Lakrids have Arrived including sea buckthorn - Baking ingredients

We never know when this "flavor" will show up. We have a standing request and surprise it just showed up! The color is bright and the bite is fun! How awesome is that!

What is Sea Buckthorn? It is Hippophae rhamnoides, an evergreen shrub with leaves that are narrow and lanceolate with a silvery green look.

Small fruits grow on the tree that are packed with healthy goodness. It is this color that makes these Lakrids standout.

When you pop the orb in and take the first bite the outer shell crumbles easily, the white chocolate smoothly collapses in a puff and the licorice bounces in. It is an exceptionally interesting bite and chew.

The chocolate and the orange color of the Sea Buckthorn is bright. The taste is subtle and the Sea Buckthorn is calm.

Lick the outside of these Lakrids Berries and you might get a hint of the Hippophae rhamnoides, but it is faint. Eat one and the meld of flavors all come out together in a nice version of joy.

It is as if the white chocolate lifts the Sea buckthorn up and moves it around. And then the licorice carries all the flavors out to the teeth and the combination comes alive in your molars.

I like this one. And it is fun to eat.

Whole cramelized onions are used as a garnish for roasted meats or birds, served with sauteed potatoes and a comforting red wine from a sunny place, a Chateauneuf-du-Pape, for example. The key to successfully caramalizing onions is to take your time. the end result, though, is amazing - and a wonderful side, especially if you like sweet onions.

This de-light and full honey is sourced by Hummingbird who has quietly grown to be some our most favorite honeys. The purity of the feel of their honeys is always a wonderful reminder of how great honey can be!

Orange blossom honey comes from bees gathering nectar from the small, white, intensely fragrant, flowers of citrus trees, primarily sweet orange trees (Citrus × sinensis) which bloom in the spring.

It is a light, fragrant, gently sweet, and carries a subtle citrus aroma without tasting like an orange. (If you have had a honey that taste just like the fruit or flower 99% of the time the honey has been flavored!)

To the eye:
Pale gold to light amber, often translucent. A delicate-looking honey rather than a dark, robust one.

To the nose:
It is floral, fragrant, with the suggestion of fresh orange blossoms, citrus zest, and a little perfumee.

To the mouth:
Gentle sweetness with a light citrus brightness. Might have a tang, and a clean finish.

An advent calendar that surprises you with different flavors with every “door” you open. It is like exploration, discovery and fun!

I am on the fence about whether I have a true desire for licorice, or if I am more on the "if it is around I will eat it" wagon. For me, unlike chocolate, I typically don't go out my way to find licorice to have.

Though, I do make exceptions. Any of the licorice we carry I am happy to consume, even carry it with me on a camping trip.

And then there is licorice from John Bulow of Lakrids, which to me is the worth effort to find and eat. His licorice is an adventure!

These licorice balls are like a combination of flavors, chocolate and a perfect chewy licorice in the center!

He always has some really interesting new flavors and that is what makes the advent calendar so much fun! You never know what flavor you are going to get when open the door to the calendar!

I like surprises and so I don't look at the list on the back, but if you are not able to stand the suspense, there is a list on the back of the box.

You might have your favorite, but every flavor is a treat!!

Svaneke is a very small town on the eastern coast of the Baltic island of Bornholm, in Denmark.

It lies mainly in Svaneke parish and partly in Ibsker parish and holds the distinction of being Denmark's easternmost and, until few years ago, smallest chartered town with a population of just of 1000 people.

Johan's idea was to open a liquorice shop and cook the liquorice IN the shop, so that the lovely smell would waft out and patrons couls smell it in a radius of 100 meters. Well ... it worked.

He started with the basics (#1 - sweet, #2 - salty, #3 - red, and #4 - hot), but has expanded his product offering since then. In 2009, Johan started covering his liquorice in chocolate - and a whole new confection was born.

Our importer affectionally calls his A,B,C and D products "the gateway products" - because this real licorice candy is oh so addictive.

