At the end of each year, our tradition is to highlight our Top 10 Top Picks Of The Year.

While we highly endorse all of our top picks, these are products that have become part of our everyday life.

We know there’s a preponderance of sweets here. You can guess that we have a sweet tooth; but also, that these items stood out as truly different in comparison to all the chicken and sausage products we tried.

In alphabetical order, we present:
 
 
1. CHOC ZERO: SUGAR-FREE CHOCOLATE BARS & SYRUPS

How can you get a great chocolate fix with no sugar? ChocZero is sweetened with a relatively new noncaloric sweetener, monk fruit, and it tastes like a premium-quality chocolate bar.

ChocZero bars and syrups were created for people who follow a ketogenic “keto” diet; but anyone who wants to eliminate sugar can jump in.

Here’s our review.
 
 
2. THE COCONUT COLLABORATIVE: YOGURT & DESSERT POTS

Pure pleasure: That’s what we think about the delectable yogurts and dessert pots from The Coconut Collaborative.

The #1 brand of coconut milk-based yogurt brand in Europe, The Coconut Collaborate has come to the U.S., bringing their very impressive dairy-free products.

Whether you’re vegan, lactose intolerant, want to eat more sustainably and/or eat more plant-based foods, The Coconut Collaborative yogurts must be tried.

Don’t miss the dessert pots, pots de creme with a very high satisfaction factor.

Check out our review.
 
 
3. COOKIES: GOOEY ON THE INSIDE

For picky palates, the moment of joy occurs when your first taste informs you that you have an outstanding bite of food. It’s when you know that it doesn’t get better than this.

This was our reaction to Gooey On The Inside cookies (photo #1), a brand of handcrafted, baked-to-order cookies that was born when a career public servant decided to embark on her second career.

Her “perfect” cookie recipe—crispy on the outside and gooey on the inside—is just great.

Read our review.
 
 
4. GOLDEN CANNOLI: THE ORIGINAL CANNOLI CHIPS

These sweet chips that seem to be made from pieces of cannoli shells (photo #2) provide the cannoli experience without having to go out for cannoli, one of our favorite pastries.

At home, we dip them into some sweetened ricotta cheese (we use Splenda), to enjoy “deconstructed” cannoli. Add some mini chocolate chips for fun.

Read our review.
 
 
5. LANTANA: NEW-STYLE HUMMUS

Lantana, a new brand of hummus made with white beans, black beans or yellow lentils instead of chickpeas, is shaking up the hummus category.

Standing out in a sea of beige hummus, Lantana’s hummus is green (edamame), orange (carrots, chile peppers), purple (beets—photo #3), tan (black beans), yellow (yellow lentils) and other hues. The flavors deliver color to the plate and excitement to the palate. We’re hooked.

Read our review.
 
 
6. MADDY & MAIZE: ARTISAN FLAVORED POPCORN

Could these be the best flavored popcorns anywhere? Each flavor is standout:

 
The Bourbon & Barbecue is the best BBQ popcorn we’ve ever had.

Read our review.
 
 
7. MILKBOY SWISS CHOCOLATE

We have reviewed dozens of the world’s best chocolate brands. The first to turn our head in a while is MilkBoy Swiss Chocolate (photo #5).

The company, based in Brooklyn, New York, produces its chocolate bars in Zurich, Switzerland. The milk, dark and white bars, plain or flavored, are equally splendid.

Two must-tries: Alpine Milk Chocolate With Refreshing Lemon And Ginger and White Chocolate With Blue Potato Chips and Sea Salt.

Read our review.
 
 
8. POT LICKER KITCHEN: BEER JELLIES

We’re enchanted by this line of artisan jellies from Potlicker Kitchen in Stowe, Vermont (photo #6). There’s real beer flavor in each spoonful, from Vermont craft breweries.

What does beer jelly taste like? It tastes like the beer it’s made with, which is why you need to use great beers.

