Valentine's Day is near, and fair trade chocolate is here!
Give true love to your valentine this year with
chocolate that is making world-wide impacts.
While we love to enjoy delicious chocolate, it's important
to know who's producing it.
In recent years, the widespread use of child labor, and in some cases slavery in the chocolate industry has been exposed. We shared about some of the issues here and here, and you can find even more up to date information at: Food is Power.org
Fortunately, we don't have to dwell on the problems of the chocolate industry when so many great ethical options exist.
Here are our top chocolate picks for this valentines day:
1.) We think Barefoot and Chocolate sounds heavenly. They use fair trade chocolate and DO NOT use any GMO’s, artificial ingredients, hydrogenated and solvent extracted oils in their chocolate sauce. Our V-day pick: Dark Chocolate Almond
2.) We love that Equal Exchange works hard to ensure a fair trade production model that benefits each of their employees while also creating tasty chocolate! Our V-day pick = Organic Dark Chocolate with Raspberries
3.) Riot Bars are fair trade and organic, making it a delicious option when you're looking to make a difference this Valentine's day. Our favorite? Dark chocolate with a bit of Kickin' Coconut.
4.) We are swooning over Divine Chocolate's worker owned philosophy that gives workers a share in the profits, a say in the company, and a voice in the global marketplace. Our V-day pick, a classic: The Belgian Chocolate collection.
P.S. We also love their 3 minute guide to Mindfulness and the Art of eating chocolateThis Valentine's day, purchase ethically made treats, and give love to more than just your sweetheart.
Want more fair trade love? Try this sweet treat from our friends at Equal Exchange!
Spiced Chocolate Oat Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup Equal Exchange Organic Spicy Hot Cocoa
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 2 sticks unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1/4 cup turbinado or demerarra sugar (regular white will do in a pinch)
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 1/4 cup molasses
- 8 oz bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
- 2 large eggs
- 1 1/2 cups oats
Directions
In a medium bowl, mix flour, cocoa, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and ginger. In the bowl of a double boiler, melt butter and water together. When butter has mostly melted, add sugar, brown sugar, molasses and chopped chocolate. Stir just until everything is melted you don't want the butter to separate or the chocolate to get chunky, so remove the bowl from the heat when everything has melted, even if the sugar granules haven't fully dissolved. Off the heat, whisk in the eggs one at a time, whisking each time to incorporate. The mixture will start to look shiny. Add the dry ingredients, stirring just until they disappear. Add oats and mix just to incorporate. Scoop your cookies (by the tablespoon) onto parchment- or silicone-lined baking sheets, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 1 hour, up to several days. Bake at 350 degrees for 11-13 minutes until just done (they'll still look quite soft when you pull them out). Use a wide spatula to transfer cookies onto a rack, and cool to room temperature.