Brownie Oatmeal Gems
August 25, 2010
If you can’t get enough chocolate per bite, try these babies. And for more chocolate impact, go with the optional chocolate dipping at the end.
| Brownie Oatmeal Gems • 8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, chopped • 1/4 cup margarine or butter • 2/3 cup light corn syrup • 2 eggs, slightly beaten • 1/4 teaspoon salt • 4 cups old fashioned oatmeal • 2/3 cup brown sugar, firmly packed • 1 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped Read more |
Functional Chocolate: Snacking with Benefits
August 24, 2010
Chocolate for chocolate’s sake is just not cutting it anymore with consumers. Apparently we are demanding chocolate with more meaning, purpose, and benefit.
The general term for this type of chocolate is “functional chocolate.” Functional chocolates supply a nutritional benefit and chocolate is a good vehicle for transporting things like vitamins, probiotics, omega-3, and calcium.
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Kashi Cocoa Beach Granola
August 23, 2010
Kashi company, www.kashi.com, started in 1984 with their first creation of a “unique blend of Seven Whole Grains and Sesame for its supreme nutritional profile — a vegetarian source of protein and complex carbohydrates that’s hearty, satisfying, and energizing.”
I recently tried their Cocoa Beach granola cereal. The cereal has almonds, coconut, and granola clusters all coated in cocoa.
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Lecithin in Chocolate
August 22, 2010
Take a look at an ingredient label on a bar of chocolate. 9 times out of 10 you will see soy lecithin listed there.
Is using lecithin as an ingredient in chocolate important, and what is the benefit of using it?
Sugar-Free Chocolate Nut Cookies
August 21, 2010
If you are diabetic or have to watch your sugar intake, check out this recipe. I recommend using a dark, rich, “gourmet” type cocoa powder for maximum chocolate impact!
| Sugar-Free Chocolate Nut Cookies • 5 Tablespoons butter • ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder • ¼ cup cream • 1½ teaspoon vanilla • ½ teaspoon salt • 1 cup sucralose (Splenda) or preferred sugar substitute to replace 1 cup granulated sugar • 4 eggs • ½ cup flour • ½ cup dried shredded coconut • 36 almond or macadamia Read more |
Travels with a Sweet-Tooth
August 20, 2010
According to the TripAdvisor website, www.tripadvisor.com, they have come up with a list of US attractions that satisfy a sweet-tooth.
Not all of these include chocolate, but I thought the list was pretty interesting anyway.
Here you are (drum roll please) the top 10 US destinations for the lovers of all things sweet!
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Look! It’s a Bean to Bar Chocolate
August 19, 2010
Bean to bar means quite literally that the product was manufactured from the roasting and grinding of the bean to the tempering and packaging of the chocolate.
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Chocolate Dessert for Grown-Ups
August 18, 2010
Hot days call for cool treats. Who am I kidding? I would eat this on any day regardless of temperature!
| Chocolate Chambord Sorbet 4 cups water 1 cup sugar 1/2 cup cocoa powder 8 ounces dark chocolate, finely chopped 3/4 cup Chambord (raspberry-flavored liqueur) Read more |
Is Chocolate Good for Pregnancy?
August 17, 2010
Eat chocolate if you're pregnant, research says. As if a woman, pregnant or not, needs an excuse to eat chocolate!
A recent study has shown that the beneficial effects of chocolate can lower cardiovascular problems and prevent hypertension during pregnancy.
The antioxidants and flavanols in chocolate may protect cells from damage caused by oxidation and low-density lipoprotein (LDL). The exact mechanism of the cardioprotective properties in chocolate are unknown, but the positive effects are well documented.
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Chocolatier Hachez
August 16, 2010
In 1890 Joseph Emile Hachez, originally from Belgium, established the Bremer Hachez Chocolade Company in Bremen, Germany.
In 1922, they began producing what would become their signature product, a chocolate autumn leaf called Brown Leaves.
Brown Leaves comes in either solid milk or dark chocolate or praline leaves filled with fine nougat. This traditional line of chocolates is only part of what they offer now.
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