Splenda(id) Chocolate

[jhlurie]

Dear eGullet,

The things I'm willing to do for you sometimes... its astonishing, and perhaps a bit pathetic. A few years ago I would have walked right by something like Z-Carb without a second thought.

Damn you eGullet!

This is really a case of being willing to "take one for the team", I think. Part of this is intellectual curiousity, part the fact that I'm currently on a diet (but NOT a low-carb diet), and part a sickness brought on by one too many nights sitting in front of my computer debating the high and low points of Marshmallow Peeps with Fat Guy. I just have an irresistible urge to try things, and if they are good rave, and if they aren't... snark.

We've spoken at length about Splenda on the boards, and its frequent use in soda, and lo and behold today--while shopping for breath mints in my local Seven Dash Eleven I stumble upon:

and

So Splenda has made its way to fake chocolate now.

The names, and the packaging, are somewhat discouraging. There's a big potential market with Splenda to market it to people who are simply trying to cut down on sugar, without pressing all of those buttons that the hard-core Adkins crowd relies on. The point is... Splenda is the first artificial sweetener with a fighting chance of drawing in mainstream "eaters", because chemically its the most similar to "real" sugar. When its pigeonholed as some kind of Adkins specialty thing... it means that they can charge more for it, but they sacrifice mass appeal.

In total, I bought four bars--two of each brand. "At Last" features the scrumtuous sounding "Chocolate Truffle" and "Chocolate Almond", and Z-Carb the lovely "Gourmet Milk Chocolate Bar with Almonds" and "Gourmet Milk Chocolate Bar with Peanut Butter".

I'm willing to risk tossing my cookies with one of these a day. How bad can it be?

[Ellen Shapiro]

I'm waiting (somewhat) patiently for your report. What I liked best about your post was your usage of the word snark.

[Steve Klc]

I'm waiting anxiously as well. Come on, eat dinner and then eat one of these things. Do tell. Any indication from the wrapper what the percentage of the different ingredients might be? Any way you can scan the other side of the wrapper for us?

[elyse]

I saw a lot of this at the FF Show, I tried very hard to be interested in something across the aisle while passing.

Do tell, guinea pig.

[Human Bean]

Zero Laxative Effect??? Huh??

[Schielke]

Mock-late!

[jhlurie]

Dear eGullet,

I've just returned from my first experiment. To be accurate, lets call it "Experiment 1A", since I haven't finished the first specimen yet. I took one-quarter of the "Z-Carb Gourmet Milk Chocolate Bar with Peanut Butter" and ate it at room temperature. It was a bit soft--no doubt from sitting in one of the less air conditioned parts of the Seven Dash Eleven and then in a little paper baggie in my hot car--but I figure it will have to do. I'm really not an expert in the exact definition of "room temperature".

First... the smell test. It smells somewhat like chocolate. That could be because, except for the sugar, Z-Carb seems to be claiming that it is chocolate.

Here are the ingredients--their terminology is being used:

Real Chocolate (Chocolate Liquor, Erythritol, Inulin, Cocoa Butter, Calcium Carbonate, Milk Fat, Sodium Casienate, Soya Lecithin),

Peanut Butter (Peanuts, Partially Hydrogenated Palm, Cottonseed and Rapeseed Oils, Coconut Oil, Sodium Casienate, Milk Fat, Glycerol-Lacto Esters of Fatty Acids With Citric Acid),

Natural Flavors, Sucralose

Now I'm not sure if the above is EXACTLY chocolate... but I recognize many of the ingredients. I mean "Milk Fat" and I are old buddies. We go on camping trips together. But "Inulin" I'm still trying to figure out--and this reference (click here) is only confusing little ol' me. Apparently my bowels are "supposed to like it". Sodium Casienate (their spelling) is not really liked by Google, which believes I'm talking about "Sodium Caseinate". Or maybe not, since I still get tons of hits. But I know now that its also found in Sugar Free "Fudgie Rolls".

As for the Peanut Butter--partially Hydrogenated Oils and all, it isn't that far off. Even "Glycerol-Lacto Esters of Fatty Acids With Citric Acid"? I mean that doesn't sound TOO bad. Does it?

Also, because they are trying to fool us into thinking that chocolate--be it fake or real--can be healthy, there is also a special "Functional Ingredients" section on the package:

Functional Ingredients: Chocolate Anti-Oxidants, Calcium, Magnesium, PEA, Serotonin, Theobroma, Anandamide.

Uh... thanks guys. My noggin' was runnin' a bit low on that Serotonin. I needed a fix.

Now the big moment: the tasting.

{drum roll}

It's actually not horrible. Maybe my stomach will survive. If it tastes kind of like unsweetened chocolate... well... maybe it's because it basically almost is unsweetened chocolate. The Peanut butter smoothes it out a bit and gives it a bit of character. The Splenda (aka "Sucralose"), is it making it sweeter? Impossible to tell unless I had the exact SAME combination of ingredients without the stuff in front of me to compare. And I'm in a bit of a quandry, reporting-wise here, because I'm one of those freakish people who like Mole sauce and other un- or lightly sweetened uses of chocolate as much or more than sweet chocolate.

It's also not great. "Gourmet", my sweat-soaked gamey foot. I'm STILL getting 25% of my RDA of Saturated Fat (assuming I finish the thing), and I want more. Especially for the $1.09 plus tax I spent on a 1.2 ounce chocolate bar.

I'm going to break the rest into two pieces (I've eaten half of it by now) and freeze one half and refrigerate the other. Just to try it both ways. The rest... can wait a day. I guess I'll try the other brand tomorrow.

Click here for a High Res scan of the back of the label--hopefully clear enough to see everything relevant. This is going to be more of a problem tomorrow, because the "At Last" bars are wrapped in those crap-ass crinkly wrappers that fold over themselves and wind up a real mess if you try and keep them intact.

EDITED TO GET RID OF ANNOYING UNREADABLE YELLOW TEXT, ORIGINALLY MEANT TO LOOK LIKE SOME CRAP ON THEIR LABEL.

Edited July 11, 2003 by jhlurie (log)

[A Scottish Chef]

Well, the first good thing is that you didn't spit it out and seem content to continue to eat the stuff.

And secondly, as diabetic, this sounds like a wonderful invention if even remotely edible.

I really miss chocolate.

[LEdlund]

I calculate it to be four points on the WW point system. Not too bad. Is it filling? Could you make half of it a decent dessert?

[elyse]

Hey! Bring one tomorrow! I'll be your frieeeend.

[jhlurie]

as diabetic, this sounds like a wonderful invention if even remotely edible.

It is. But whether or not you eat it depends on whether or not you buy into this whole thing about "impact carbs". I guess that's much liklier to be important to a diebetic than an Adkins person though... right? Or maybe not. We need an Adkins expert in here to tell us if that's part of their doctrine too.

The (as yet untried) "At Last" bar reports 1.0g of impact carbs. The Z-Carbs claim 0.0g. But both seem quite high in "regular" carbs--15g.

Is it filling? Could you make half of it a decent dessert?

I'm in one of those diet modes (which I'm totally going to break tomorrow night because of an eGullet outing) where I'm far enough into the diet than my appetite has diminished a bit. The half a bar was filling for me, but I know when I'm not in this "diet zone" that it wouldn't be. For me its all a head game I play with myself.

Hey! Bring one tomorrow! I'll be your frieeeend.

You mean before or after we eat 5 trillion calories of Pecan Pie?

[elyse]

Hey! Bring one tomorrow! I'll be your frieeeend.

You mean before or after we eat 5 trillion calories of Pecan Pie?

It could be the - "and a diet coke" of the party.

[A Scottish Chef]

whether or not you eat it depends on whether or not you buy into this whole thing about "impact carbs".  I guess that's much liklier to be important to a diebetic than an Adkins person though... right?  Or maybe not.  We need an Adkins expert in here to tell us if that's part of their doctrine too.

Trying to develop an eating regime that follows Atkins thinking has produced the best control results for me with regard to diabetes.

But I'd happpily blow carb allowance on a bar of that. People don't know what life is like with no chocolate.

[elyse]

People don't know what life is like with no chocolate.

I am very sorry for your loss.

[A Scottish Chef]

People don't know what life is like with no chocolate.

I am very sorry for your loss.

If jhl's remarkable find becomes readily available then it'll have been no more than an unfortunate intermission

[elyse]

So you won't be losing a chocolate, you'll be gaining a "chocolate." That's nice.

[KNorthrup]

It could be the -  "and a diet coke" of the party.

In the 9th grade, I worked at McDonald's. I only have two customer-related memories. Once, two very large women with identically bad perms came in. They each ordered the same thing. McDLT. It was brand new. Our only burger with mayo. They requested extra mayo. Large fries. Super-size was not invented. Hot fudge sundaes with nuts and extra fudge. And then a little conference -- oh you know we really, yes, yes, we'd better. Make that two DIET cokes.

I've been seeing many carb-free, sugarless etc chocolate bars at both the regular grocery store and at Trader Joe's. Haven't tried them yet because I figure they still have calories and they probably won't be any good. I had not noticed that they're so much more expensive. Not surprised, however. Especially since sometimes keeping the prices high adds credibility to a product.

[coastcat]

Zero Laxative Effect???  Huh??

I'm on a low-carb diet, so I know all about the laxative effect...

There are a number of sugar-free candies available, which is a boon to diabetics and to those of us who are trying to avoid becoming diabetic. Most of these are sweetened with sugar alcohols like maltitol, sorbitol, and lactitol. These sweeteners don't impact your blood glucose or insulin levels. Sounds good, right? The bad news is that your body doesn't absorb them and would like them to depart as soon as possible. In other words, they have a laxative effect, and sometimes a downright unpleasant one. Usually this is only an issue if you eat more than the "recommended serving size".

Hershey's makes sugar-free versions of some of its chocolate products, including my beloved Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. However, Hershey's uses lactitol, which tends to produce the worst laxative effects of all the sugar alcohols. I had one - ONE - of the mini Reese's, and was not fit for human or feline companionship for the next six hours or so.

Splenda is not a sugar alcohol, and thus doesn't do a two-step on your digestive system. I get my chocolate fix by making mousse with heavy cream, unsweetened chocolate, and sugar-free DaVinci vanilla syrup (which is sweetened with Splenda).

Bars like this are tempting, but I'd rather stick with "real" foods. For the cost of a couple of those bars, I can make a whole sugar-free cheesecake.

[jhlurie]

My eGullet brethren,

Experiment 1B and 1C are complete.

At fridge temp, the peanut butter filling is a bit better, although the almost-chocolate portion is perhaps a tad less tasty because at that temp the scent of chocolate (a big part of the chocolate eating experience) seems a bit weaker. Frozen, there is virtually no scent. However, I've always loved the way that chocolate comes "unfrozen" in my mouth... so that almost makes up for it. And peanut butter is always great frozen.

What I'd like to see... what I might actually enjoy... would be Dark chocolate made in this fashion. I think they might be better able to pull it off than milk chocolate. Or perhaps I'm fooling myself. Maybe the "Milk Fat" is giving it 50% of what taste there is, and its absense would leave me with a mouth full of Erythritol, Inulin and Sodium Casienate. Yum!

Tomorrow certainly won't be a normal eating day, so if I do try some of that yummy yummy "At Last" bar it may be at lunch. If I take any to the eGullet Potluck, I'll likely just give them away anyway (note to self: buy a few spares if you are going to do this).

