Chocolate chip cookies are one of the most beloved desserts in the world. They’re so deliciously simple, yet, scientifically, a single cookie is incredibly complex. Most of the science behind a chocolate chip cookie happens inside the oven. The oven is like a tiny laboratory where a bunch of chemical reactions are happening to make a chocolate chip cookie ooey, gooey and irresistible.
Wine, tea and dark chocolate — no, these are not the ingredients to the potion of life, but they might as well be. For one thing, they all contain compounds that can ensure good quality of life for the years to come. Apparently, a new research study has found that tea, wine, dark chocolate and certain fruits and vegetables can significantly lower the risk of having dementia or even Alzheimer’s disease later on in life. This is all thanks to the flavonoids they contain.
A crumpled bag of baking chips in the pantry. The linen closet stash you forgot about. The kids’ old Halloween haul. A fun-size piece in the glove compartment. There are few things as exciting as discovering a piece of surprise chocolate from who knows when. But does chocolate go bad?
Just 5 ingredients: Check out this recipe for flourless chocolate cupcakes!
Ingredients:
4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup butter
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
3 eggs, beaten
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 F. Butter or spray muffin tin cups with baking spray. In a microwave safe bowl, heat butter and chocolate for 30 to 45 seconds. Stir. Heat another 30 seconds or until just melted. Whisk in brown sugar. Whisk in eggs. Next, whisk in cocoa powder until combined. Fill each muffin cup about half full of batter. Bake about 10 to 14 minutes. Check them at 10 minutes. Do not over bake. They should be fudgy. Cool completely. Great served with fresh whipped cream and berries on top! Makes about a dozen.
Watch it being made, here.
Simmering chicken in chocolate milk sounds strange – turns out, it’s delicious! Tyler Kord’s description in his cookbook: “This chicken may just be one of the most interesting and weird-good things you will make from a cookbook.” As Kord noted: “Chicken and chile and chocolate have a long and beautiful history in the form of mole, from the state of Puebla, Mexico.” One caveat is to buy or make good-quality, full-fat chocolate milk for the cup used in the recipe. The better the chocolate, the better the sauce. The bone-in, skin-on thighs add richness to the sauce, as well, but you could use other pieces. Kord recommends serving the chicken with sauteed zucchini and a grain such as quinoa. Those two mild sides balance the rich, rich sauce. It could be good with boiled potatoes or with long-grain rice, as well. If you have chocolate chicken left over, Kord recommends stuffing some in a corn tortilla or using the chicken to fill out a savory pie. (Recipe adapted from “Food52 Dynamite Chicken: 60 Never-Boring Recipes for Your Favorite Bird” by Tyler Kord. Ten Speed Press, 2019.)
For the chicken:
1 cup whole chocolate milk
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 jalapenos, stemmed and split lengthwise
2 teaspoons kosher salt
4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (about 1 1/2 pounds)
For the zucchini:
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 zucchinis (about 1 pound total), sliced 1/2-inch thick
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 garlic cloves, minced
Cooked grain, such as farro, quinoa or rice, for serving
Cilantro, for garish (optional)
In a saucepan, stir together the chocolate milk, chili powder, jalapenos and 2 teaspoons of the salt until combined. Add the chicken thighs bone side down. Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat, reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer until the chicken is tender, for 35 to 40 minutes.
While the chicken is cooking, in a large saute pan over high heat, heat the oil until shimmering. Add the zucchini and the 1/2 teaspoon of salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until the zucchini begins to caramelize and soften but does not turn to mush, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Remove from the heat and keep warm until ready to serve.
Serve the chicken and zucchini warm over cooked grains, garnished with cilantro, if using.
Yield: 4 servings
This Easy Chocolate Cake Recipe Will Bring Back Childhood Memories (And It Tastes Amazing). Chuck out your Betty Crocker mix, put on your baker’s hat and make the most heavenly chocolate cake recipe from scratch. It’ll be fluffy, it’ll be moist and the icing on top will leave you wanting more. Really though, the icing is the secret to this killer double-layered chocolate cake recipe.
