Giant Belgian Milk Chocolate Bar for Baking or Eating - with NO Soy Lecithin!

It is time to get your Christmas baking on! So what is the best way to do that?  Start with the right ingredients.  And for me, the right ingredients include good quality chocolate. 

For the average consumer, accessing a large amount of good quality baking chocolate is not all that easy - particularly when it is milk chocolate.  But Indigo Books & Music (Toronto, Canada) has the greatest milk chocolate bar for you.  It is 1 kilogram of quality milk chocolate, made in Europe.  And that is not even the best part.  The emulsifier used in the chocolate is NOT soy lecithin, it is sunflower lecithin.  So for all you chocolate-lovers who cannot have soy for a variety of reasons, you can eat this chocolate (however, there is a "May contain..." statement on the label, so just be aware if you have a severe allergy, but it is NOT in the ingredients list).

I find this a little bit sweet for me, but I am known to be addicted to bitter chocolate.  I think it has a rich flavour and the inclusion of natural vanilla makes it awesome. It would make some great milk chocolate truffles or a milk chocolate ganache. See a recipe for a Sour-Cream Milk Chocolate Ganache here.

Also, if you know someone who just LOVES to eat solid milk chocolate - this would make a great gift. And it is a good gift for the baker in your life. You might also benefit by enjoying all of your friend's baking!

I bought this chocolate bar at Chapters/Indigo in Sudbury for $19.50, which is not a bad price for 1 kg of chocolate. I also saw a similar chocolate bar at Valu-Mart for about the same price, and if you do not have a Chapters near you, President's Choice 300 gram Milk Chocolate bar is made with canola lecithin and also has natural vanilla flavouring.  It is also great for baking.

Here are the package details from the chocolate that I wrote about today:
Belgian Milk Chocolate Bar (1 kg)
Made in Germany for Indigo Books & Music, Inc. (I know, funny right?  - is it Belgian or is it German?)
www.indigo.ca
Ingredients: Sugar, cocoa butter, whole milk powder, unsweetened chocolate, sunflower lecithin, vanilla extract.

If you are a person who cannot have soy, here is a great list of soy-free chocolate: http://ultimatechocolateblog.blogspot.ca/2010/12/chocolate-bars-with-no-soy-lecithin-are.html.

PLEASE NOTE: No company or person has paid or encouraged me to write this article.  Being a small-batch chocolatier and baker, I am just really excited about the availability of good quality chocolate in 1 kilogram packages!