Behind the Seasoning: Black Onyx Chocolate Sugar
With over 160 different spice blends lining the shelves of our stores, people are always curious to know what inspired all of our unique flavor combinations. So we’d like to share with you the process by which our limited time (exclusively for Valentine’s Day) Black Onyx Chocolate Sugar was created.
With about 150 different spice blends lining the shelves of our stores, people are always curious to know what inspired all of these unique flavor combinations. So we’d like to share with you the inside scoop on how our Black Onyx Chocolate Sugar was created.
What is the story behind Black Onyx Chocolate Sugar?
Originally, we set out with the thought of creating something special for Valentine’s Day. In talking about Valentine’s Day, we always come back to chocolate. Our Baker’s Brew coffee and cocoa blend has become a customer favorite. In addition, we have a delicious Mexican Cocoa that is blended with cinnamon and vanilla.
That’s when Savory Spice Shop founder Mike Johnston got an idea. Our vanilla sugars are popular, so why not create chocolate sugar just for Valentine’s Day? Chocolate sugar was a great idea and Mike ultimately created a recipe that would become Black Onyx Chocolate Sugar.
What is in Black Onyx Chocolate Sugar?
Creating a blend is a process of trial and error, involving a lot of tweaks. Mike often says that you never get a blend right the first time. It took several iterations before we achieved the balanced and unique flavor we were seeking: a sugar base infused with chocolate extract and layered with black onyx cocoa, with notes of aromatic Mexican vanilla and mild Ceylon cinnamon.
The first batches were prepared in the test kitchen, sending a wonderful brownie-like aroma wafting through the warehouse. Once Mike finalized the blend recipe, it headed into the warehouse for test production. Much like the initial creation of a blend, test production often involves a few tweaks as our production manager creates larger batches.
But finally, we had it! A dreamy, sweet blend of aromatic vanilla and rich cocoa. Launched originally for Valentines Day, it was so popular that it quickly became part of our standard product line.
How do you use Black Onyx Chocolate Sugar?
Take a snickerdoodle approach and roll these Peanut Butter Black Onyx Cookies in Black Onyx Chocolate Sugar for a sweet crunch.
We also have some wonderful recipes that you could easily substitute Black Onyx Chocolate Sugar for white or vanilla bean sugar. This sugar would also be great with some less conventional desserts like Grilled Spiced Sugar Bananas with Spiced Nuts.
Sometimes you don’t need a recipe, just some quick and easy uses. Stir into a hot drink like your morning coffee. We tried it in mint tea and loved the subtle hint of cocoa. You could also try it in orange spice tea, vanilla, or rooibos teas.
As always, we love to hear how you use our products. If you have tried these or any of our recipes, please leave a review.
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