Missionary Chocolates is a boutique vegan truffle company from Portland, Oregon run by two sisters. Their unique truffles are all vegan, lactose free and gluten free and are just as rich & delicious as their cream based counterparts. Their secret is an organic coconut milk which they tell us “is the perfect base to produce velvety ganache that one waits for when biting into a truffle”. Mmmmmm, I’m drooling already!
The lovely ladies behind Missionary Chocolates hooked me up with a generous sampling of their amazing truffles, enough to share at a gathering with a few of my fellow bloggers and vegan friends. While I had the intention of taking lots of pictures and notes on everyone’s reactions, it just didn’t work out that way. You can only stop a group of candy-loving vegans from pouncing on a box of opened chocolates for so long! I did manage to get a few nice shots though, so feast your eyes on some of this:
This is just one of the boxes we devoured, showing some of the assortment we had. The ones with the dusty coating on them are the Dark Chocolate Delight: “Our classic European-style truffle. Infused with a hint of organic Singing Dog Vanilla to perfect this truly delightful confection. Decorated with a dusting of raw organic cacao powder from the amazing Holy Kakow Chocolate guys.”
The one on the bottom right is the Smooth Espresso Square: “Equal Exchange French Roast coffee is simmered into our rich organic coconut milk to obtain it’s creamy coffee flavor. Your daily ration of caffeine, in a very portable package! Decorated with ground cacao nibs.”
It doesn’t get much better than caffeine and chocolate. If I remember correctly, Miss Alix, both a caffeine and coffee connoisseur highly enjoyed these espresso treats.
The cute round molded chocolates at the top of the box are the brand new Caramel Truffles, not yet available but coming soon. Oh man, these were so good… they reminded me of Rolo’s. Chocolate with caramel will always be at the top of my list.
Above is the Meyer Lemon Explosion: “2008 NW Chocolate Festival Winner! We blend Meyer Lemon puree with organic lemon oil to create an intense multi-dimensional taste experience.”
This one is the Coconut Silk: “Whole coconut puree blends with rich coconut milk to give this truffle its delicate flavor, perfectly balancing the smooth dark chocolate shell. Decorated with shredded organic coconut.”
I love coconut and I love chocolate, what could be better than this?
This is the Spicy Cinnamon Chipotle: “We blend Cinnamon and Chipotle Peppers to create this unique flavor combination sure to please any spice aficionado.”
Wow, this one packs a punch! I’d had my first chocolate & chili experience when I got to try the awesome Ancho chili chocolate from Xan Confections, so I wasn’t caught completely off guard but it’s still a taste combo that’s always surprising. I absolutely loved it and think that whoever came up with putting cinnamon together with chipotle (along with chocolate of course) is just brilliant. Taste-tester Agent Triple XXX wasn’t as fond of the unexpected pairing of hot with sweet and practically spit it out, so this might be one to consider as an acquired taste. If you’ve got an adventurous palate and would like to heat things up a bit, give this one a try.
Each and every one of these were so rich and decadent, you could really taste the quality ingredients and care that goes into making them. In the sisters own words:
“We want to enthrall you with our wonderful dairy-free, gluten-free confections. All of our truffles are made by hand in Portland, and are created using the freshest local and organic products available to us. We use only Oregon-grown berries, and take pride in using organic coffee, locally-grown peppermint oil and superior quality Fair-Trade Guittard chocolate.”
Missionary Chocolates are available throughout Portland and will soon be coming to California stores as well. Visit their website for locations or to build your own customized box and have it sent directly to you. Go ahead and indulge, you deserve it.
www.missionarychocolates.com
(503) 961-3262
info@missionarychocolates.com
Yum! They look incredible! Yay, they’re coming to California! :-)
HOLY YUM chocolates!!
Also, do you happen to know if those truffles are soy-free/gluten-free?? I tried checking the website but couldn’t find any information on that…
VeggieGirl: Unfortunately I don’t know, but I’d suggest sending them an email… they are super friendly and will be more than happy to answer any questions. Tell ‘em I sent ya!
Those look amazing! I wonder how hard I’d have to drop the hints to get some for christmas ;)
Hi VeggieGirl,
Vanessa from Missionary Chocolates here! Our truffles are both lactose and gluten free, we also use no soy products but the truffles do contain soy lethicin as an emulsifier….so I hope you are not allergic to that particular product.
Thanks for asking!
Vanessa
They’re super pretty & I love anything caramel. The only issue is Guittard uses bone-char sugar or at least they did when I talked to them last year.
I would so not share that.