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- I tried Trader Joe's new Chocolate Lava Gnocchi and was disappointed to find potato and chocolate don't belong together
I tried Trader Joe's new Chocolate Lava Gnocchi and was disappointed to find potato and chocolate don't belong together
When I first picked up a bag of Trader Joe's Chocolate Lava Gnocchi, I was skeptical about how a potato entrée could make its way into the dessert aisle. Having always been a fan of both gnocchi and chocolate lava cakes, however, I decided to give the dish a try.
The gnocchi only take six to eight minutes to cook, making this a quick and easy dessert.
The gnocchi are prepared in a similar way to other TJ's gnocchi products, by sautéing them in a pan over medium heat with butter or ghee. I chose to use butter, but non-dairy substitutes would work as well.
One serving size of the gnocchi is one cup or about nine gnocchi pieces.
After measuring out my frozen gnocchi, I determined this was a pretty good serving size for 300 calories.
Next, I put two tablespoons of butter into a pan and began to melt it on medium heat. My stove is extremely temperamental and gets hot very quickly, so I had to work fast.
In one minute or less, my butter was completely melted and beginning to froth.
I added in my gnocchi pieces, giving the pan a quick swirl to evenly distribute the gnocchi and the butter.
I set my timer for six minutes and continued cooking them, prodding them every now and again with a spatula to make sure all the sides of the gnocchi pieces were getting crispy.
Before long, my gnocchi appeared to be almost done. They looked like little cakes or bonbons, and the buttery, chocolatey smell emitting from the pan was truly mouthwatering.
After my timer went off, the gnocchi were crispy on some sides and doughy on others. Against the white pan, it was hard to ignore the fact that they looked like little chocolate turds. I only prayed that the small chocolate dumplings looked better than they tasted.
I used my spatula to scoop my gnocchi pieces into a bowl and mentally prepared myself. First, I tried the gnocchi plain without any cream or other toppings.
I bit into the gnocchi piece and was pleasantly surprised by the chocolate inside. It was rich, creamy, and delicious. However, as I continued eating my first piece, I couldn't get past the distinct potato-like texture of the gnocchi.
Though it didn't exactly taste like potato gnocchi, the texture was virtually the same with some chocolate sauce added to the center. I decided to try the gnocchi with light whipped cream, but the gnocchi may also pair well with vanilla ice cream.
The whipped cream didn't really add anything, and actually took away from the rich chocolate flavor. If anything, the added moisture made the gnocchi balls chewier than they already were, which I didn't enjoy.
Overall, I was torn on whether I liked Trader Joe's new Chocolate Lava Gnocchi. While the rich, chocolatey flavor of the molten lava was a total win for me, I simply couldn't get past the distinct, chewy potato texture of the gnocchi. Perhaps potatoes and chocolate are simply one combination I can't agree with.
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