Chocolate is a mouthwatering treat that is basically made from the seed of a tropical cacao tree. A lot of people crave for this sweet pleasure. However, most people tend to deprive themselves of chocolate thinking that it would just add up to their waistline and weight.
Better think again! Chocolates have a lot of benefits in store for you. Dietitians, researchers and nutritionist can prove it. Here are 3 essential reasons for you to start munching on those scrumptious sweets...
Mental Attentiveness and Antidepressant
Research has shown that chocolate contains theobromine, a component that is rich in caffeine and anandamide. These properties tend to induce mental alertness and aids in increasing our moods. Read more
Chocolates can easily help pregnant woman satisfy their cravings, but can they also provide a guilt free, good for you feeling?
Coco Preggers can. A chocolate company out of California, Xan Confections, launched a new chocolate containing folic acid and DHA omega-3. This chocolate was designed to deliver important nutrients during pregnancy.
Folic Acid helps prevent birth defects and DHA is a specific omega-3 fatty acid important to the correct development of the brain. Read more
It’s Monday and time for another review of a store brand chocolate bar. This time I chose Trader Joe’s Swiss Milk Chocolate.
Trader Joe’s started out as a small chain of convenience stores in the 1950s under the name of Pronto Markets. In 1967 they changed the name to Trader Joe's.
I like the line up of chocolates under the Trader Joe’s label. They are made in the European style but have a price tag of American value.
The Swiss Milk chocolate bar I bought was only $1.99 for 100g. The bar was smooth and creamy, with a balanced chocolatey baseline highlighted by caramel flavor notes. The lingering finish was a very pleasant soft buttery taste. Read more
The Ritter-Sport chocolate company is located in Waldenbuch, Germany. The company began in 1912 by founding members Alfred and Clara Ritter.
The now famous Ritter Square was born in 1932. It was launched after the idea came to Clara to produce a square chocolate bar so that it “…fits into the pocket of every sports jacket, doesn’t break, and still weighs the same as a normal long bar of chocolate.”
In the U.S., you can buy the Ritter Sport in 100g bars or mini chocolates, which in my opinion, is the perfect size for tasting the different varieties. Read more
It’s just one of nature’s great taste combinations... chocolate and almond. And if you take the almond and grind it up and add some sugar, you create marzipan, another great taste sensation with chocolate.
Niederegger Chocolates, headquartered in Lübeck, Germany, makes some of the most delicious chocolate covered marzipan. I enjoy many brands of marzipan, but I am particularly fond of Niederegger.
Be careful! Some confectionery products that are sold as marzipan are made from soy paste and flavored with almond. Read more
As a kid, I used to have a designated dresser drawer in my room where I would store my Halloween candy. I would try to make it last as long as possible. After several years of this practice, my experience told me to eat my favorite pieces first because some candy just didn’t taste good after a while. What I didn’t know at the time was that candy has a shelf life.
Shelf life is the length of time a product may be stored without becoming unsuitable for use or consumption.
This shelf life for candy can range between two weeks to a year. The length of time depends on the type of candy, along with correct packaging and the proper storage conditions. Read more
Although I prefer dark chocolate, I do enjoy a good Swiss milk chocolate from time to time. My son turned me on to Villars Chocolat au Lait Suisse when he brought a bar home from Switzerland.
This Swiss milk chocolate has bold toffee notes coming through a light, slightly nutty, chocolate flavor with a smooth and creamy texture. Even more delightful is the milk chocolate version with added hazelnuts. Read more
If you are fortunate enough to have traveled to Europe, you probably encountered an aerated chocolate by Nestle called the Aero Bar. Aero celebrates its 75th anniversary this month.
In 1935, a company called Rowntree’s patented the process of incorporating air into chocolate. The chocolate bar is bubbly in texture, giving the chocolate a fast melt and quick release of flavor. Read more
Ghirardelli Chocolate Intense Dark chocolate bars are incredibly delicious. There are presently six in the series with two more being “voted in” by fans across the nation.
Currently the choices are Midnight Reverie, Twilight Delight, Toffee Interlude, Espresso Escape, Evening Dream, and Sea Salt Soiree. Read more
Chocolate is fun. It is fun to eat, it is fun to make. And apparently, it is fun to use to set Guinness Book World Records.
The Grand Candy factory, located in Yerevan, Armenian, qualified on September 11, 2010 as the new Guinness World Record holder of the world’s biggest chocolate bar.
The bar weighs 9,702 pounds – almost 5 tons! The chocolate bar is made of 70% cocoa mass, measures at 224 inches long, 110 inches wide and 10 inches thick. Read more
This Swiss milk chocolate has bold toffee notes coming through a light, slightly nutty, chocolate flavor with a smooth and creamy texture. Even more delightful is the milk chocolate version with added hazelnuts.
If you are fortunate enough to have traveled to Europe, you probably encountered an aerated chocolate by Nestle called the Aero Bar. Aero celebrates its 75th anniversary this month.