Ingredients for the cake
2 cups flour
1 cup oil
2 cups sugar
3/4 cup cocoa powder
2 tspn baking soda
1/2 tspn salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk + 2 tspn vinegar (mixed)
1/2 vanilla essence
1 cup hot coffee
Ingredients for the icing
1 cup cocoa powder
1 1/2 cup butter (unsalted, softened)
3/4 tspn salt
4 cups icing sugar
1/4 cup milk
3/4 cup cream
2/3 cup Ovaltine (classic) or Horlicks (classic) — this is THE SECRET ingredient
1/2 tspn vanilla
Method for making the cake
In a mixing bowl, add flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt (make sure to sift your dry ingredients).
Use an electric whisk to combine the dry mixture. Just a few pulses should do the trick.
In a separate bowl, mix eggs, milk, oil and vanilla.
Pour the liquid ingredients into the dry mix and whisk for 4-5 minutes on medium speed.
With the mixer still running, add the hot coffee to the batter and then turn it off. Do not beat a lot after adding the coffee.
Line and grease 2×9-inch pans with butter or parchment paper.
Pour the batter into the pans, smooth the surface and tap to get rid of any air bubbles. Bake in a pre-heated oven (165 degree Celsius) for 25-30mins.
Once the cake is out, let it cool in the pan until the top feels firm. Then transfer it to the cooling rack to cool fully.
Method for making the icing
In a bowl, add cocoa powder, salt, milk and butter. Whisk on medium speed for 2-3 minutes. Scrape the sides.
Gradually add the icing sugar and continue beating until fully combined.
In a bowl, add cream and Horlicks/Ovaltine and combine. Add this to the mixture above and beat on high speed for 3-4 minutes until its light and silky.
How to assemble your cake
Once your sponges have cooled, sandwich the two layers with some icing
Cover the top and sides with the remaining icing
Cut up a massive slice for yourself and enjoy
According to “The Joy of Cooking” by Irma S. Rombauer, Marion Rombauer Becker and Ethan Becker (Scribner, 1997, $30), what Irma Rombauer called “icebox cookies” in the 1931 edition, were renamed “refrigerator cookies” in the ’50s by Marion Becker. But “Joy,” along with many other cookbooks, returned to the original nomenclature. Icebox harks back to a bake-from-scratch, bygone era. Somehow it seems homier. The recipe originally called for mint chocolate chips.
Yield: About 3 1/2 dozen
INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
Optional: 1 1/4 teaspoons peppermint extract
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup sugar
1 egg
Garnish: 6 ounces coating chocolate or semisweet chocolate, chopped, or mint chocolate chips
PROCEDURE
1. Whisk flour, cocoa powder, and salt in medium bowl to blend.
2. Using electric mixer, beat butter in large bowl until smooth. Beat in peppermint extract (if using) and vanilla extract. Beat in sugar in 3 additions. Add egg and beat until blended. Add dry ingredients and beat just until blended (dough will be sticky).
3. Divide dough between 2 sheets of plastic wrap or wax paper. Using plastic wrap or wax paper as aid, form dough on each into 2-inch-diameter log. Refrigerate dough until well chilled, at least 2 hours.
4. Position 1 rack in center and 1 rack in top third of oven; preheat to 350 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Unwrap cookie dough logs; roll briefly on work surface to form smooth round logs. Cut logs crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick rounds. Place rounds on prepared baking sheets, spacing 1 inch apart. Bake cookies until tops and edges are dry to touch, about 15 minutes. Transfer baking sheets with cookies to racks; cool completely.
5. Stir chocolate in top of double boiler set over simmering water until melted and smooth. Remove from over water. Chocolate should only be warm enough to melt, not hot. You can either dip half of each cookie in the white or dark chocolate (and allow to harden on a sheet of wax paper) or place melted white chocolate in a pastry bag fitted with a small, plain tip and pipe polka dots or zigzags on the top of each cooled cookie. Refrigerate cookies on baking sheets until chocolate is set, about 10 minutes. If you use coating chocolate (such as Candiquik ) it will harden at room temperature and no refrigeration is needed.
