Fruity chocolate bars — from super to sad
On its own, fruit is a fine dessert. Dipped in chocolate, it’s a delicious luxury, whether you’re indulging at a chocolate fountain or biting into a fruit-filled chocolate bar. We recently tastetested an array of berry and cherry chocolate bars. This time around, we’ve expanded the search to include every other kind of fruit-flavored bar we could find. Some chocolatiers use fruit oils and extracts to infuse their confections. Others dust their bars with pulverized fruit, or encase fruit fillings in chocolate. But the majority incorporate carefully prepared bits of fruit and perhaps nuts.
No matter the style, a fruity chocolate bar done right is a perfect combination of fruit and high-quality chocolate, a bite that’s sweet, tangy, rich and bright. The best have bold fruit flavor perfectly matched with chocolate that complements the fruit. But sadly, far too many bars miss that mark: The fruit flavor isn’t fresh and authentic, or it’s overpowered by the chocolate.
Here’s the scoop on the best fruity chocolate bars — and those best left in their wrappers. Nutrition details refer to an ounce of chocolate.
Chuao Chocolatier Totally Tangy Mango
This Carlsbad-based chocolatier combines chewy bits of tart mango plus pinches of salt and chile, stirred into smooth, 60% dark chocolate to make this inspired and mouthwatering bite. 147 calories, 8 g fat, 12 g sugar. $6 for a 2.8-ounce bar at chuaochocolatier.com. ★ ★ ★ ★
Tcho Banana Nut Dark Chocolate
This iconic combination from Berkeley’s Tcho Chocolate is pure nostalgia: It tastes like the frozen chocolate-covered bananas of childhood. The chocolate is bold but not overpowering, and the toasty bits of almond add crunch. 160 calories, 11 g fat, 10 g sugar. $3.29 for a 2.5-ounce bar at Sprouts. ★ ★ ★ ★
Charles Chocolates Candied Lemon & Hazelnut Mini Bar
Flavored with candied lemon peel and toasty hazelnuts, this chunky bar from San Francisco’s Charles Chocolates has big personality. The tart lemon plays well with the sweet, smooth-flavored chocolate. Nutrition information unavailable. $4.49 for a 1.41-ounce bar at Canyon Market, San Francisco. ★ ★ ★ ★
Theo Organic Orange Dark Chocolate
Extra-dark chocolate laced with aromatic orange oil makes for a rich, adult confection made by Seattle’s Theo. The chocolate, 70%, is minimally sweet with deep, coffee-like notes and a touch of bitterness. 140 calories, 11 g fat, 9 g sugar. $2 for a 3-ounce bar on sale at Sprouts Market. ★ ★ ★ /
Godiva Dark Chocolate Blood Orange
The combination of orange, sugar and chocolate are reminiscent of orangechocolate sherbet. At 50% cacao, this is a good choice for milk chocolate lovers. 137 calories, 9 g fat, 14 g sugar. $3.74 for a 3.1-ounce bar at Walmart. ★ ★ ★
L’amourette Chocolate Noir Pomelo Peel
Bittersweet chocolate with fruity notes combined with strips of candied grapefruit-like pomelo peel provide an interesting interplay of bitter-sweet-sour flavors, but the minimally sweet chocolate (72%) is so powerful, it needs more fruit in the mix. 175 calories, 13 g fat, 8 g sugar. $4.99 for a 3.5-ounce bar at Draeger’s, Andronico’s and other specialty markets. ★ ★ ★
Lake Champlain Filled Creamy Coconut
Buttery, creamy coconut filling inside large bumps of chocolate make for a good flavor combination, but the extra-thick chocolate quashes the light coconut flavor. 152 calories, 10 g fat, 11 g sugar. $4.99 for a 3.25-ounce bar at some Whole Foods stores. ★ ★ /
Dick & Taylor Black Fig
The crisp crack of this citrusy chocolate made with Madagascar beans is a memorable, bittersweet treat, but the sprinkling of dried black fig on the flip side is too dry and chewy to add much flavor. 120 calories, 7 g fat, 9 g sugar. $10.79 for a 2-ounce bar on Amazon. ★ ★ / (due to excellent chocolate)
Lake Champlain Filled Banana Caramel
This brand gets it right when it comes to chocolate — bold, sweet and utterly creamy. But the banana note in this drippy filling is difficult to detect. 136 calories, 8 g fat, 11 g sugar. $4.99 for a 3.25-ounce bar at some Whole Foods stores. ★ ★
Endangered Species Cranberries, Almonds + Dark Chocolate
Cranberries and chocolate are a great pairing, but in this case, one that falls flat. There are far too few cranberries and almonds to accent the chocolate. 160 calories, 11 g fat, 8 g sugar. $3.19 for a 3-ounce bar at Whole Foods. ★ /
Mirzam Chocolate Makers Dark Chocolate with Orange & Cinnamon
The cinnamon-orange combination in this pricey bar from Dubai is unusual due to the type of cinnamon used, but the bigger issue is the bland chocolate, which is made from beans grown in Vietnam. 162 calories, 6 g fat, 10 g sugar. $12.99 for a 2.5-ounce bar (70 grams) on Amazon. ★ /
Ghirardelli Intense Dark Blood Orange Sunset
Nearly flavorless bits of crunchy orange and inauthentic flavors make this a disappointing bar. Eating a fresh orange and a chunk of chocolate would be much more satisfying. 134 calories, 9 g fat, 13 g sugar. $4.19 for a 3.5-ounce bar at Raley’s. ★
Chocolove Filled Pink Grapefruit
White chocolate is often at a disadvantage in a chocolate lineup, but it’s important to know that this particular bar is hideous. The extra-sweet chocolate makes the syrupy grapefruit filling taste unpleasantly bitter and sour. 140 calories, 10 g fat, 14 g sugar. $2.50 on sale for a 3.2-ounce bar at Whole Foods. (No stars)