News, Reviews and Recipes from Chocolate University Online

Discovery of a 350-year-old Iced Chocolate Recipe

September 13, 2013

A university lecturer has uncovered notes that suggested the way to make a 17th century counterpart of what many of us are crazy about in this day and age, the chilled coffee drink. Only, in this case, it's chocolate. It even came with health warnings about drinking too much of the brown confection.

Dr. Kate Loveman, an English lecturer at the University of Leicester, claimed that the recipe instructed the maker to mix chocolate, some "snow" and a little salt and "shake the snow together (for) sometime" in what is supposed to be the first sample of its kind.

Easy Dark Chocolate Fudge with Sea Salt and Lime

September 11, 2013

Know anyone who has a sweet tooth and you want to give them a gift? Look no further! This recipe is unbelievably easy to modify so you can work with it using your favorite flavors.

This has lime and sea salt flakes but you could throw some dried chili flakes in while you’re melting the ingredients for a good kick. Better yet, put some chopped pistachio nuts or some chopped up Dime Bars, whatever tickles your fancy.

This certainly isn't your crumbly fudge, it is totally rich and squidgy. You can leave some without lime and sea salt, and it would be heavenly to add into a mug of hot milk for the ultimate hot chocolate.

‘Nugtella’ Hazelnut-Chocolate-Marijuana Spread

September 6, 2013

Nutella chocolate-hazelnut spread got a swarm of people raving about it. Now, some California fans can have their favorite treat with a tad more kick than the usual. Turns out, a medical marijuana dispensary there came up with a chocolate-hazelnut-marijuana spread known as "Nugtella."

It was invented by Organicares, a San Jose, California-based nonprofit medical marijuana dispensary that zeroes in on marijuana-enhanced treats such as peanut butter brownies, oatmeal cookies, and Rice Krispy treats.

Mini Chocolate Chip Gluten Free Cheesecakes

September 4, 2013

I've said it so many times, I'm crazy about cheesecake. What's great about this recipe is the fact that it lets you alter the flavor of the cheesecake pretty easily. Love lime cheesecake? Substitute the chocolate chips for lime zest and lime juice.

If you're going for classic plain cheesecake, you can remove the chocolate chips and add 1 more tsp of vanilla to the batter. If you swear by blueberry cheesecake, substitute the chocolate chips for 1 cup of blueberries.

Chocolate Bar Gag Wins Funniest Joke

August 30, 2013

The winning joke of Rob Auton, 30, was included among the 20 shortlisted by a group of comedy experts before the fans had any say in it.

He is from York, and has been doing stand-up since 2008. He got almost 1/4 of the total votes (24%) for his one-liner: "I heard a rumour that Cadbury is bringing out an oriental chocolate bar. Could be a Chinese Wispa."

Steve North, general manager Dave, said: "Now celebrating its sixth year, Dave's Funniest Joke of The Fringe continues to highlight the best one-liners coming out of the Fringe. This year's Top 10 is quick, sharp, witty and clever, and Rob is a very worthy winner."

Coffee Chocolate Tarts

August 28, 2013

Planning a party and running out of food ideas? Or, do you want something to whip up for your friends who plan on coming over this weekend? This recipe will definitely be on for the books!

You can make use of metal pastry rings for the tarts placed on a baking tray lined with baking paper. You can buy them at kitchenware stores. You can also find chocolate short-crust pastry at specialty food stores and delicatessens.

Chocolate and Bones Could Be Life-Threatening For Your Dog

August 23, 2013

Before you give in to your beloved dog’s pleading eyes when he hints he wants a piece of the chocolate bar in your hand and some bones from the food you just ate, heed this warning: chocolate and bones can be harmful to your pet.

Truth be told, chocolate can be fatal to a dog. It depends on the size of the dog, as well as how much chocolate and what type of chocolate he eats. Also, bone splinters could get lodged into your dog’s throat and gastro-intestinal tract.

Chocolate is known to contain theobromine, a bitter, caffeine-related alkaloid. This can come with dangerous effects on the dog that gets to eat chocolate. Your pet may fall victim to a theobromine-caused condition known as chocolate toxicosis. He could die within hours.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Breakfast Banana Split

August 21, 2013

Chocolate and peanut butter? How can I say no?

Do you have kids and want to impress them? Whip this up and you’ll be hearing them sing your praises in no time!

With each decadent bite, you will feel like it’s so sinfully calorie-laden, but it's definitely not!

Chocolate Pavilion

August 16, 2013

A mouth-watering design, with the use of innovative materials in architecture, has produced what seems to be the wildest dream of a chocoholic. A pavilion purely composed of chocolate.

Engineers at Princeton University have collaborated with the Belgian chocolate company Barry Callebaut, the biggest chocolate manufacturer in the world, to create the first ever functional structure made entirely out of chocolate.

"I think most people just do what has been done before, and I think that is very restricting," said Sigrid Adriaenssens, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at Princeton who participated in the said project. "I think especially in structural engineering, a lot of the systems that we use have specific names and people think that they can only use the systems that already exist."

White Chocolate and Blueberry Pancakes

August 14, 2013

Nothing beats a hearty breakfast. You know what they say, breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Who would want to skip breakfast if white chocolate and blueberry pancakes are served on the table?

With a delicious drizzle of maple syrup and your favorite cup of Joe (or tea) on the side, what more can you ask for? So much win!