Source: Adapted from “Bon Appetit Desserts” by Barbara Fairchild
YUM! DoubleTree reveals its official chocolate chip cookie recipe! For the first time ever, DoubleTree by Hilton is sharing the official bake-at-home recipe for the brand’s beloved and delicious chocolate chip cookie, so at-home bakers can create the warm and comforting treat in their own kitchens. The warm chocolate chip cookie welcome is synonymous with DoubleTree hotels worldwide, and travelers look forward to receiving one, fresh from the oven, upon their arrival.
Makes 26 cookies
Ingredients:
• ½ pound butter, softened (2 sticks)
• ¾ cup + 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• ¾ cup packed light brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 ¼ teaspoons vanilla extract
• ¼ teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 2 ¼ cups flour
• ½ cup rolled oats
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• Pinch cinnamon
• 2 ⅔ cups Nestle Tollhouse semi-sweet chips chocolate chips
• 1 ¾ cups chopped walnuts
You’ll also want a large mixing bowl, standing mixer (a hand mixer will also work), parchment paper, baking sheet, baking spatula and a spoon or scoop.
Directions:
Preheat oven to 300°F.
Cream the butter, sugar and brown sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer on medium speed for about 2 minutes.
Add eggs, vanilla and lemon juice, blending with mixer on low speed for 30 seconds, then medium speed for about 2 minutes, or until light and fluffy, scraping down bowl.
With mixer on low speed, add flour, oats, baking soda, salt and cinnamon, blending for about 45 seconds. Don’t overmix.
Remove bowl from mixer and stir in chocolate chips and walnuts.
Portion dough with a scoop (about 3 tablespoons) onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper about 2 inches apart.
Bake for 20 to 23 minutes, or until edges are golden brown and center is still soft.
Remove from oven and cool on baking sheet for about 1 hour.
Cook’s note: You can freeze the unbaked cookies, and there’s no need to thaw. Preheat oven to 300°F and place frozen cookies on parchment paper-lined baking sheet about 2 inches apart. Bake until edges are golden brown and center is still soft.
You can find the full, original recipe on Hilton’s website.
Olive oil keeps this fine-crumbed cake fresh and moist even after it sits out for days. Its flavor — cocoa and orange blossom, amplified and echoed by urfa, a spice with the aroma of chocolate and citrus — is as complex as it is instantly agreeable. And anyone intimidated by baking will appreciate this no-fail batter that’s mixed by hand.
3 hours, largely unattended. Serves 10 to 12.
Ingredients:
Spice Blend
• ½ cup plus 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, preferably Vietnamese
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon urfa pepper
Cake
• Nonstick pan spray, oil or butter, for the pan
• 1¾ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1½ teaspoons baking powder
• 1¼ teaspoons baking soda
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• ¾ cup extra-virgin olive oil
• ⅔ cup whole milk
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tablespoon orange blossom water
• 1 orange
Glaze
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 3 to 6 tablespoons whole milk
Instructions:
1. To make the spice blend: Stir together the cocoa, cinnamon and urfa. Reserve one-third of the mix (¼ cup) for the glaze.
2. To make the cake: Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Grease a small (10-cup) Bundt pan. Set the pan in a roasting pan in case any batter spills over (it shouldn’t) and to prevent the cake bottom from browning too much.
3. Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and remaining spice blend until well mixed. In another bowl, combine the oil, milk, eggs and orange blossom water. Using a microplane grater, zest the orange directly into the bowl. Halve the orange, squeeze ¼ cup of juice (57 grams), and add to the bowl with the liquids. Whisk until smooth.
4. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry. Start whisking slowly from the center of the bowl, gradually drawing in the dry ingredients to prevent them from clumping. Once all the dry ingredients are incorporated, whisk just until smooth. The thick batter should drip off the whisk. Pour into the prepared bundt pan.
5. Bake, rotating the pan 180 degrees once halfway through, until a wooden skewer inserted into the center comes out clean, about 45 minutes.
6. Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Unmold and cool completely on the rack.
7. To make the glaze: Mix the reserved spice blend with the powdered sugar. Add 3 tablespoons milk to make a thick glaze, adding up to 3 more tablespoons if necessary. Pour the glaze over the cooled unmolded cake and set aside until the glaze sets up, about 45 minutes.
Make ahead
The glazed cake can be kept at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Excerpted from Mastering Spice by Lior Lev Servarz and Genevieve Ko.
Chocolate and pears combine for a yummy dessert.
Ingredients:
1 ¼ cups (190 g) unbleached all-purpose flour
¼ cup (25 g) cocoa powder
2 tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp ground cardamom
½ cup (115 g) unsalted butter, softened
¾ cup (160 g) brown sugar
1 tsp (5 mL) vanilla
1 egg, at room temperature
¼ cup (60 mL) milk
4 oz. (115 g) 54% to 64% dark chocolate, chopped
2 pears, unpeeled, seeded and grated (1 cup (250 mL)/250 mL)
1 pear, unpeeled, halved, seeded and cut into 10 slices, ¼ inch (½ cm.) thick
Directions:
With the rack in the middle position, preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Butter a 9 x 5-inch (23 x 13 cm.), 6-cup (1.5 litre) bread tin. Line with a strip of parchment paper, letting it hang over two sides.
In a bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and cardamom.
In another bowl, cream the butter, brown sugar and vanilla with an electric mixer. Add the egg and whisk until smooth. Add the dry ingredients, alternating with the milk. Add the chocolate and the grated pears and mix to combine. Pour the batter into the prepared tin. Place the pear slices down the center of the cake, rounded side up, pressing them into the batter until covered almost halfway.
Bake for 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Let cool completely before unmolding.
Ricardo Larrivée, a Montreal-based television food writer, as published in The Star.
This is delicious! The other great thing about this is you can freeze it for later, so it’s a great recipe to have if you need to store some food for a while.
Ingredients:
• 1 cup of flour
• 1/2 cup of cocoa
• 1 tsp of baking soda
• 1/2 tsp of salt (I make it a heaping tsp, extra salt brings out the chocolate!)
• 2 bananas mashed (original recipe called for 3 but I only had 2 and it turned out just fine)
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup of semisweet chocolate chips, divided
Instructions:
1. Heat your oven to 350 degrees and line a 9×5 loaf pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
2. Whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl mix mashed bananas, melted butter, and oil. Stir to combine.
4. Stir in brown sugar, egg, and vanilla extract until smooth.
5. Add dry ingredients into wet ingredients, mix to combine (if you over-mix, your bread will be tough). Stir in chocolate chips, leaving a a few tablespoons behind to sprinkle on the top.
6. Pour batter into prepared pan. Sprinkle remaining chocolate chips on top.
7. Bake for 50-60 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out mostly clean. Oven times may vary.
Once it’s cooked, set it to cool for about 15 minutes and then enjoy! This recipe makes a moist, chocolaty cake with just a hint of banana flavor. For some added deliciousness, you can mix a tablespoon or so of milk with some powdered sugar and drizzle it on top. But this bread it plenty sweet without that!
As reported on WREX
For those who may be stressed about the future of the coronavirus pandemic, this dish is meant to provide some comfort: “war” chocolate cake. The dessert gets its name from World Wars I and II, when strict rations forced people to cut back on their ingredients. Unlike other cake recipes, you won’t need any butter, milk or eggs.
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups of flour
3/4 cup of sugar
1/3 cup of cocoa powder
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/3 cup of oil
1 cup of water
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1/2 cup of chocolate chips
1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar.
