The Good: Sweet and flavorful, Nothing truly bad in it.
The Bad: Not the strongest flavor, Not exactly nutritious, Somewhat waxy chocolate, Comparatively expensive for the quality.
The Basics: Ghirardelli Double Fudge is a new flavor of chocolate square that is unfortunately underwhelming compared to the others in the Ghirardelli chocolate line.
My wife is an incredible sweetheart. To support my reviewing, each year, she fills my stocking for the holidays with snacks that she knows I will review (and hopefully most I will enjoy!). Unfortunately, this year’s haul has started with a number of comparative flops. Following on the heels of the Chuao Chocolatier Maple Bacon Bars (reviewed here!) and the Sheila G's Chocolate Chip Brownie Brittle (reviewed here!) picked up for me, I found an unlikely dud from one of my usual favorites! The new Ghirardelli Double Fudge chocolate squares were disappointing and, sadly, have a more mass produced chocolate flavor to them than the usual Ghirardelli product. That makes them not quite live up to what one expects from Ghirardelli.
Basics
Ghirardelli Double Fudge chocolate squares are one and three-quarters inch squares of chocolate that are 5/16” thick. Each of the squares comes individually wrapped in a lavender foil wrapper. It is worth noting that while I usually rail against the environmental impact of such things, it is hard to imagine Ghirardelli chocolate squares not wrapped. This keeps each one clean, unmelted and intact.
Each chocolate square is a seamless square that is essentially a chocolate patty which has uniform milk chocolate all around and the Ghirardelli symbol stamped into the top. In this form, the 4.63 oz. bag, the individually-wrapped chocolate squares are packaged together in a thick foil paper bag. This size has nine squares and the thick foil paper bag does little to protect the squares. The bag is not resealable, though this matters very little considering that the chocolate squares do not go bad as they are individually wrapped.
One of these bags, even with only nine squares, tends to run in the $5.00 range on sale or at discount stores, though because we’ve only found them new so far, I know my wife paid a little more for them.
Ease Of Preparation
These are candy, so preparing them is as simple as opening the bag and then opening one of the plastic wrappers around the actual chocolate square one wishes to eat. There is no grand secret to eating Ghirardelli Double Fudge chocolate squares. That said, they do need to be kept comparatively cool or these squares will melt.
Taste
The Double Fudge Ghirardelli squares smell very much like chocolate fudge. The aroma is one of milk chocolate, but with an oomph to it that implies that there is something more to them.
On the tongue, the Double Fudge chocolate squares are very sweet milk chocolate. Unfortunately, the chocolate coating is very waxy and while it melts fairly fast. The initial sweetness of the coating quickly fades to take on a waxy taste that tastes much more like mass-produced chocolate than anything else I’ve had from Ghirardelli. When the coating has melted away, the slightly thicker chocolate center asserts itself as a generically sweet chocolate. It is not a very flavorful “fudge” center, just a sweet center that is very reminiscent of the outside’s initial flavor. In other words, the Double Fudge tastes like two levels of generic, sweet milk chocolate.
There is no real aftertaste to the Double Fudge chocolate squares, largely because they finish bland and generically sweet like an average milk chocolate.
Nutrition
The Double Fudge chocolate squares are candy, so it is tough to look at these for something nutritious and then blame them for not being healthy. Ghirardelli chocolate squares have decent ingredients, though, which is probably why they are so expensive. The primary ingredients are sugar, unsweetened chocolate, and cocoa butter. Still, there is nothing unpronounceable, nor unrecognizable in these candies.
A serving of the Ghirardelli Double Fudge chocolate squares is considered three squares. From three squares, one takes in 250 calories, 160 of those calories being from fat. There is a subtle amount (3% RDA for the serving) of cholesterol and 1% of the RDA of sodium, as well as trace amounts of Iron (6%), Vitamin A (2%), and Calcium (6%).
Honestly, these are candy and anyone looking to them for actual nutrition needs to get a reality check. These are not Vegan-compliant, nor are they recommended for anyone with a nut allergy as they contain trace amounts of hazelnuts (apparently). They are, however, kosher.
Storage/Clean-up
The bags of these Ghirardelli Double Fudge chocolate squares remain fresh for quite some time. Our bag, bought in late December 2013, had a March 31, 2014 expiration date. Given that it is chocolate, one assumes that if they are kept in a cool, dry environment they will not melt or go bad. Given that they are individually wrapped in a very sealed package, it is hard to imagine just what it would take for these to go bad outside melting and refreezing.
As for cleanup, I applaud those who actually throw the wrappers away in socially appropriate places, as opposed to litter. Outside that, there is no real cleanup needed, unless one is eating them in a hot environment. In that case, it is likely one would need to wash their hands. If these chocolate squares melt into most fabrics, they will stain. Getting them to melt, though, is quite a task.
Overall
Ghirardelli Double Fudge chocolate squares could have been good with a more distinctive center and a coating that was a better caliber of milk chocolate than these are. While they are not bad, they are pricy for their quality and a rare disappointment from Ghirardelli.
For other Ghirardelli chocolate squares reviews, please check out:
Peppermint Bark With Dark Chocolate
Midnight Reverie 86% Cacao
60% Cacao Chocolate Squares
4/10
For other food and drink reviews, please visit my Food Review Index Page for an organized listing!
© 2014 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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