Jane Burns
Bananas and peppercorns might not seem an obvious choice for foods that celebrate Wisconsin, but a new line of chocolate bars makes that case quite well.
The Forward Chocolate collection at Sjölinds Chocolate in Mount Horeb celebrates the state’s natural places in a way that’s more impressionistic than specific. Savory dark chocolate combines with fruit, nuts, spices and other extras that chocolate maker Melissa Langholff connects with her favorite spots.
“It’s kind of my personal experience with Wisconsin and its natural places,” she says.
There are three bars in the line so far: the Driftless is made with sumac and Sichuan peppercorns; the Kettle Moraine with pepitas (pumpkin seeds), apricot and mole spices; and the Chequamegon, with banana and walnut.
Sjölinds began making bean-to-bar chocolate in 2015, that is, starting production with the raw bean instead of imported raw chocolate. The business tried to source as many local ingredients as possible, such as milk powder or butter for a Wisconsin Butter Chocolate bar.
More local ingredients are featured in the Driftless bar. Langholff learned from a friend that Sichuan peppercorns, which aren’t actually a pepper but berries from prickly ash, can be foraged in the area. She found some near her home in Mineral Point, and made chocolate bars with them for the friend as a gift. From there she started experimenting and matched the peppercorns with sumac, which also grows locally.
The Chequamegon bars, bananas and all, remind Langholff of an annual family trip she makes to Chequamegon National Forest.
“It’s trail mix — that fruit and nut snack combination,” she says.
The inspiration for Kettle Moraine came from the variety that is found in the state forest northeast of Madison.
“There are so many features there, I wanted something that tasted complex,” Langholff says.
Langholff has toyed with food ingredients in her chocolate before. Sjölinds has a bar named Crisp Thompson, named after her dad (and Sjölinds’ baker) Chris Thompson, that uses puffed rice for its crunch. There is also a bar made with beer and pretzels. In the past, Langholff made a bread and hops bar, with French bread creating a crunch and hops contributing a slight bitterness.
The bars sell for $4.75 and are available at Sjölinds’ two Mount Horeb locations, the café at 219 E. Main St. and the factory at 150 Lillehammer Lane, as well as for $6 online at sjolinds.com.