Directions:
Set the oven to 350 degrees and start on the batter. Requiring just one mixing bowl, all the ingredients can be mixed together at once. While the recipe suggests you whisk the ingredients by hand, you can choose to use an electric mixer to save some time. At first, the batter feels as thick as dough, but adding in a bit of water will help thin it out. After placing the batter into an 8 inch-by-8 inch size pan, wait by the oven door for about 35 minutes to watch the batter rise!
The results are as simple as the recipe itself. Sprinkle the final cake with a little bit of cocoa powder and bite into a rich and satisfying dessert with crisp brownie-like edges and a fluffy interior. It also has an added benefit of being dairy free and vegan because of the lack of eggs and milk.
The cake serves about nine to 12 portions. For a more fudgy textured cake, double the suggested amount of chocolate chips. You can also add fresh blueberries or strawberries to top the cake for a fresh flavor.
You can dress it up or eat it plain, and it’ll satisfy anyone who is vegan or dairy free.
This article appeared in the April 2, 2020 issue of the Hatchet.
If chocolate is your cure-all, consider buying a care package for yourself or as a gift for someone else from Black Dinah Chocolatiers of Westbrook, Maine. “We were thinking of ways to appeal to different people,” says Kate Shaffer, who owns the company with her husband, Steve, so they came up with three new care packages that will make being stuck at home more palatable. For more info, click here.
As reported by Carley Milne on E!News, they have a notorious sweet tooth, but they also have dietary restrictions. No dairy. No refined sugar. No junky ingredients that cause gastrointestinal distress. Which pretty much cuts out all the good chocolate…or so they thought, until they met Hu Chocolate. Hu, which comes from the phrase “Food For Humans,” created their chocolate offerings with a philosophy in mind: namely, that food can be delicious with simple, high-quality ingredients that help people get back to living, eating and thriving like humans. All of their offerings are vegan, paleo, gluten-free, non-GMO and Kosher, with no refined sugar, cane sugar or sugar alcohols, among other questionable additives. And every item features an ingredient list you can actually read and understand. To check out the varieties and more details, click here.
Who doesn’t love chocolate? As a nutritionist, Keri Glassman, R.D. can tell you this sweet treat can be part of a healthy diet … In moderation. Too much of a good thing can certainly outweigh the benefits, but there are a few good reasons to support your chocolate habit.
A tall, cold glass of chocolate milk is a nice treat for young and old alike, but most people use a spoon to stir it which, and a spoon, I am sad to say, is an inferior stirring implement. What’s the correct tool, you ask? Why, a fork of course!
As soon as people find out what Ann Czaja does for a living, she knows what’ll come next: First, “Do you have chocolate with you?” And then, “How can I get your job?” The job is master chocolatier with Lindt Chocolate, the world’s leading producer of premium chocolate.
Media outlets in Ireland, including the Irish Post, report that a five-hour standoff with hostages at Midlands Prison in Ireland was brought to a peaceful end when one of two inmates agreed to trade his weapons for a chocolate bar. A Mars bar specifically. By the way, the European version of a Mars bar contains caramel and nougat coated with milk chocolate — similar to a Milky Way.
San Francisco has a chocolatey heritage – the city is the birthplace of Guittard, Ghirardelli, and Scharffen Berger. So it’s only fitting that the world’s largest gathering of craft chocolate makers should kick off here in the city. Coming to the Palace of Fine Arts March 6-8, the inaugural Craft Chocolate Experience is about as close as you’re ever going to get to a grown-up, gourmet Willy Wonka fest. Touted as a learning experience as well as a tasting and shopping event, the three-day happening will feature cacao-centric talks, an Insta-worthy cacao-bean ball pit, and a massive marketplace of more than 90 artisanal chocolatiers from 25 different countries.
The Ganachery, an exquisite chocolate shop located in Disney Springs, will soon be offering an all-new experience at the newly opened Disney’s Riviera Resort. If you’re unfamiliar with The Ganachery, the chocolatier creates delicious (and beautiful) chocolate treats that are a must-try. Everything is handcrafted, and now, Disney World guests will get to learn all about the artistry of chocolate and even make their own Ganachery treat.