Read our review.
 
 
9. SMASHMALLOW: FLAVORED MARSHMALLOWS

The flavors and colors of Smashmallow (photo #7) are delectable, in Cinnamon Churro, Coconut Pineapple, Cookie Dough, Hot Cocoa, Mint Chocolate Chip, Root Beer Float and others.

If your idea of marshmallows is “plain vanilla,” you’re missing out.

Read our review.
 
 
10. ZUCCHI: EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL

There’s a lot of good olive oil around. Our kitchen has everything from good supermarket oil for sautes, and the top, pricey oils as “anointing oils,” to drizzle over foods as a garnish.

A large producer with state-of-the-art technology, Zucchi produces oils that taste as good as some that are produced in small, artisan facilities.

A 17.6-ounce bottle, less than $12, is worth your attention.

Read our review.
 
 
We look forward to sharing more favorite discoveries with you in 2019.

[1] The chocolate chip cookie from Gooey On The Inside.

[2] No cannoli tubes to fill here! You can dip these chips into sweetened ricotta for the cannoli experience (photo courtesy The Original Cannoli Chips).

[3] Flavors like Beet, Black Bean and Carrot make this line stand out (photo courtesy Lantana Foods).

[4] Raspberry Lemonade is one of a line of standout flavored popcorns (photo courtesy Maddy & Maize).

[5] MilkBoy is a new favorite, in dark, milk and white chocolate (photo courtesy MilkBoy).

[6] Small-batch beer jellies made with craft beers (photo courtesy Potlicker Kitchen).

[7] These flavored marshmallows are Wow! (photo courtesy Smashmallow).

[1] Feeding America provides bags of nutritious groceries to hungry families (photo courtesy Feeding America).

[2] Food Forward distributes produce that would be left on the ground to rot, to needy communities (photo FoodForward.org).

Before the year ends, you can share the spirit of the holidays by helping the hungry. Make a donation to a charity that feeds them.

You don’t have to make a big donation: Just $10 makes a difference.

We recently wrote about Heifer International and World Vision, which provide livestock, wells and other life-saving items to impoverished Third World peoples.

We donate livestock as holiday gifts to friends and family who don’t need anything for themselves. The gift to them, in turn gives needy families food and other items (eggs, milk, wool) to the families and provides extra to sell for income.
 
 
TOP U.S. FOOD CHARITIES

In the U.S., many organizations fight to feed the hungry. Forty million Americans struggle with hunger, including more than 12 million children. Here are a few nationally recognized organizations that work to minimize hunger.

FEEDING AMERICA. Feeding America (photo #1) provides bags of groceries to the hungry. It’s the nation’s leading domestic hunger relief charity. It operates through a nationwide network of member food banks in needy communities. FeedingAmerica.org.

FOOD FORWARD. Food Forward (photo #2) fights hunger and prevents food waste by rescuing fresh surplus produce that we would consider “ugly,” too small, misshapen and otherwise unsaleable, connecting this perfectly good food with people in need. Each year, some six billion pounds of produce that go largely unharvested to rot in the fields. Retailers won’t accept “scarred” fruits and vegetables because consumers won’t buy them [source]. FoodForward.org

NO KID HUNGRY. No Kid Hungry helps provide in-school meals and has programs that teach families to shop smarter and cook healthier. NoKidHungry.org

On a local level, contribute to your local food kitchen or food bank. Just check on line for the organizations near you.

In New York City, for example, Citymeals-On-Wheels brings meals to homebound elderly.
 
 
JOIN THE CROWD

By the way, December 31st is the biggest “giving” day of the year for Americans, because it’s the last day to make a tax-deductible charitable contribution.

According to The New York Times, charities raised 22.5 times more money on December 31st than any other average day last year. The entire last week of the year is a great week for giving, with the average gift size being 57% larger than the weekly average during the prior 51 weeks.*

________________

*New York Times, December 17, 2009. Here are 2018 charitable giving statistics.

