I love chocolate - all kinds.  Milk, dark, cream-filled, jelly-filled, pretty much any kind will do.  But I choose not to eat foods that are filled with sugar.  So does this mean my chocolate cravings must go unsatisfied?  Not at all!  There are plenty of brands of sugar-free chocolates out there.  The trick is separating the good ones from the not-so-good ones.   The brand I've been trying lately is called Asher's.  They sell a large variety of sugar-free candies and chocolates, including various bars.   This review is for their Dark Chocolate Bar.

Each Asher's bar is 1.65 oz. and consists of 4 separate sections, which are easy to break off.  Each section is a rectangle, 1" wide by about 1.25" long.  I like that there are separate sections.  It makes it easier to eat just one or two pieces, rather than the entire bar, in one sitting.

They do consider each bar to be a single serving, although at 1.65 oz., that's a very generous serving.  Even with my love of chocolate, I do usually eat only half a bar at a time.  The entire bar consists of 230 calories, 17g of fat, 0g of sodium, and 3g of fiber.  Of course there are 0g of sugar, but there are 20g of sugar alcohol.

Those calories and the 17g of fat are a bit troublesome.  As you can see, sugar-free does not equate to "diet food" in this case. 

The ingredients are: Semi-sweet chocolate flavored sugar free coating (maltitol, chocolate liquor, cocoa butter, milk fat, soya lecithin, vanillin), vanilla.  That's it.  I like that the ingredients list is so short - not a lot of chemicals and additives.  And only one type of sweetener - maltitol.  As with any product made with this ingredient, your system might not react well.  So start out in small doses until you're sure you can tolerate it.  As for me, I can eat the entire bar and feel fine, but I wouldn't push it by eating any more than that.

Of course, none of this matters if you don't like how it tastes.  As for me, I really enjoy this product.  I really like this dark chocolate.  That slightly bitter, smoky flavor is a delight.  And the consistency of this bar is just right.  Not so hard that it's a battle to bite, and not so soft that it melts all over the place.  But I will mention that I keep my bars in the refrigerator, which is not required, but I prefer my chocolate cold, and very solid.  If you keep your bars at room temperature they will certainly be softer.

Asher's products are sold in specialty candy stores near me.  They can also be purchased online.  See http://www.ashers.com/ for additional info.

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Recommended: Yes