Chocolate Eclair Cake

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Chocolate eclair cake
Image by jcarbaugh via Flickr

This Chocolate éclair cake has been raved about for months! It’s really easy to make also!

Ingredients for the Chocolate éclair cake:

- Plain Graham crackers

- 2 boxes (3 3/4 oz) French vanilla pudding, instant

- 3 cups milk

- 9 ounces Cool Whip

***Topping***

-1 cup sugar

-1/2 teaspoon salt

-1/3 cup cocoa

-1/4 cup milk

-1/4 cup butter

-1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions for the Chocolate éclair cake :

Mix and beat milk with pudding for 2 minutes. Crease in cool blister. Layer whole crackers and pudding in a 13×9 inch pan until you have 4 layers, ending with crackers.

Topping for the Chocolate éclair cake :

Mix sugar, salt, cocoa and milk; bring to a boil and cook 1 minute. Remove from heat. Add butter and vanilla. Cool and beat until creamy. Spread on top of crackers. Refrigerate for 24 hours (Best to not cover it).

Layered with graham crackers, pudding and Kool Whip and topped with a chocolate sauce, this is a rich and filling dessert.

You can also try this alternative, which is infact one of the best I have ever tasted. This is a rich and filling dessert!

INGREDIENTS for the Chocolate éclair cake :

2 (3 ounce) packages instant vanilla pudding mix

3 cups milk

1 (8 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed

1 (16 ounce) package chocolate graham crackers

1/4 cup milk

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 cup white sugar

2 tablespoons butter

1-teaspoon vanilla extract

PREPARATION for the Chocolate éclair cake:

In a large bowl, combine pudding mix and 3 cups milk; mix well. Fold in whipped topping and beat with mixer for 2 minutes.

In a buttered 9×13 inch baking dish, spread a layer of graham crackers on the bottom of the dish.

Spread 1/2 of the pudding mixture over crackers, then top with graham crackers. Spread remaining pudding over crackers; top second pudding layer with another layer of crackers.

To make topping: In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, combine 1/4 cup milk, cocoa and sugar and allow to boil for 1 minute; remove from heat and add butter and vanilla. Mix well and cool.

Pour sauce over graham cracker layer and refrigerate until set.

We hope you enjoy this Chocolate éclair cake!

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Chocolate éclair cake

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Chocolate Ice Cream Recipe - Homemade Chocolate Ice Cream Recipe

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Homemade Chocolate Ice Cream
Image by nc_hiker via Flickr

Chocolate lovers – this is some of the best home made chocolate ice cream you’ll ever taste. You’ll be proud that you made it all by yourself.

3/4 cup sugar

1 cup milk

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

3 egg yolks, beaten lightly

2 oz. semisweet chocolate, chopped

2 cups heavy cream

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

In a saucepan, combine the sugar, milk, salt and cocoa powder. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly. Bring mixture to a simmer.

Place the egg yolks into a small bowl. Gradually stir in 1/2 cup of the hot chocolate mixture. Pour egg and chocolate mixture into the saucepan. Heat until thick but don’t bring to a boil.

Remove pan from heat and stir in the chopped chocolate. Keep stirring until all of the chocolate is melted. Pour chocolate mixture into a chilled bowl and refrigerate for two hours, until ice cream is very cold, stir occasionally.

After the chocolate mixture has cooled completely, stir in the cream and vanilla extract. Pour into an ice cream canister or maker and follow manufacturers instructions.

=> Home Made Ice Cream Recipe: Easy Strawberry Ice Cream Recipe

You won’t believe how delicious this frozen strawberry tastes! If you love strawberry ice cream, you owe it to yourself to make this marvelous treat.

24 oz. frozen sweetened strawberries, cut up into large chunks

1/2 cup sugar

1 tablespoon sugar

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

Directions

Place the frozen strawberries into a blender. In a bowl, whisk the sugar into the cream. With blender on mediuim speed, slowly add the cream through the open lid. Blend until mixture is nice and smooth and berries are broken up into small pieces.