As part of National Engineers Week, Florida’s Turnpike engineers taught students how to build roads from the bottom up using “Chocolate Asphalt.” Students used ingredients like chocolate, walnuts, oats, coconut, and sugar to build their road. The project is a way to raise awareness about STEM-related careers.
Could hot chocolate deliver relief to those suffering from the painful condition known as peripheral artery disease (PAD)? A small, new study says it’s entirely possible. The chocolate used in the study is commonly available natural, unsweetened cocoa powder. This type of cocoa powder is rich in the flavanol epicatechin. This flavanol is found in larger quantities in dark chocolate containing more than 85% cacao. Dark chocolate that isn’t “alkalized” (a process to improve taste that removes some flavanols) would likely offer similar benefits. Regular chocolate wouldn’t be expected to have a similar effect. Study volunteers drank a warm mixture of milk or water and a powder packet containing cocoa and epicatechin, or a placebo three times a day for six months.
You probably think you already know everything you need to know about chocolate. For instance: The higher the percentage of cacao, the more bitter the chocolate, right? The term “single origin” on the label indicates that the chocolate expresses a particular terroir. And wasn’t the whole bean-to-bar movement started by a couple of bearded guys in Brooklyn? Wrong; not necessarily; and definitely not.
Chocolate is one of the worst foods you can buy, in terms of the industry’s greenhouse gas emissions. But some people are trying to change that.
Customized chocolate in complex shapes will no longer be exclusively produced by seasoned culinary chefs, as Swiss cocoa giant Barry Callebaut is set to launch the world’s first large-scale, 3D-printed chocolate under its decoration brand, Mona Lisa, in Spain. 3D-printing technology already exists on a small scale in the food industry, but this marks the first time for a major chocolate processor to make it available for the general public.
Trees are crucial weapons in the fight against climate change, but they’re also vital to the livelihoods of 1.5 billion people, including those of cocoa farmers. We can’t put a fence around forests to keep poor people from exploiting them. Doing so may reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but it’s not realistic. We need to fashion a future where forests can be used to benefit those who count on trees for their living without inflicting damage on the rest of the planet. And in the cacao groves of West Africa where these conditions are being met, plants and people are thriving.
More than a century ago, Ecuador was the world’s largest exporter of cacao, with one native varietal in particular—nacional—serving as its calling card. Unfortunately, a fungal disease arrived in Ecuador in 1916 and started decimating the cacao trees, until the point people believed the varietal was lost entirely. About 12 years ago, it was found again, deep in the rainforest. After confirming through genetic testing that nacional was alive and well, To’ak started using it to make chocolate from bean to bar, with a focus on expressing the terroir of the region. According to ROBB REPORT, it’s worth every penny! Check it out at ToakChocolate.com.
Some people can’t get enough chocolate. Luckily, at one Belgian chocolate factory, you can eat as much as you like. According to Metro, Journalist Jon Stone discovered a chocolate paradise in Brussels that would make Willy Wonka jealous. While visiting the Neuhaus Belgian Chocolate Factory, he found out that visitors can actually gorge themselves as much as they like while they’re on the premises — free of charge. There are a couple rules: First, you may only sample chocolates while in the factory. Hoarding the chocolate and eating it later is not allowed. Second, all boxed and sealed chocolates are off-limits (but available for purchase). The factory is located, as Stone noted, in Brussels (technically Sint-Pieters-Leeuw) at the end of the 5 Metro Line at the Erasme Metro station if you’re traveling by public transit.
In a sure sign that spring is in the air, Hostess is bringing back their limited-edition mint chocolate cupcakes just in time for St. Patrick’s Day. The mint chocolate cupcakes are made with a traditional Hostess chocolate cupcake, but instead of white icing, they come with pale mint green frosting and are filled with minty green cream. The cupcakes are sold in multipacks for around $2.99 a box nationwide at grocery stores like Walmart. A Hostess representative told us they will only be around until March 15 or while supplies last, so bring them home while you can!
