First, the flavor. I adore chocolate and have done several chocolate tastings where we compared Godiva, Ghirardelli, Lindt, etc. I generally like a good quality semi-sweet to dark chocolate style. These chips are delicious. This is not some carob-chip chalky flavor that you have to "settle for". It is a real, rich, delicious chocolate flavor. The texture is perfect too.
How they do it is using chocolate liquor, cocoa butter, cocoa powder along with polydextrose. Polydextrose is a soluble fiber (which gives you the 7g fiber per 2 Tbsp serving) - it also provides sweetness.
These are perfect if you're making a healthy style of chocolate chip cookies, perhaps with almond meal. I always have these on hand for ice cream. There are many super recipes for sugar free ice cream - and several manufacturers have low sugar ice creams on the market.
So I start with a vanilla flavor, to keep the base sugar level down low and to give me the greatest number of options. Then sometimes I add in these chips - and voila!! A low sugar version of chocolate chip ice cream, with the chips added in, is just right for an evening dessert snack. You can adjust the chips just right to match your mood!
Now, the only down side here? I've never seen these chocolate chips in a regular store. I've only found them online, at CarbSmartFoods.com. This means that I tend to order in bulk to maximize how much I can get for a single shipping fee. It's not a huge deal - I order in a bunch of the chips and random other things - but it doesn't mean I can't just run down to the local market if I really do run completely out. So you need to keep an eye on your stock and remember to resupply when you get down to your last container.
Still, it's a relatively minor problem for a baking supply that is just so tasty. Highly recommended!
To shop for them go here - http://www.carbsmart.com
Lisa Shea's Library of Low Carb Books