Pour strawberry mixture into a shallow pan and freeze for 2 hours, until ice cream is firm.

=> Home Made Ice Cream Recipe: Peanut Butter Ice Cream Recipe

This free ice cream recipe is so good, you’ll be tempted to offer your very own brand of homemade gourmet ice cream. Pour a little chocolate syrup on top and mmm . . . a must for peanut butter lovers.

4 cups half and half cream

3 cups nonfat dry milk

3 cups milk

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 1/2 cups peanut butter

4 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions

In a saucepan, combine the half and half cream, dry milk, and regular milk and cook over low heat. Heat thoroughly, stirring constantly, until dry milk is dissolved. Remove pan from heat.

Stir in the vanilla. Let mixture cool. Refrigerate until chilled.

Pour mixture into a blender and blend until smooth. Pour into an ice cream maker and follow manufactuere’s instructions.

=> Home Made Ice Cream Recipe: Banana Ice Cream Recipe

This is a very creamy banana ice cream, you’ll enjoy it.

1 quart half and half cream

1 can condensed milk

1 tablespoon vanilla

4 bananas, mashed

milk

Directions

In a bowl, combine the half and half cream, condensed milk and vanilla. Stir until mixure is smooth. Add in the bananas and the milk; mix completely. Pour into an ice cream maker and follow manufactuere’s instructions.

Easy to make – fun to drink

http://www.1st-milkshake-n-smoothie-recipes.com

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Sour Cream Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

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Piled Up Chocolate Chip Cookies
Image by …Rachel J… via Flickr

The sour cream chocolate chip cookie recipe turns out a light and fluffy, moist chocolate chip cookie! Don’t blink your eyes-these delicious morsels will be gone that fast!

Ingredients

2/3 cup salted butter, softened

1/2 granulated sugar

1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon packed brown sugar

1/2 cup sour cream

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Hardware

Whisk

Large bowl

Medium bowl

Cookie Sheets

Mixer

Step 1: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Step 2: Lightly grease cookie sheets; set aside.

Step 3: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside.

Step 4: In a large bowl, with an electric mixer set on medium-high speed, beat the butter and sugars together until light and fluffy.

Step 5: Add sour cream, egg, and vanilla extract; beat until well blended.

Step 6: Stir in flour mixture; blend well.

Step 7: Stir in chocolate chips, and chopped nuts (optional).

Step 8: Drop tablespoons of dough 2 inches apart onto the prepared cookie sheets.

Step 9: Bake 10-12 minutes, or until golden brown. Transfer cookies immediately to a cooling surface.

Makes about 40 cookies.

For more information on baking procedures and hardware used in this recipe see our Baking Tips section.

For more great chocolate chip cookie recipes visit http://kicked-up-cookie-recipes.com/chocolate-chip-cookie-recipes.html

For some great tasting scone recipes visit http://kicked-up-cookie-recipes.com/scone-recipes.html

For cookie baking tips and a wide selection of recipes visit http://kicked-up-cookie-recipes.com/

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How To Make Chocolate Covered Strawberries

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Chocolate-covered strawberries
Image via Wikipedia

Here’s how to make delicious chocolate covered strawberries. First of all ensure that the strawberries you are intending to use are dry, then allow them to be room temperature warm prior to making them. After the strawberries have been covered in chocolate, put them in your refrigerator to cool, but do not store them in the fridge. Consume within 1-2 days.

It is very important to ensure that the strawberries are dry, as a small amount of water is enough to make the batch curdle. Strawberries dipped in chocolate can also be injected with a suitable liquor after the chocolate has hardened. It is best to use a syringe to inject the strawberries with the contents.

Chocolate Covered Strawberries Recipe

Ensure all ingredients are at normal room temperature.