And then came the white chocolate with candy coatings - they are like the most amazing biteful of white chocolate, flavor-covered, liqorice-filled M&M's you will ever taste.

The Seabuck Thorn is beyond descriptions. Even if you don't THINK you like licorice.

Chef Lesa made this pie so long ago. It is classic and it is modernized.

Apples are in season now. Try some of the new variants that are out this year and keep in mind the reliable ones like Fuji are often lower in price and yet as good or better than the "in" varieties.

12-13% dry gluten content - and designed for home ovens and longer fermentation times.

This finely ground wheat flour from Italy, that has a little more gluten than the Caputo Pizza Flour (a smart choice for those looking to make thin crust pizza!).

Also can work for cakes and pastries, although generally you would be looking for a little less gluten (8-10%) when making pastries to get a gentle flake. The fine ground works well to get that light clumb on cakes. Try it!

What's Happening in the Store Next

Saturday, October 24 – Encore Chocolate Tasting

Missed Meet the Makers—or ready for another round? Stop by ChefShop on October 24 to taste returning craft chocolate favorites alongside new bars and flavors. Free and drop-in! 12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

See the Event list HERE for 2026
Monday - Saturday 10am-5pm
ChefShop Retail Shop, 1425 Elliott Ave West, Seattle

In a tiny Parisian workshop, far from the tropical climates where cacao grows, Ara Chocolat is quietly preserving one of the world’s most important food legacies. Founded in 2015 by Venezuelan couple Andrés Zakhour and Sabrina Trillos, Ara is among the very few bean-to-bar makers roasting their own cacao in France.

Every bar begins with Andrés himself—traveling, sourcing, and selecting cacao beans directly from small growers and cooperatives across Latin America. By working face-to-face with farmers, Ara ensures not only fair and transparent relationships, but also access to rare native and ancestral cacao varieties that carry the stories of the land in their flavors.

Their name, Ara, honors the brilliantly colored macaws of Latin America—a symbol of biodiversity, freedom, and the deep connection between people and place. Each chocolate is a celebration of this heritage, crafted in micro-batches so that nothing is rushed and every nuance of the cacao shines.

At Ara Chocolat, chocolate isn’t just something to eat—it’s a journey. A way to taste the difference between regions, varietals, and traditions. It’s an invitation to savor and protect heirloom cacao, so that future generations can still experience the astonishing diversity of flavors that true cacao offers.

See the selection that has just arrived with the Chocolate Show!

Long before the discovery of refined sugar, ancient peoples satisfied their craving for sweetness with what nature provided directly.

Honey was humanity’s first concentrated sweetener, used by Stone Age hunter-gatherers at least 8,000 years ago, as evidenced by cave paintings in Spain showing honey collection. Ancient Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans used honey not only in food but also in medicine and offerings to the gods.

At the same time, early civilizations discovered that certain plants — like dates, figs, and fruits — could be dried or boiled down into natural syrups, offering both sweetness and energy.

The sugarcane plant (Saccharum officinarum), native to New Guinea, began its global journey more than 10,000 years ago. Early peoples chewed the raw cane for its sweet juice, and by around 500 BCE, the technique of extracting and crystallizing sugar from cane juice had developed in India.

The Sanskrit word śarkarā (“gravel” or “sand”) gave us the word sugar. From India, sugar-making spread to Persia, and through Arab trade and expansion, it reached the Mediterranean and Europe by the Middle Ages. By the 15th–16th centuries, sugarcane cultivation became a major global industry — first in the Arab world, then in colonial plantations in the Caribbean and Americas.

In its purest, natural form, sugarcane is an extraordinarily vibrant and healthy plant. It’s a tall, tropical grass, rich in chlorophyll and natural plant compounds. Fresh cane juice — the sweet sap squeezed directly from the stalk — contains vitamins (like B-complex), minerals (iron, calcium, magnesium, potassium), and antioxidants such as polyphenols.

In many tropical cultures today (including India, the Caribbean, and Southeast Asia), fresh sugarcane juice is still consumed as a refreshing, nourishing drink that supports hydration and energy without the loss of nutrients caused by industrial refining.

