KANSAS CITY — Food and beverage manufacturers are innovating with chocolate, integrating the ingredient into products ranging from pie to popcorn and biscuits to beverage makers.
Chocolate appears in two varieties of Snyder’s-Lance’s new Snack Factory Dessert Thins. The lightly textured, airy biscuits are available in brownie and chocolate chip varieties.
The indulgent ingredient is also key in the new S’mores Crème Pie from Schwan’s Co.’s Edwards desserts brand. The pie features a vanilla cookie crumble crust, a layer of Hershey’s chocolate crème filling and graham-style cookie pieces and a topping of toasted marshmallow-flavored meringue and a chocolate drizzle.
The S’mores flavor is featured again in The Little Kernel’s new S’mores mini popcorn. Made with mini marshmallows, the popcorn offers a toasty, chocolate and marshmallow taste, the company said.
Mars Chocolate North America is pairing peanut butter and chocolate in its new Dove Peanut Butter & Dark Chocolate Promises. The treats feature smooth Dove dark chocolate stuffed with peanut butter crème.
The Kroger Co. is offering chilled chocolate in its new Simple Truth Low Cow Lite Ice Cream, a line of low calorie and high protein ice creams available in chocolate and mint chocolate chip varieties.
The temperature swings the other direction in Hammond’s Brands’ new chocolate offering. New Hot Chocolate Dunking Spoons are available in milk chocolate, dark chocolate, dark salted caramel and dark peppermint varieties and transform into hot chocolate when stirred into a hot 8-oz glass of milk.
Sustainable chocolate is the star of NuttZo’s new Paleo Chocolate Power Fuel nut and seed butter. It is made with Rainforest Alliance Fair-Trade certified and paleo-approved chocolate, 100% USDA Organic and Non GMO Project verified cashews, almonds, Brazil nuts, flax seeds, chia seeds, hazelnuts and pumpkin seeds.