This recipe makes 15 chocolate covered strawberries ( approx )

Ingredients To Use:

4.5 tablespoons of cream ( heavy variety )

9 ounces of bittersweet chopped chocolate

15 strawberries

1.5 tablespoons of butter

Follow These Steps:

1. Line a baking sheet with foil or paper that is wax coated

2. Melt the butter and the chocolate in a boiler over hot water, stirring all the time until the chocolate has melted. Add cream to the mixture and stir until smooth consistency. Allow the mixture to cool

3. Pick up each strawberry by its stem and dip it into the mixture you have made. Allow any excess mixture to go back into the pan. Place the chocolate covered strawberry on the paper and repeat until you have made 15 strawberries.

Article by Richard Davies At Chocolate Org. Learn more about making Chocolate Covered Strawberries and information on Gourmet Chocolate

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White Chocolate Raspberry Cookie Recipe

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And Chocolate Chip Cookies are too...
Image by BenSpark via Flickr

The white chocolate raspberry cookie recipe combines the magical duo of white chocolate and raspberries. Truly out of this world! A great one for that special Valentine!

Ingredients

4 ounces white baking bars or white chocolate baking squares, chopped.

4 ounces white baking bars or white chocolate baking squares, melted

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 large eggs

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

Topping:

1/2 cup seedless raspberry jam

3 ounces white baking bars or white chocolate baking squares

1/2 teaspoon shortening

Hardware

Large bowl

2 x 1-quart saucepan

Cookie sheets

Mixer

Step 1: Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Step 2: Lightly grease a large cookie sheet.

Step 3: Coarsely chop 4 ounces of white baking bars; set aside.

Step 4: In a 1-quart saucepan, melt 4 ounces of white baking chocolate over low heat, stirring constantly; set aside to cool.

Step 5: In a large bowl, beat butter with an electric mixer set on medium-high speed for 30 seconds.

Step 6: Add sugar, baking soda, and salt. Beat until combined.

Step 7: Beat in eggs and melted baking bars until combined.

Step 8: Beat in as much flour as you can with mixer. Stir in remaining flour with spoon.

Step 9: Stir in chopped white chocolate baking bars.

Step 10: Drop dough by rounded teaspoons 2 inches apart onto prepared cookie sheets.

Step 11: Bake 7-9 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Let cookie set for 1 minute before transferring to a cooling surface.

Topping:

Step 1 Just before serving, in a 1-quart saucepan melt jam over low heat. Spoon about 1/2 teaspoon of jam over each cookie.

Step 2: In another 1-quart saucepan, melt 3 ounces white baking chocolate squares and 1/2 teaspoon of shortening over low heat until smooth and creamy.

Step 3: Using the tines of a fork, drizzle white chocolate over cookies. Let stand until set.

Makes 48 cookies.

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Chocolate Fudge Cake Recipe - Homemade Chocolate Fudge Layer Cake

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Chocolate Fudge Cake
Image by Sharky1974 via Flickr

I don’t know about you, but I love chocolate fudge cake. One look at this scrumptious layer cake makes my mouth water. Chocolate lovers will scoop this up pretty quick so make sure you grab a piece before it’s all gone.

2 cups sifted cake flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 squares unsweetened chocolate

2/3 cup water

1 1/2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

2/3 cup butter, softened

3 eggs

1/3 cup buttermilk

Chocolate fudge filling

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Grease and flour two 8-inch round cake pans.

Tear off a big sheet of wax paper and set on kitchen counter. Using a sifter, sift the flour baking powder, baking soda onto the wax paper.

In a saucepan or double boiler, combine the chocolate, water and 1/4 cup of sugar; cook over low heat while stirring constantly. When chocolate is thick and smooth, transfer to another bowl. Chill chocolate in a pan of ice water; stir occasionally. Add vanilla to chocolate.

In a large bowl, beat together the butter and sugar until nice and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Blend in the chilled chocolate.

Add in the sifted flour mixture, alternating with the buttermilk – beat batter thoroughly after each addition, until nice and smooth. Pour the cake batter into cake pans.