Some dishes have been around for a hundred years or more, in pretty much their original version.

Baked Alaska is one of these. Invented at the beginning of the 19th century (here’s the Baked Alaska history), it has pretty much been the same dessert, but for flavor variations in:

 
Whatever the shape, it is then coated with meringue, which acts as an insulator so the ice cream can be baked without melting. These days, the meringue is torched to brown it.

It is often plated with a fruit coulis: passionfruit, raspberry, strawberry.

Sometimes, especially at trendier restaurants, favors have been updated, such as:

 
But those are just modernized flavors. The expansion of the original concept is more in shape: Baked Alaska cupcakes, Baked Alaska layer cakes, Baked Alaska nestled in empty orange or grapefruit halves or shaped into a shih-tzu or a sofa.

[1] Komodo’s deconstructed Baked Alaska (photo courtesy Komodo Restaurant | Miami).

[2] Classic Baked Alaska at The Oceanaire in Dallas.

Komodo restaurant in Miami has deconstructed Baked Alaska, assembled in individual portions (not a cake): photo #1.

It’s easy to create your own deconstructed Baked Alaska, a.k.a. ice cream on a slice of cake with a meringue topping.

Just pick your cake and ice cream flavors. Garnishes can be as simple as a fruit purée or coulis (coulis [COO-lee) is a strained purée), or some chocolate shavings.

The Komodo recipe—seemingly targeted to the youth palate—includes:

 
However, you can use more sophisticated ingredients for adults, from brandy-marinated fruits to curls of fine chocolate.

Instead of cereal, add crunch with caramelized or toasted pecans, toffee bits, or crushed cookies: biscotti, cannoli shells, pizzelles, or shortbread.

The Baked Alaska is ignited at tableside, drawing oohs and ahhs (or perhaps, “Epic!”).

We combined a slice of carrot cake loaf with salted caramel ice cream, homemade meringue (although we suppose you could substitute meringue cookies), and raisins marinated in Grand Marnier as the sauce.

The important thing: Have fun with it.

[1] Coquito in a shot glass (photos #1, #2, #3, and #4 © Don Q Rum).

[2] Unlike eggnog, Coquito has no eggs.

[3] Not just any spiced rum: Don Q is barrel-aged for three years.

[4] Reserva 7 is one of Don Q’s dark rums, aged a minimum of seven years in American white oak barrels. Aging in oak generates notes of oak, dark caramel, and spices.

[5] Garnish with a grind of nutmeg or a shake of pumpkin pie spice (photos #4 and #5 © C&H Sugar).

December 21st marks the first year of National Coquito Day. (Check out all of the coconut holidays, below).

The day was established by Don Q Rum.

It’s also the first day of winter: You owe yourself a wintery drink.

Coquito, “little coconut” in Spanish, is Puerto Rico’s version of eggnog, a Christmas and New Year’s Eve drink. But it can be served any time of the year.

Lighter than eggnog but still very creamy, with coconut flavor, Coquito is made with coconut cream, coconut milk, sweetened condensed milk and rum, and seasoned with cinnamon, cloves, ginger and nutmeg.

Unlike traditional American eggnog, an authentic Coquito typically does not contain eggs, though some variations exist that do.

Coquito is often served in shot glasses as an after dinner drink; or fill the pitcher or punch bowl for a party.

Think of it as Tres Leches Cake in a glass; and if you’ve got a sweet tooth, serve it with Tres Leches Cake.

This recipe, from Supercall, makes a pitcherful for a party.

The recipe follows, along with the history of the Coquito.

Elsewhere on The Nibble:

> The history of rum.

> The different types of rum.

> The year’s 15 rum holidays.

> The year’s 49 cocktail and spirits holidays.

> The year’s 11 coconut holidays are below.

> The history of evaporated milk and sweetened condensed milk.

