am
Siel-great idea re: post about agave nectar. It is still sugar, just like HFCS, but with nicobella we try to stick with raw agave when possible to try and stay true to our natural theme and using less processed foods. The amount of agave we use is pretty minimal compared to the rest of the ingredients. Everything in moderation! :)
Cybele-when I mentioned HFCS I was thinking candy (taken from your original post)…not chocolate. I completely agree with your comment.
Comment by nichole — October 1, 2009 @ 1:34 pm
nichole – still, HFCS is very rare in candy. Chemically it simply doesn’t do the job. Glucose is used for a reason and HFCS doesn’t do the same thing and any cost savings will result in a product that is grainy and unattractive.
Comment by cybele — October 1, 2009 @ 2:55 pm
Fructose can increase appetite, did you ever notice you are never really “full” from a glass of soda or sweet juice, you tend to want to snack on something or follow it up with a glass of water?
james´s last blog ..Effects of Fructose on Diabetes
Comment by james — July 6, 2010 @ 7:37 pm
Only element that this otherwise fantastic piece forgot is how terrific Nichole is! We have had the chance to spend time with Nichole and we are fortunate she is spending her fun and boundless energy toward making truffles for the mindful consumer. You can find her organic truffle delights on AbesMarket.com (I am admittedly a little biased as one of the co-founders but Nicobella embodies all we stand for:) – her is a link directly to the 3 pack which happens to be on sale and include free shipping – http://www.abesmarket.com/3-box-gift-set-vegan-organic-chocolate-truffles.html
Comment by Richard Demb — July 20, 2010 @ 10:05 am
Thank you Richard. And we love Abe’s Market! Friends & family of ours have received a number of gifts off of the Abe’s Market website and they give nothing but amazing feedback. Abe’s has such a variety of eco-friendly products coming from artisans with some fantastic stories. There is something for everyone on Abe’s site…and it’s such a FUN shopping experience! We are honored to be a part of their community :)
Comment by nichole — July 21, 2010 @ 8:38 am
I am really looking forward to nichole’s new product — the nutty concoctions we got to sample at the EcoStilleto 2-year anniversary party. When will those become available?
Comment by Siel — July 30, 2010 @ 11:03 am
Hi Siel! Thanks for asking :)
We are taking email orders right now. We have Mama Munch (www.nicobellamama.com), Coco-Nut Munch (our version of a healthy Almond Joy) and Maple-Nut Munch (maple pecans coated in dark chocolate with a touch of sea salt) available now in 2 oz kraft bags for $4.95. You or your readers can email us directly at nichole@nicobellaorganics.com and let us know which flavor and how many bags you would like. Our new website with more information and a new shop page with the latest products should be up and running within the next 4-6 weeks.
Thanks again for asking about them Siel!
Comment by nichole — July 30, 2010 @ 2:46 pm