Bake for 35 minutes, or until center of cake springs back when pressed lightly. Cool on wire rack. When cake is cool, split each round in half and fill with the Chocolate Fudge Filling. Use same filling to frost the whole cake.

Chocolate Fudge Filling

6 squares semisweet chocolate

3 tablespoons butter

7 tablespoons milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

3 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar
In a small saucepan, add the chocolate squares and butter. Cook over low heat until melted.

In a bowl, add the melted chocolate, milk, vanilla and stir until well blended. Add in the confectioners’ sugar and mix until filling is smooth and easily spreadable.

=> Chocolate Fudge Cake Recipe: Chocolate Fudge Sheet Cake

This recipe is a great alternative to a layer cake. This chocolate fudge cake is ready for picnics, potlucks and parties. Better save this recipe because you’ll be asked to make it again and again.
2 cups flour

2 cups sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 sticks butter

1 cup water

3 heaping tablespoons cocoa

2 eggs

1 teaspoon soda

1/2 cup buttermilk

1 teaspoon vanilla
Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Grease and flour a 9 x 13-inch baking pan.

Using a sifter, sift the flour into a bowl. Add in the sugar and salt. Resift a second time into the bowl.

In a saucepan, mix together the butter, water and cocoa; bring to a boil. Add warm chocolate mixture to the flour and stir thoroughly.

In a separate bowl, mix together the eggs, baking soda, buttermilk and vanilla. Add to chocolate batter and mix completely until batter is smooth. Pour into cake pan.

Bake for 20 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in middle comes out clean. Frost cake with Chocolate Fudge Frosting.

Chocolate Fudge Frosting

1 stick butter

6 to 8 tablespoons milk

3 tablespoons cocoa

1 box confectioners’ sugar

1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)

1 teaspoon vanilla
In a saucepan, cook the butter, cocoa and milk over low heat (do not boil). Remove pan from heat and stir in the sugar, nuts and vanilla. Beat with an electric mixer until frosting is smooth.

Pour warm frosting over cake and spread with a knife.

Brownies, Cheesecake, Fudge and more . . . http://www.best-brownie-recipes.com

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Chocolate Marshmallow Cookie Recipe

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Canadian Whippet
Image via Wikipedia

The chocolate marshmallow cookie recipe is loaded with chocolate, in both the cookie as well as the frosting. Although with this cookie it’s what’s hidden inside that makes this treat unforgettable; a soft fluffy marshmallow!

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter-flavored shortening

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1 egg

1/4 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

18 large marshmallows, halved

Frosting:

3 tablespoons salted butter, softened

3 cups powdered sugar

3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa

1 pinch salt

4-6 tablespoons milk

Hardware

Whisk

Large bowl

2 x medium bowls

Cookie sheets

Mixer

Step 1: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Step 2: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt; set aside.

Step 3: In a large bowl, with an electric mixer set on medium-high speed cream together the shortening and sugar.

Step 4: Beat in egg, milk, and vanilla extract.

Step 5: Gradually beat flour mixture into the creamed mixture.

Step 6: Drop by teaspoons 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheets.

Step 7: Bake for 8 minutes, remove from oven and place a halved marshmallow, cut side down, onto each cookie. Return to oven and bake for 2 more minutes. Immediately transfer cookies to a cooling surface.
Frosting:

Step 1: In a medium bowl, cream butter, sugar, cocoa, and salt with an electric mixer.

Step 2: Add enough milk to achieve spreading consistency.

Step 3: Frost cooled cookies.

Makes 36 cookies.

For more information on baking procedures and hardware used in this recipe see our Baking Tips section.

Griffin Wetzstein -

For more great drop cookie recipes visit http://kicked-up-cookie-recipes.com/drop-cookie-recipes.html

For some great tasting chocolate chip cookie recipes visit http://kicked-up-cookie-recipes.com/chocolate-chip-cookie-recipes.html

For cookie baking tips and a wide selection of recipes visit http://kicked-up-cookie-recipes.com/
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Chocolate Coins Make Excellent Holiday Favors

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ebay chocolate coin freebie
Image by fsse8info via Flickr

If there is one food that no one can resist, adults and children alike, it’s chocolate! Bitter, sweet, milk, liquorices – whatever the flavor, color or shape, there’s always a reason to celebrate with chocolates. The allure of chocolates cannot really be described but there is something seductive about the way it melts in thick layers around the tongue and settles on the taste buds. As they say, no one can have just one!

Chocolate coins combine the best of both worlds – money as well as taste. Their first recorded history is when Jewish children were given chocolate coins during religious holidays. These formed an important tradition in the celebration of the Hanukkah and were called ‘Gelt’, meaning money. Today, you find multicolored chocolate coins in shops round the year.

Chocolate coins are made to look like currency notes or real coins. Thus, they are a wonderful gift for occasions like weddings, baptism, bachelor parties, graduation parties, anniversaries, holiday parties, corporate events and more.

These coins could be current or they may look like antique coins. The wrappers and the chocolate inside it have the upside and downside of real coins, along with the currency, the shape and the words. Little bags of chocolate coins are found in bakery stores as well as in shops of high end chocolatiers. Therefore, it is quite obvious that the quality of chocolate coins depends on how it is made and what ingredients go into its making.

When choosing chocolate coins, it is important to keep quality in mind. The better the quality, the pricier it is going to be. Quality refers not just to the chocolate but also to the craftsmanship. After all, you don’t want a penny to look like a pound, nor would you want to offer a smudged or badly made chocolate business card to your client.

Chocolate coins have become widely popular in the twentieth century. They find a place of pride among common party favors. They are also quite commonly found in corporate events. Chocolate coins appeal to the child in each of us. Children can even use these chocolate coins to play games.

These days, chocolate coins are a great gift. You can buy readymade chocolate coins or buy custom made coins. Customized coins are a great favorite with many people and are therefore sought after by many companies for their clients.

To cater to the growing demand for customized chocolate coins, many confectioners and stores facilitate free personalization. You can add your own message to any one side of the coin. What a wonderful and delicious way of letting people know you care.

With chocolate coins made from the finest cocoa and delicious cocoa butter, it is easy to see why more and more people want to put their money where their mouth is!

Chocolate Favor Store offers highest-quality chocolate coins available in several molded designs and various attractive packaging options.

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Chocolate Pudding Dessert

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Chocolate pudding
Image via Wikipedia

Finally, an easy to make chocolate pudding dessert! Chocolate and pudding are always huge hits with the family. Now, we show you how to make an excellent dessert that is sure to be a big hit! Here are the ingredients that will be needed to prepare this chocolate pudding dessert:

For the crust on this chocolate pudding dessert, you will need….

1 1/2 sticks butter
1 1/2 cup flour
3/4 cup walnuts, chopped

Combine all ingredients together and press them into a 13″ x 9″ x 2″ pan.
Bake for 15 minutes in a 350F degree oven.

For the filling of this chocolate pudding dessert, you will need…

1 cup confectioners sugar
8 oz. cream cheese
1 cup Cool Whip

Mix together and spread on top of cooled crust.

For the pudding on this chocolate dessert, you will need…

2 pkgs instant chocolate pudding
3 cups cold milk

Mix with electric mixer and spread on top of filling. Top with remaining Cool Whip and Refrigerate. This recipe is one of the easier recipes. Chocolate Pudding Dessert is a delicious treat that everyone will love! Enjoy this delicious chocolate pudding dessert!

This dessert has received lots of positive feedback. If you like it don’t hesitate to share it with your friends.

Before you go, I want to emphasize the importance of the crust for the chocolate pudding dessert. Make sure you follow along with the instuctions. A good crust is important when making a quaility dessert.

So for the crust on this chocolate pudding dessert, you will need….

1 1/2 sticks butter
1 1/2 cup flour
3/4 cup walnuts, chopped

Have a great day!

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Pudding Dessert

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Chocolate - An Aphrodisiac or Better Than Sex?

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Copy after Praxiteles
Image via Wikipedia

The saying may go, “The way to a man’s heart is through his stomach”, but what about women? It is a long standing tradition to present a woman with a box of chocolate as a romantic gesture. Is it simply because women love chocolate or does the root of this tradition go deeper? Curiosity led me to do some research on the subject and here is what I found.

First of all I wanted to know if chocolate was truly an aphrodisiac. An aphrodisiac is reputed to “put you in the mood for love” and the name comes from the Greek goddess of love Aphrodite. It is possible that the aphrodisiacal qualities come from our own mindset and expectations. First of all, we get a certain amount of pleasure from consuming chocolate. For one, the melting point of chocolate is slightly below human body temperature so it melts in your mouth. That in itself is a stimulating experience but what about the substances found in chocolate? And what are the roots of chocolate as an aphrodisiac in history? I found a lot of useful information but as you would expect, I found conflicting arguments on whether or not it is an aphrodisiac, so I decided to come to my own conclusion and I urge you to do the same.

One report said that the Aztecs considered all chocolate an aphrodisiac. Because of this, all foods made with chocolate were strictly forbidden to women. However, another report stated that the Aztecs and Mayans were the first to recognize the potency of this food, celebrating the harvest with festivals of wild orgies. I guess both could be true (and may be) but it seems to me that if they were having wild orgies, they would want the women to eat it. I don’t know, that’s just my opinion, but in either case, the Aztecs apparently considered it an aphrodisiac.

There are people throughout history who also believed in the stimulating qualities of chocolate. In 1624 Johan Franciscus Rauch, a professor in Vienna, condemned chocolate as an inflamer of passions and urged monks not to drink it as he wanted to ban it in the monasteries. It is said that Madame du Barry, courtesan and mistress of Louis XV, always served her lovers a cup of chocolate before they were let in to her bedroom, and that the great lover and alchemist Casanova, who drank his cioccolata at Cafe Florian in Venice, considered chocolate more stimulating than champagne and called it the “elixir of love”. Montezuma supposedly drank a cup of chocolate before entering his harem.

Ok, I am convinced that people in history have found chocolate to be an aphrodisiac, but why? Chocolate contains phenylethylamine, a naturally occurring amino-acid which some consider to have aphrodisiacal effects and is even said to be able to “cure” hangovers. Phenylethylamine is a substance which is released naturally in the human body when you’re in love. Other stimulants present in chocolate are dopamine and serotonin, which alleviate pain and encourage a good mood. Serotonin produces feelings of pleasure in a similar way to sunlight.

Chocolate also contains theobromine, a chemical stimulant frequently confused with caffeine, but has very different effects on the human body. It is a mild, lasting stimulant with a mood improving effect. Its presence is one of the causes for chocolate’s mood-elevating effects. (Note - In chocolate, theobromine exists in doses that are safe for humans to consume in large quantities, but can be lethal for animals such as dogs and horses, as they metabolize theobromine more slowly.)

Wow, no wonder I love it so much! What more does a person need than a mood elevating, stimulating, pleasurable, not to mention, great tasting, experience? I must mention, however, that some sources state that there is no evidence of chocolate having a true aphrodisiac effect. My opinion, who cares? With all that happening, if it doesn’t put you in the mood, it won’t take much encouragement to get you there. Excuse me, I seem to be craving some chocolate……

Patricia Fason is a writer and poet whose main focus is relationships. To read more of her work, visit Sites O Web Romances You. There you will find relationship articles, poetry, romantic gifts and other tools to keep romance alive in your relationship.

Chocolate lovers know that easily the best way to please someone dear to you is to make him a Romantic Dinner. We’ve gone one better and prepared a special collection of Romantic Dinners.

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