Animal-shaped Moonstruck Chocolates from Portland – GIVEAWAY!
I went to Portland last year and visited a friend. Before leaving, I had jokingly asked him and his wife if they wanted me to bring anything from New York City. I was thinking a Black and White cookie would be awesome but none of New York’s quintessential edible stuff would make the trip to Portland. When I actually got there, I felt like I still wanted to find something unusual to give them, and I saw Moonstruck Chocolates in a shop’s window.
I had never seen such adorable chocolates before. They had a wide assortment of animals as well as exotic truffles and other shapes. I ended up buying my friend some, myself some, and my mother some. I think I spent $80 on chocolate that day.
I took some photos in the hotel room as I ate my assortment, which included a chocolate turtle, a lemon-flavored clownfish, a a dark chocolate sheep, an adorable white kitty, an oyster with a pearl in it, and a cognac truffle topped with gold powder and an almond ‘crown’. This is not a great shot but it gives a clear view of all the chocolates, which were really gorgeous. Look at the fin on the fish and his stripes. The rounded tail on the cat. The swirls of color on the chocolate shell. The curly fluff on the sheep. Wonderful craftsmanship. Here is a video of how they make the clownfish.
Circle of chocolates
I’m much fonder of this shot. Here is the kitty peaking out of his chocolate box. Yes, he has a heart-shaped nose. I love Moonstruck’s attention to detail.
Chocolate kitty in a box of chocolates
This next photo may look familiar to you, as I recently did a short Portland post that featured this coffee art. The chocolate kitty was in the background, exploring the table, in that picture. This is another favorite of mine, because balancing on the edge of a coffee cup seems like such a cat-like thing to do. He is just perched there, bundled like he might take a nap.
Kitty on a coffee cup
I forget if this turtle’s shell tasted minty. I do recall the lemon clownfish was delightfully lemony, though! Alas, I was unimpressed by the gold truffle and the oyster in a pearl. It was beautiful, but the chocolate oyster had a weird, crackly texture that was realistic but not enjoyable. The gold-topped truffle was nothing exciting, I’m sorry to say.
Chocolate turtle
Despite not loving every piece of chocolate, I often give Moonstruck Chocolate as gifts because they’re just so unique (though pricey). This brings us to.. the giveaway!
Caramel truffles from Moonstruck Chocolate
These are truffles with liquid caramel centers, including pear, 3-caramel, coffee, and chile-flavors. I haven’t tried them yet but they look awesome, so I am giving a box away. All you have to do is leave a comment about your favorite chocolate memory.
When I was a little girl (many years ago lol), growing up in Philadelphia, I would stop into Asher’s Chocolate shop once or twice a week on my way home from school and buy a piece of their freshly made chocolate. My favorites were their milk chocolate truffles. They were the best! I just paid a visit to their website (http://www.ashers.com) and see that they are no longer located on Germantown Ave in Philadelphia, like they were in my childhood days. Oh well, they still have the best chocolate.
Off topic, I am an amateur photographer and just LOVE your photographs! Keep up the great work.
I remember that first bite like it was yesterday. I was spending a day baking Chocolate Chip Cookies with Grandma. Now, I’d had chocolate before that moment,(I actually didn’t like it lol)but I guess since it was before lunch and I really wasn’t suppose to eat a cookie before lunch I loved it! That rich, warm gooey chocolate in my mouth made me want to sing! I had a smile as wide as ever and chocolate all over my face. To this day I still love warm chocolate chip cookies the best!
Nice photos I love your work!
Those chocolates are soo cute I LOVE THEM!!
have you tried the other ones yet? I’m an aspiring pastry chef and the sound of truffles with pear and chile flavoring very interesting..
I’m always trying to incorporate new and different flavors together…
Thanks..sorry for two posts but I just had to mention how adorable those chocolates are lol cute little turtle
My best memory of chocolate was recently when my twin son’s and middle daughter had made me Smores at the neighbors fire and made me Hot Chocolate in my favorite Mug which I bought from HugNation!
those are too cute!! i don’t know what my favorite chocolate memory is. every memory involving chocolate is a good one. one that sticks out in my mind is watching willy wonka and the chocolate factory. i loved that movie and always wanted to visit the chocolate room where everything was edible and the river was chocolate.
The attention to detail is amazing. You would not want to eat them..despite assuming they are absolutely delicious:-) chocolate makes me smile and when we smile we make the world a better place…chocolate for everyone! Thank you for sharing this:)…
Deb, thanks so much for your comment! Please feel free to post any food pics you have to the Facebook page if you want some feedback.
Katelynn, I have tried several of their chocolates but not these liquid truffles because they are literally brand new. I’m envious that you’re a pastry chef. :\ I can’t bake or decorate to save my life so I have to depend on other people to provide photogenic food! Your story was great, btw, and I know exaccctly what you mean about the gooey chocolate chips in a fresh-out-of-the-oven cookie. Ah, memories.
@Denise – that sounds sweet.
Hey Marinda — by random selection, you are the winner of the chocolates! (I also see your a photographer, and I liked your Facebook page.
) I’ll email you about this later. Thanks for mentioning Willy Wonka -such a fun movie. Someone recently told me that, in the original movie, they kept the kids off the set of the factory so that they’d see everything for the first time while the cameras were rolling. The directory wanted to capture genuine awe.
Hi Jen – yes, I felt bad about eating them because they are so cute, but it’s kind of like eating Peeps – you have to eat the heads first to be merciful.
Thanks so much, Laura!! I cannot wait to try these! I didn’t know that about the movie. Great idea on the director’s part!
I visited Portland a year back with an old beau and we stopped at a chocolate store that had all sorts of lovely creations like your Moonstruck ones. It is much more exciting, I think, to buy ones that are shaped differently and experiment with their flavors than normal shaped chocolates. I took pictures of the cute ones we got but they are not as clear… and your photographs make my mouth water. Excellent