Really at this point I'm still trying to decide whether this is a boon for people who can't have sugar, a nice way to reduce your sugar intake even if you aren't diabetic, or just plain foolishness. I mean I'm NOT diabetic (although its in my family), I'm NOT on Adkins and my usual routine of simply EATING LESS usually works just fine. I was curious if these things were good enough for someone without these conditions to eat casually... and you know, I still haven't decided. And while this is slightly less pathetic than sitting around watching Reality shows on TV... well... not by much.

And since I can't think of anything more to say that's either informative, or even slightly witty, I'll be signing off now.

'Night all.

[jhlurie]

I get my chocolate fix by making mousse with heavy cream, unsweetened chocolate, and sugar-free DaVinci vanilla syrup (which is sweetened with Splenda).

Ah. Here we go (click here for some sugar-free DaVinci action...)

The question is...

Would you use it if you didn't have to? That's the ultimate test, isn't it?

[jhlurie]

Hello again,

I'm off to today's NY eGullet shindig in a while, so I'll be brief. After lunch (a relative term when on a diet, but hey... I've been losing about a pound a day so something is working--not that I won't put it all back on tonight in one meal anyway), I dug into my cupboard and pulled out the first of two "At Last" bars--"Chocolate Truffle" flavor.

Etta James is screaming. I would have said "in heaven", but apparently she's still kicking.

This is my low-carb sugar-free nightmare come true. I'd say it tasted "like ass", but then some smart person (probably tommy) would ask how I know.

Here's a link to a hi-res scan of the entire wrapper, by the way. It's a fairly big file, so it may take a while (even on a fast connection, probably a minute or two, and on dial-up don't even bother). And it was a bitch to keep intact long enough to scan--the wrapper seems to be made of some kind of magical plastic which disintegrates into dust the moment you tear a corner.

If you care, I'll trust you to click the link and look at the list of ingredients yourself, because unlike last time, its too scary for me to actually think about long enough to type. To be fair, the actual "mock-late" (TM - Schielke) portion doesn't seem to have ingredients that differ significantly from Z-Carb. They've added some maltodextrin... but hey... a little maltodextrin never hurt nobody... The important thing is what they've left out--taste. I'm chewing on a bit right now, and "ass" comparisons aside, the best thing I can think of is wax. It's like chewing on wax. The mock-late portion of the Z-Carb smelled and tasted like Chocolate. This stuff is like Chocolate's retarded brother that you hide away in the back room and only let out when the social workers visit.

The contents of the "chocolate center" are just too disgusting to discuss, both in terms of the ingredients and the taste. It's sweeter than the outside, but that doesn't help much. I'm at a loss for a description... except maybe... its like taking a real chocolate truffle and urinating on it. No that doesn't work--again I'm taunting the tommy-like among you. Let's just say that it tastes bad. Really bad.

I'm not being as scientific today. Hesitantly, I just put the remainder (about 3/4 of the bar) in my freezer. I may take a small bite of it tomorrow to see if freezing it helps. And then I'll break open the other Z-Carb bar--Milk Chocolate with Almonds, I think.

Later,

[elyse]

This is my low-carb sugar-free nightmare come true.  I'd say it tasted "like ass", but then some smart person (probably tommy) would ask how I know.

Is that real or artificial ass?

[Fritz Brenner]

This stuff is like Chocolate's retarded brother that you hide away in the back room and only let out when the social workers visit.

That made me laugh. A lot.

[KNorthrup]

Etta James is screaming.  I would have said "in heaven", but apparently she's still kicking.

Heck yeah, she was here last week.

The more you report, the more I appreciate you making the sacrifice so we don't have to. Yikes.

[claire797]

Funny I should stumble upon this thread as I sit here with the bitter, medicinal, chemical aftertaste of a Carbolite Chocolate Truffle Bar.

I suppose if I were actually on a low carb diet, I would eat these regularly. The texture is smooth and creamy, almost like a fine Swiss Chocolate, the taste (at first) is a pleasant, mild chocolate. 30 seconds later however, I need a glass of water or something to rinse out the lingering palate burn. Ick.