Zimt Artisan Chocolate Giveaway!

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Early last fall, Rebecca told me about Zimt, an artisanal maker of raw, vegan, organic chocolates. She gave them the most glowing review, and as a lover of all things chocolate, I was immediately intrigued. As soon as I tasted some of the Zimt bars–specifically, the company’s “salt of the earth” bar–I could understand why she had been so enthusiastic.

Zimt chocolate is special. I eat a lot of vegan chocolate, and a lot of raw, vegan chocolate, and I know a great bar when I taste one. What makes these bars so unique is the integrity of their ingredients. Zimt chocolates are always 100% organic, vegan, and raw. The cacao is fermented and dried, but not roasted, and through the minimal processing, one can really taste the vibrant flavor of cacao nibs. What’s more, Zimt chocolate is sweetened exclusively with coconut sugar, which gives it that wonderfully characteristic caramel flavor (or at least, that’s what coconut sugar has always tasted like to me!).

These features all contribute to chocolate bars and products that are healthful and flavorful. I love this, but what impresses me even more about Zimt is the company’s commitment to sustainability and ethics. The Zimt mission statement reads, “Zimt creates vegan products—exclusively. We want to keep our animal friends out of our products, because they deserve to live a life that they want, and not be used for what we can take from them.” I love when companies are unafraid to speak up for animals, to put their hearts and souls into the vegan label. And I love this compassionate expression of respect for non-human life.

Zimt is also committed to human rights. In explaining the choice to use organic ingredients, the Zimt “about” page reads, “…there is no way we would support farming with dangerous chemicals—doing so would hurt farmers and their families. We want to keep these chemicals far away from our earth…and support farmers who choose a sustainable form of agriculture. We want them to know that this is supported and that they can feel secure in knowing that there is demand for their work. Zimt is eternally indebted to our wonderful farmers for providing us the ingredients to craft our sweets.” Again, I appreciate this kind of conscientiousness and care.

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My admiration of Zimt has only increased since I’ve gotten to know the company’s lovely founder, Emma Smith. You’ll all get to know Emma better next week, when I share her Green Recovery story here on Choosing Raw. For now, I’ll only say that compassion seems to animate all of Emma’s work: compassion for non-human animals, compassion for human beings, compassion for the earth. And, because she has struggled with disordered eating, Emma has no doubt had to learn the hard way how to exercise compassion toward herself. I love when women with ED histories find ways to channel their painful experiences into passionate professional lives–especially within the food industry. And it is so clear to me that the artistry Emma pours into her brand emerges from an profound journey with food and healing.

When Emma offered me the chance to sample a bunch of her products this fall, I couldn’t have been happier. What she sent me was a wonderful sampling of the best Zimt has to offer.

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It included two Zimt bars, a container of Zimt baking pieces, two double chocolate macaroons, and three containers of Emma’s incredible “cookie doughs.” (You can check out all of the Zimt products here, by the way.)

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The bars were the “salt of the earth flavor” I love so much (Himalayan sea salt + smooth dark chocolate) and “sweet orange nib’d”–a mixture of dark chocolate, sweet orange, and crunchy cacao nibs. I couldn’t decide which of these flavors was more wonderful.

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Next up were Emma’s delectable macaroons. It’s a testament to her talent that the only ingredients in these are coconut flakes, coconut nectar, coconut oil, cacao powder, and Zimt chocolate. They are so rich and satisfying!

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And the cookie doughs. I know why these are called cookie dough; their texture is similar to that of fresh dough, and they have a touch of that salty/sweet flavor. But they’re much richer and more satisfying than cookie dough, thanks to cacao butter and another ingredient you’d never guess: navy beans! Yup, Emma mixes legumes into this mix for texture and a sneaky dose of nutrition. You’d never know, but the result is so, so tasty.

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Finally, I loved getting my hands on these unusually healthy and delicious pieces of baking chocolate. Not because I actually baked with them, but because I could snack on them continuously for days.

I love this company, and I love Emma, and I want you all to have a chance to get to know these wonderful confections. So, I’m offering one lucky CR reader a chance to win a sampling of Zimt chocolates today. If you’d like to taste the Zimt bars, cookie doughs, baking pieces, and macaroons for yourself, simply enter the giveaway below. The giveaway is open to US and Canadian residents, and it will run for two weeks.