Chocolate is one of the most beloved foodstuffs on earth, making it a great choice for Valentine’s Day gifts. If you want to treat the chocolate fan in your life to something sweet this Valentine’s Day, we’ve got you covered. This Valentine’s Day, think outside the box when shopping for the chocolate fiend in your life with these 19 clever gift ideas. Check them all out at the Valentine’s Day gift guide, click here.
Of course love is a serious matter. But didn’t you also fall for your significant other because of their terrific sense of humor? If love and laughs go together in your life, you should plan on gifting one of Jacques Torres’ delightfully amusing chocolate treats. Click, here, to see “Love Stinks” as well as many other chocolate Valentine’s Day gifts.
The candy war has begun! Weighing in at more than 4,700 pounds and measuring 2 feet high and 26 inches wide, the Guinness Book of World Records declared Waco, Texas, as the home to the world’s largest chocolate nut bar – a Snickers the size of 43,000 single-size candy bars put together. The record didn’t last long. Hershey has one-upped Mars with an even bigger version of a Reese’s Take 5 candy bar weighing 5,943 pounds and measuring 9 feet long by 5.5 feet wide by 2 feet high, the Hershey Company said.
Brooklyn Born Chocolates are crafted from the finest ingredients in the world by one of the top pastry chefs in NY and are sure to provide a gustatory adventure! All of Brooklyn Born Chocolates are done by hand each and every step. Don’t be mislead by the standard caveat on the label of your bark that says “made…with equipment”. The equipment correctly translates to “hands”! As Pastry Chef Jean-Francois Bonnet is fond of saying, “Chocolate creates a memory”. Visit their website to create some lovely memories! BrooklynBornChocolate.com.
Mayana Chocolate is a destination, a new world of chocolate experienced in every flavor, every bite, and every ingredient. Award-winning Chef Daniel Herskovic uses only the best, freshest ingredients to create an uncommonly luxurious chocolate product. All Mayana confections feature only organic cream, pure ingredients, and never any extracts. Supporting their craftsmen approach, the beautiful Mayana packaging pays homage to the lush chocolate growing regions. If you are looking for the very best in contemporary chocolate artistry, you need look no more! Recipient of the 2017 Good Food Award, Confections category for the Space Candy Bar. Named Top Ten Chocolatier by Dessert Professional Magazine. For more info, visit their website at www.MayanaChocolate.com.
Beyond Good, a Brooklyn-based company, exceptional single origin dark chocolate bars and vanilla from Madagascar, is launching three new chocolate bars at Winter Fancy Foods: Crispy Rice, Orange Zest and Salted Caramel. Featuring 73% certified organic and direct traded cocoa, the delicious new inclusions are a bold addition to Beyond Good’s current lineup of heirloom chocolate bars. Hitting shelves in Q2 of 2020, these new bars will be available at natural stores, specialty markets, retailers nationwide and online at beyondgood.com. Formally known as Madécasse, the new brand name invites consumers to experience a chocolate bar that doesn’t just taste good, it’s breaking the status quo. Beyond Good articulates the company’s practices to solve the issues affecting the global chocolate industry while stressing the economic and environmental impact made in Africa.
There’s a brand-new chocolate on the block, and Häagen-Dazs is the first company to put it in ice cream in the U.S., bringing us ice cream pints and bars featuring the relatively new ruby cacao. The new Häagen-Dazs has two new products with this pretty pink chocolate: Ruby cacao crackle trio crispy layers, a layered ice cream, and ruby cacao ice cream bars, which feature a ruby cacao coating. Häagen-Dazs says the ruby cacao bean “offers intense berry fruitiness (reminiscent of cassis [berry] and blueberries) and luscious smoothness with fresh, sour notes.” The crackle trio crispy layers ice cream pint features crispy ruby chocolate layered within Häagen-Dazs’ pistachio and sweet cream ice cream flavors. The bars are sweet cream ice cream dipped in the rich ruby cacao, giving the bar fruity notes. The pints cost around $5.49, while a box of three bars is $4.99. Both are in stores nationwide now, but only through September, so you’ll want to head to your local store now before they’re gone.
