Blog and Tweet Boston Event at Cocoanuts

Corn Free July is in full swing and some of the toughest things to get my hands on are desserts. In theory that's a good thing, what with dessert being bad for you and all, but come on.

Luckily for me, I was recently invited by the lovely ladies at Blog and Tweet Boston to attend a complimentary event at Cocoanuts, an adorable, tiny snack and dessert shop in Boston's famously delicious North End. The event was hosted by co-owner Tara Shea, who had laid out some beautiful plates for us to sample. The displays made for great photo opportunities, and also great suggestions for how to present a spread when hosting at our own homes.

The mango in between bites of dark chocolate really balanced things nicely.

Featured on the plate are Yes Chocolates, handcrafted in Walpole, Massachusetts. Personally, I love a chocolate bar with some nuts and dried fruit involved for texture. These were made from high quality chocolate, but not overly sweet. I'm a big fan. The dried fruits you see on the plate next to the chocolate bar are Danielle Mango Chips, a crispy/puffy snack that tastes kind of like what a Cheeze Doodle might taste like if it didn't taste like the inside of a vending machine.

We were also treated to several selections of cookies form Lark Fine Foods in Essex, MA. These are not corn-free, but only because of the eggs and dairy involved. Happily, Cocoanuts sells Lark cookie mixes, which you can adjust with grass-fed dairy products and free range eggs to be corn free, or veganize by getting creative with oils and nut milks!

Baking it yourself is more fun, anyway.

We also got to taste bars from Antidote Chocolate, an aptly named labor of love infused with healing herbs and sweetened with organic, raw cane sugar.

After sampling everything, I browsed the shop for a bit and was pleased to find, among other things, Taza Cacoa Nibs on the shelf. The Taza Factory is about half a mile from where I live, and it was nice to see my side of the Charles River being represented in the fancy pants North End.

Don't be afraid to tour the factory. The folks are quirky, but more Gene Wilder than Johnny Depp.

A treat from Cocoanuts is a great option as a stop during a day trip to Boston, a dessert location after dinner in the neighborhood, or just a place to stock up on great gifts or snacks for entertaining.