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And whether you win the giveaway or not, do take some time to get to know this cool, vegan brand. The Zimt website contains more information about the company’s products and story, and if you’d like to gaze at a little chocolate porn, may I recommend the Zimt Instagram page?

Good luck, friends, and I’ll be back for weekend reading on Sunday.

xo

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    220 Comments
  1. The cookie dough looks really interesting, but I would love to try the baking pieces! What a great way to incorporate chocolate in desserts!

    • Or on pasta!

      =D heheh- as in, they’re good all over anything! (Seen Elf? Maybe with some maple syrup? lol.)

    • Yes! Love for the Aztec Spice! It is so yummy. Just takes you to another time in a beautiful far away land…

    • It sure is- they’re all really good, I must say… I don’t make it myself, so I can say that. All the praise to a very talented team!

  2. I’m crazy about the chocolate/sea salt combo, so definitely the “Salt of the Earth” bar!

  3. The Peppermint Nib’d really caught my eye. And of course, the 70% dark bar sounds amazing. What an awesome company! Thanks for sharing about it!

    • Aw! Thank you, Carissa =) We try!

      Ok- the Peppermint Nib’d is nothing short of phenomenal. The crunchy nibs work so well with the smooth chocolate and peppermint essential oil. I don’t know. It was just meant to be. xo

  4. oh, wow! I think I am most excited to try the dark chocolate with sea salt! that is my favorite combination!

  5. ohh the salt of the earth and the kaffee chocolate and the cookie doughs –divine!

  6. Oh my goodness these sound so good! I haven’t seen them before – I’ll have to keep my eye out for them. Hopefully I’ll win some 😉

    • They are not yet in many US stores… takes quite some time. Though if you know of anyone who may want to carry them in your neighbourhood, they should send me an e-mail! emma@zimt.ca and you can always order online- we’re there for you, wherever you have an internet connection =)

  7. I want it all! Raw chocolate is a dream and will hopefully give me some much needed new mama energy!

  8. Looks AMAZING – the cookie dough sounds similar to chickpea cookie dough dip (which I eat for lunch sometimes, shhh…)

    • … they only LOOK it! They are totally in this world! Available to all 😉 heheh. But yeah- they are really amazing tasting.

  9. The Salt of the Earth and Sugar & Spice chocolate bars sound amazing. The truffles look yummy, too, and perfect portion size! And the macaroons, mmmm!

    • Not all of it! The beans are cooked because…. well, they are not so tasty if they are not… but the coconut butter and all the other ingredients are!

  10. I am such a chocolate freak, it all looks amazing, but I’m totally intrigued by the cookie doughs! They definitely sound like a unique and special offering! <3

  11. Salt of the Earth.
    Compassion is a mussing art. Thank You for bringing Emma and her treats into our lives.

  12. I’m into everything spice right now, so I’d have to say the aztec spice cookie dough!

  13. I would love to try all of them but the macaroons look especially good!

  14. My local natural foods store just started carrying the bars (I live close to Vancouver, where these are made). I tried the coconut kind, and it was delicious! I would love to try the macaroons or the cookie dough!

  15. They all look delicious, but I would really love to try the macaroons! Thank you for the wonderful giveaway.
    Erin

  16. Thank you so much for the giveaway opportunity! I would definitely want to try the truffles as it’s hard to find a good and whole food ingredient vegan truffle and it’s oddly one of the things I miss most!

  17. The Salt of the Earth chocolate bar looks the best! I haven’t had a chocolate bar in awhile (since Christmas time!)

  18. This company is literally right out of my chocolate dreams. Vegan and sweetened with coconut sugar!?! I’ve seriously been looking for this combo for years! I would love to try the cookie dough cup!

  19. I’d love to try all of them oh my!! I’d head first for those delectable macaroons!!! yum!

  20. I loooove salted chocolate!! The way to describe them, they sound so decadent!! The cookie dough also sounds delicious!! Could maybe pop them into some banana ice cream 🙂

    -KJ
    @omnomherbivore

  21. I super duper love dark chocolate and salt, but my taste buds also sat up and took notice at the aztec spice cookie dough — I love chile in chocolate!