When sugar is refined, however, nearly all of those natural minerals and beneficial plant compounds are stripped away, leaving pure sucrose crystals — high in calories but devoid of nutrients. Thus, while raw sugarcane is a wholesome, living source of sweetness, super-refined sugar represents its most concentrated and least nutritious form.

Adorn your baked goods with a sparkly sprinkling of crunchy Hail Sugar.

Hail Sugar (or Pearl Sugar) is made of compressed sugar crystals, which will not dissolve into your batter or dough. Instead they retain their shape to give a beautiful sparkling finish to everything from cookies and traditional Swedish rolls to croissants and Panettone.

Hail sugar is a wonderful little secret that is great addition to add to your baking fun.

No chemicals or nasty synthetic imitations here. Only the best organic vanilla beans are used for cold extraction and unique aging process. The result? A true vanilla aroma and the purest taste imaginable.

This versatile Bourbon vanilla extract for sale is perfect for all your baking needs. Whenever a recipe calls for vanilla extract or essence, turn to this amazing double-strength vanilla. Freshly harvested each year, this bourbon vanilla extract tastes like vanilla and smells more like a bean than alcohol.

This is double-strength vanilla (two-times the vanilla flavor or less diluted than 1X), it contains no sugar, and is wheat-free.

Double fold extract has 37% alcohol. Using a whey alcohol, this ethanol has no allergens. It is free from dairy and wheat, and has a less offensive alcohol odor.

Thick and sweet, this vinegar is made in the traditional balsamic making methods -- only using raspberries instead of grapes. Amazing!

When a vinegar is made from a specific grape, fruit or anything, it will often outshine all other vinegars when paired the same! Have raspberries this is the perfect vinegar to go with. Keep in mind this vinegar is special and can be used in every way.

Acetoria makes stellar vinegars! Some of the very best in the world!

This can of Ortiz Benito del Norte tuna is the perfect size for lunch! We love the shape of the can, which fits easily in the palm of your hand. Opening it reminds us of those romantic (fantasy or real) wicker basket picnics in a green field in your locale of choice.

It is one of the most reliable tuna's in a can you can have. It fits in your jean pocket, front or back! In the glove box or in your back pack! A definite can for your run bag or earthquake prep kit!

Bonito Del Norte (White Tuna) is a homemade specialty of Ortiz. These are authentic Spanish white tuna; they appear annually in the waters in the Bay of Biscay in the Cantabrian Sea.

The Bonito del Norte is the most prized of the tuna family, appreciated for its pure white flesh, delicate texture and superb taste.

Line caught, within a 24-hour period of being caught, large chunks of delicious fish are cooked in seawater and the loins are hand-packed in quality olive oil to preserve the tuna's highly prized flavor, and left to mature in the can for at least three months.

This aging process helps ensure that the product is moist and delicious when finally opened for a lovely picnic lunch!

A simple offering that provides you with a jumping off point for a more substantial dish, but serves well for a quick lunch by itself.

Professional pastry chefs are using ChefShop Grande Brut because it does several things well at once: deep flavor, smooth texture, rich color, easy blending, low acidity, and real versatility across applications. It is a many-trick cocoa powder.

We stock it now because after working with it ourselves, we found it spectacular! It makes a giant difference!

ChefShop Grande Brut contains 22% to 24% cocoa butter. That is significantly higher than most cocoa powders on the market, and it is one of the main reasons we chose it. That extra cocoa butter is not a minor detail. It changes how the cocoa tastes, how it blends, and what your finished desserts actually feel like.

Most people focus on cocoa percentage (and with cocoa powder it is always 100% as it has no sugar) and overlook fat content entirely. It is the balance between cocoa mass and cocoa butter that matters. Cocoa butter is the natural fat in the cacao bean, and it shapes everything about how cocoa performs in a recipe.
Shop now for ChefShop Grande Brut Cocoa Powder here!