> The history of coconuts.

> The history of Coco Lopez.
 
 
RECIPE: COQUITOS FOR CHRISTMAS

Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. COMBINE all ingredients except the garnish spices in a blender. Blend on high until the mixture is well combined, about one or two minutes.

2. POUR the Coquito into a pitcher and refrigerate to chill. Before serving…

3. STIR well to combine. Pour into punch cups or small wine glasses and garnish with fresh ground cinnamon and/or nutmeg.
 
 
COQUITO VARIATIONS

 
 
THE HISTORY OF COQUITO

No one knows the origin of Coquito, but one intrepid writer, Suset Laboy, decided to do some sleuthing.

The following is extracted from a much longer article at Centroweb Hunter College:

The two common suggestions are that Coquito was a derivation of Ponche Navideño, a Spanish Christmas punch, or American eggnog.

The actuality may be more native-to-Puerto-Rico than that. Laboy set out to trace its history, starting with Coquito’s main ingredients: sugar, coconut milk and rum, all plentiful in Puerto Rico.

 
While other islands made rum as well, Puerto Rico’s rum industry did not fully emerge until the 19th century, when sugarcane production began on a large scale. So our baseline is the 19th century.

Until someone finds a smoking gun (a dated old family recipe), that’s what we know!
 
 
THE YEAR’S 11 COCONUT HOLIDAYS

 
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*Lamington is one of Australia’s favorite desserts, also enjoyed at breakfast. Sponge cake is covered with chocolate sauce and coconut shavings or desiccated coconut. It can be prepared as a single layer cut into squares, or as a layer cake filled with jam or whipped cream. Here’s a recipe.

†Ambrosia is a retro fruit salad that can be served as a side dish or a dessert. Recipes vary widely, but often include bananas, coconut, mandarin orange segments, maraschino cherries, nuts, and pineapple, bound with whipped cream (or Cool Whip, sour cream, or yogurt). Mini marshmallows are often added for the kids. Here’s a recipe.
 

[5] Mix up a batch and bring some to a gathering.
 
 

CHECK OUT WHAT’S HAPPENING ON OUR HOME PAGE, THENIBBLE.COM.

Éclairs typical don’t show up on a list of holiday desserts.

But when they’re as cute as these, they’re irresistible.

Made by Art Éclair, these designs are just a few of a treasure trove of magnificently decorated éclairs.

See the collection on the Art Éclair website and on Pinterest.

Regrettably for éclair lovers, this bakery is in Kiev, Ukraine.

We’ll have to settle for a Bûche de Noël.

If you enjoy cake decorating, purchase éclairs and try your hand. All you need to make the reindeer are:

 
 
RECIPE: CHOCOLATE MARZIPAN

Thanks to Santa Barbara Chocolate Company for this easy recipe for chocolate marzipan.

Here’s the original recipe so you can follow each step in photos.
 
Ingredients

[2] It’s easy to make chocolate marzipan (photo and recipe courtesy Santa Barbara Chocolate Company).

 
Preparation

1. CHOP the peeled almonds and pulse in a food processor until they achieve an almond flour texture. You don’t want any chunks left; if you can’t pulse them all away, sieve the powder before using.

2. COMBINE the almond flour, cocoa powder and powdered sugar in a saucepan. Mix together. Add the egg and place the pot over low heat.

3. STIR continuously until all the ingredients are combined. Keep stirring for another 5 minutes, then remove the pot from the heat. Place it in the refrigerator and let the marzipan chill for 15 minutes or longer.

4. Roll the marzipan into a tube shape the width of the face, 1″ or smaller depending on the width of the éclair. Chill until firm enough to slice. Slice thinly; you’re ready to assemble. When you’re done with the faces, cut ears.

5. If you have leftover marzipan, you can re-shape it into a wider tube and cut marzipan coins to serve separately. Roll them in sprinkles or nuts, as in photo #2.