I had some time to spare back in October, and took a little road trip to Arkansas and Missouri. Living in Texas, but a northeasterner at heart, a little fall weather was a must have.

During my stay in Springfield, I got to pop by the pick-up window of Askinosie Chocolate. Though it was a bummer not to go inside, they displayed the selection so well in the window and were incredibly friendly and patient as I took ages to make my selection. It would have been all too easy to go broke with all of their delicious selections. I settled on the following:

Jeni’s Dark Chocolate + Malted Milk CollaBARation
Dark Chocolate + Peanut Butter
White Chocolate Nibbler
70% San Jose Del Tambo, Ecuador Dark Chocolate Nibbler
Dark Chocolate + Orange

Each was absolutely delicious in its own rite. The Jeni’s collar was SO creamy, and a must-try if you’re a malted milk lover. The white chocolate nibbler was a surprisingly fun treat. Made with goat’s milk and covered in cacao nibs, it was reminiscent of a cookies and cream, but the adult version. Finally, my top favorite was the Dark Chocolate + Orange. Anything chocolate and orange is great, but this bar had a beautiful depth to it. The chocolate was rich and smooth, but the orange lovingly punched my tongue.

Also on this trip, my dear friend and I stopped in at Eurasia Coffee to try their S’mores Latte, which was made in collaboration with Askinosie. Sadly, the latte didn’t live up to its Instagram fame, because they ran out of marshmallows and failed to mentioned that before brewing it for us. Nonetheless, the Askinosie chocolate in the latte was exquisite!

After stopping in Springfield and taking in the sights (and by sights I mean completely barren streets and closed shops), we hit the road to Bentonville, Arkansas to visit Markham + Fitz. This was SUCH an awesome experience, for multiple reasons. First, the shop is so cute. It’s cozy, welcoming, and allows you to see the chocolate making process as you order beverages, pastries and chocolate bars. Second, Lauren, co-founder of M+F was gracious enough to sit down with us and share her story/some wisdom. She’s a gem of a human being and their story is unique. Check out their website to learn more! After drooling over just about everything in the store, I settled on the following:

Brain Food
75% Haiti
Southern Pecan
Harvest Party
Peanut Butter Milk Chocolate & Nibs Cookie
Brown Butter Bourbon Chocolate Chip Cookie
Cocoa Tea
Santo Domingo Drink: 70% Dominican Republic chocolate, maple syrup, coconut milk, nutmeg

Every bit of it was delicious. I will say that both cookies had me wanting 3 more each when I finished them. As far as the bars go, Southern Pecan was my favorite. Something about the pecan and black salt combo hooked me.

The rest of the trip included making chocolate (Yep, I brought Melanger Annie along!), hiking, resting, daydreaming and a pretty hilarious fall into a creek. It was unique, a bit last minute, and perfect. I’m incredibly grateful for my dear friend, who took on this adventure with me and lovingly nudges me outside of my comfort zone. After 3 days of non-stop chocolate eating, we thought we would be sick of it. Alas, we polished off nearly all of our bars within a week of being home. What can I say? Our love runs deep…

This trip was the first of what I hope will be many to visit fellow chocolate makers across the globe. Do you have a favorite craft/bean-to-bar chocolate shop? Send me a message, I’d love your suggestions!

Arkansas + Missouri:Tasting Adventures

Shining A Light

Colombian Beans + Cold Weather