Flavored Salt

I love when people take something traditional and turn it on it's head (well, except for my dislike of altering classic candy that I talked about in an earlier post), so I'm loving all these flavored salts from Barhyte. What a tasty way to jazz up, well, just about anything! I love the logo and colors, not to mention the yummy flavors. The chocolate variety is like the perfect sweet and salty paradise combined into one! Click here to check out the flavors and here to shop online.

You can also get some bacon-flavored salt courtesy J&D's. This particular bacon salt is not only kosher, but also vegetarian, so it would the perfect way for vegetarians to incorporate the bacon trend into their desserts! (I still haven't tried the whole bacon dessert thing, but it intrigues me, even though I'm a vegetarian.)

Btw, they also have bacon-flavored lip gloss for those of you out there who are really really into bacon. Click here to find store locations or to order online.

Donuts Get a Facelift

As most of you have probably heard by now, donuts are the new cupcakes, at least that's what trend watchers claim. Yep, you heard it right. Donuts want to be this year's homecoming queen and they're pushing hard to get your vote. The television show 30 Rock even had a joke on a recent episode about letting tourists know that donuts have taken over for cupcakes as the new hip dessert! Personally, I don't know if donuts will ever be able to truly steal cupcake's crown, but I'm excited to see them try! Because, at the end of the day, a new food trend means that bakers are going to be experimenting with interesting flavors and developing unique ideas. For example, you can go to Dee's Mini Organic Donoughts in California and get an organic, whole wheat donut that is completly free of trans fats or you can go to Voodoo Doughnut in Portland and get a maple donut covered with bacon. There are just so many options!
My vote for prettiest donuts has to go to Big Apple Donuts, which is, uhhh, not located in New York. In fact, you can't even buy them in North America! Big Apple only has stores in Asia, which is not really surprising because all the prettiest pastries come from Asia.

Chocolate with Bacon?

Being a vegetarian, I won't be sampling any chocolate bar with the word bacon on its packaging, but I had to post it because it's just so odd! I will admit, that after I thought about it for a minute, I decided that it probably does have a really great flavor, but maybe that's because I'm a sucker for all things sweet and salty. At the very least, it would be interesting! If you prefer a little less meat with your chocolate, Vosges offers a slew of interesting bars. There is chocolate with mushrooms, chocolate with wasabi, and chocolate with curry, among others.

For truffle lovers, the Aztec Collection offers up chilies and cinnamon, while the Zion Collection includes allspice, pumpkin seed, and ginger. Don't even get me started on the ice cream and brownies, both of which include equally unusual items in their ingredient lists. If you're tired of boring old chocolate, then definitely check out Vosges Haut-Chocolat. You can find their stores in Chicago, New York, and Las Vegas or you can click here to order items online.