Cookie monsters, rejoice: Chocolate chip cookies can be baked in space, but they’ll take a lot longer to make there than the ones you whip up at home in your Earth oven. The first batch of cookies baked on the International Space Station are back on Earth now. Astronauts report they were able to smell the cookies baking. So far, the cookies remain in an Earth freezer, as they must be tested to determine if they’re safe to eat. One of the cookies has been offered to the Smithsonian Institution’s National Air and Space Museum — but for display, not a snack.
So many things can happen if your pup gets his paws on that yummy chocolate. If chocolate ingestion occurs, one of the MOST important thing for your veterinarian to know is what type of chocolate Fido ate AND how much of it. The effects of chocolate can range from room clearing gas to vomiting/diarrhea and in most severe cases, irregular heartbeats and death can occur. Generally speaking, milk chocolate has less impact than dark chocolate or cooking chocolate. Similarly, the weight and size of the pet also determines how they might be affected. The good news is that in MOST cases, Fido might have some GI upset with that room clearing gas and with minimal medical intervention will have a great prognosis!
If you’re struggling to sleep well, upping your chocolate levels could be the answer. The links between what we eat and how we sleep, and how there are certain foods which can aid – or disturb – slumber. Hormones influence the sleep process. Our levels of serotonin, which is essential for the production of the sleep hormone melatonin, can be boosted by certain foods, including chocolate. It increases serotonin; serotonin helps you fall asleep at night. What’s really important to note is we have hormones that wake us up in the morning. Cortisol wakes you up in the morning, and then cortisol dips across the day and passes the baton to the melatonin, and the melatonin helps you sleep. Insulin, which regulates your energy and blood sugar throughout the day, will affect your cortisol and your melatonin. So what you eat, when you eat and also how you eat as well, can affect your hormones.
At the Chicago-based Vosges Haut-Chocolat, founder Katrina Markoff is experimenting with “sound infusion.” As the brand’s “cosmic” truffles cool, they’re treated to piped-in sounds of varying frequencies. Sold in a 21-piece box for $72, they’re made for people who believe in the wellness proprieties of vibrations. “There are healing frequencies that people listen to with meditation and sound healing and gong baths, so we decided to try that,” she says. “We really focus on creating experience.”
See original recipes (yes, including CHOCOLATE!!!) from Intrepid and Growler’s service and other artifacts that illuminate the monumental task of creating confections big enough to feed Navy crews. The special exhibition, Navy Cakes: A Slice of History, is on view in hangar 1 aboard Intrepid through October 2020 and is free with Museum admission. Donors who make a gift of $100 or more will receive a chocolate cake recipe featured in the Navy Cakes: A Slice of History exhibition. The recipe has been scaled down for home use by celebrity chef Duff Goldman! For more info, visit Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum, in New York City, website at www.intrepidmuseum.org.
The seed of the cacao tree, which is only called a cocoa bean once it is removed from the pod in which it grows.
The liquid chocolate produced by grinding the cocoa nibs. It is the basic ingredient in all chocolate products. There is no alcohol in chocolate.
The tropical tree that produces cocoa beans. Theobroma means “food of the gods”.
The leathery oval pod that contains cocoa beans.
The “meat” of the cocoa bean remaining when the shell is removed in the chocolate production process.
Forrest Mars is the genius behind the Mars bar, M&M’s, and the Milky Way.
False. Making one ounce of chocolate requires up to 35 beans.
Switzerland leads the world in chocolate consumption with 22.36 pounds per person, according to a survey by Chocolate Manufacturers Association.
The United States, Germany, Switzerland, and Belgium
