Tag Archive: cocoa powder
Q&A: Can I Use Cooking Oil and Cocoa Powder to Make Chocolate?
December 26, 2014
Here's a question I recently received from a reader, "Can I use any cooking oil as a substitute for making chocolate bars from cocoa powder?"
Answer
Dutch-Process vs Natural Cocoa Powder
May 24, 2012
There are a lot of variations of cocoa powder. Two of the most prominent types around the world are the Dutch-processed cocoa powder and natural cocoa powder.
Dutch-processed cocoa powder is made from cocoa beans that have been treated with a potassium solution. That neutralizes the acidity of the cocoa beans.
On the other hand, natural cocoa powder is derived from the cocoa beans that have been simply roasted and then reduced and pulverized into a fine powder.
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Walnut Chocolate Rum Balls
May 16, 2012
Anytime you want to whip up dessert in a jiffy, Walnut Chocolate Rum Balls can be your go-to recipe.
Quick info... rum was made long before any other spirit was manufactured, distilled, and made. For the record, it was actually the first branded spirit. Rations of rum were actually provided for the sailors in the British Army so they could mix it with lime juice to fight off the scurvy.
With regard to walnuts, these nuts are rich sources of energy. They also pack a lot of health benefits. They contain vitamins, minerals, nutrients, and antioxidants that are essential to achieve optimum health.
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Ghirardelli Chocolate
May 3, 2012
Dating back into the golden old days of California’s gold rush, the Ghirardelli chocolate has been present ever since. A 31-year-old native of Rapallo, Italy, who goes by the name of Domenico "Domingo" Ghirardelli, had been a very successful owner of the confectionery business situated in Lima, Peru. However, he was enticed to travel to California because the news of fabulous gold and riches lured him so in the year 1849.
He was able to buy himself a way to sail up and down, back and forth, in the San Joaquin River. He acquired supplies as far as San Francisco and then carried his merchandise into Stockton. By 1851, he found himself a new start.
On the 3rd of May 1851, the Great Fire of San Francisco destroyed a total of 1500 buildings. Coincidentally, a fire broke out and destroyed half the city of Stockton. In a span of one week, Domingo lost everything he had. He even tried to open up a coffee shop but it didn’t go so well. Therefore he decided to go back to his roots as a confectioner.
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Chocolate Pancakes
September 28, 2011
Pancakes are one of the most popular breakfast items ever created. Some people can’t get enough of them at breakfast so they have them even at dinner! But much of the time, we have a tendency to have them as snacks.
Pancakes are so mouth-watering all their own it’s hard to imagine you can jazz up its delicious taste. However, variety adds spice to life so if you ever get bored with the same old pancakes you are used to, there is an array of choices to enhance them. Squeeze out your creative juices when making them and you are bound to have interesting and new pancake recipes, be it zucchini pancakes, carrot pancakes, and yes, chocolate pancakes!
Most people typically have pancakes with just butter and syrup, but there are varieties of syrup you can choose from. Chocolate syrup, for one, can make your pancakes lip-smacking good! You can drizzle chocolate syrup or you can sprinkle chocolate shavings. Better yet, incorporate the chocolate into the batter! Here is a recipe.
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Chocolate Truffles
August 24, 2011
“There are four basic food groups: milk chocolate, dark chocolate, white chocolate and chocolate truffles.” This chocolate quote surely makes sense to all the chocolate lovers out there.
Chocolate truffles are an immensely delicious treat any time of day and any day of the year. But did you know that they are named after the fungus, the fruiting bodies of underground mushrooms, because of their resemblance as it looks a lot like the dirt?
Chocolate truffles are typically made with ganache which is a mixture of chocolate and cream, but can also be made with centers such as mints and walnuts then served in variety of ways such as covering it with crumbled nuts, shredded coconut, or confectioner’s sugar. These may look intimidating but actually are very easy to prepare, the only difficulty you’ll ever have here is the dilemma of whether to grab another bite or not!
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1-Minute Chocolate Cake in a Mug
June 22, 2011
OK, I posted a bit of a tease on Monday with the Mug of Chocolate Cake article without actually including the recipe.
I won’t keep you in suspense any longer. Here is the recipe:
Chocolate Bunny Bread
April 20, 2011
Chocolate bunnies? How about a chocolatey loaf of bread shaped like a bunny instead? OK, how about eating the bread first and then the usual chocolate bunnies for dessert?
Here's a recipe for a chocolate bread, with the added benefit of chocolate chips, shaped into a fun bunny for Easter. If you want to sweeten it for the kids, decorate with frosting and jelly beans.
| Chocolate Bunny Bread • 3 1/4-3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour • 2/3 cup sugar • 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder • 2 packages rapid rise yeast • 3/4 teaspoon salt • 2/3 cup milk • 1/4 cup water • 1/4 cup butter or margarine • 1 egg • 1 tablespoon vanilla • 1/3 cup milk or dark chocolate chips • Decorations: jelly beans, frosting (optional) Read more |
Favorite Chocolate Cheesecake
April 6, 2011
I enjoy making cheesecakes. Over the years I have picked up a few good recipes. One of my favorites is a Garlic Cheesecake! As you can imagine, this is not for dessert. It's a good appetizer though.
Well, I'm not writing for Garlic University Online so I'm not going to give you the recipe for that cheesecake. Instead, I'm going to give you the recipe for one of my absolute favorite chocolate cheesecakes.
This is a substantial cheesecake with lots of chocolate impact. It's rich and dense. It takes time to make, but the results are really worth the effort.
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Cocoa Powder for Dipping
March 25, 2011
I received an interesting question the other day from someone on my mailing list.
(If you're reading this, but not on my list, go ahead and get my free ebook, then I will also send you more chocolate information and you'll have a chance to ask me a question too.)
Anyway, here is the question posed: