On listening to the word ‘chocolate’, we all enter into a world of fantasy. The taste fills our mouth with water and we just desire to have that brown colored, sweet and milky flavored stuff. Chocolate is actually not sweet in a raw form. The sweet chocolate we get is a mixture of chocolate and sugar. The other form of chocolate is a white chocolate which is generally not considered as chocolate. It is a mixture of cocoa butter, sugar, and milk.

For health, Chocolate can be beneficial as well as harmful. Chocolate has many positive effects on health. It helps in the circulation of blood and reduces the risk of heart attack. Moderate consumption of chocolate helps in muscles recovery and brain functioning. The negative effects are obesity risk, acne risk and increased blood sugar which is harmful for diabetic patients. Whatever the positive or negative effects are, chocolate maintains its place in everyone’s heart.

Now let’s discuss about some of the types of chocolate. Chocolate liquor is a pure form of chocolate containing 54% cocoa butter. Another form of chocolate is milk chocolate which has large amount of milk in it. It is light, fluffy and has a unique taste. Bitter-sweet chocolate is a chocolate which is not completely sweet. It contains chocolate liquor and sweeteners and is generally used for making cookies. The other form of chocolate is dark chocolate. It contains 15% chocolate liquor and is available in unsweetened, bittersweet, semisweet form.

Chocolate is popular in India too. Although India has several other popular deserts and sweets, chocolate has its place in the heart of children and youngsters. Nowadays chocolate is preferred as a Diwali sweet because of its low fat quality. Also certain brands have launched sugar free chocolates which are very famous among diabetic patients. Indian restaurants are also seeking ways to attract chocolate loving customers by introducing chocolate drinks, chocolate ice cream and chocolate desserts in their food menu.

I am a freelance writer and mostly write about different foods, restaurants and regional tastes to share my experiences.

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I think all of us have eaten chocolate covered fruit. It is one of the most wonderful taste combinations, chocolate and strawberries, or chocolate and pineapple.

Making chocolate covered fruit is not only simple but also very elegant looking when preparing desserts for guests.

The simplest way to make chocolate covered fruit is to buy chocolate chips and melt them down. I buy both brown chocolate and white chocolate. I’ll buy either chips or bars and then melt them over a very low fire.

All fruit must be dry before dipping. If you wash the fruit, make sure to paper towel off the water, so that when you dip, the fruit is dry.

I line a cookie sheet with waxed paper and after dipping transfer the fruit to the waxed paper. I then chill in the refrigerator.

Mix and match strawberries, pineapple wedges, maraschino cherries, apples and pears. I’ve also dipped dried food to add to the platter I’m making. If you don’t use white chocolate, try using marshmallows, and dipping half of the marshmallow in chocolate, so that you have a lot of white showing on your platter.

I’ve seen beautiful skewers with mandarin oranges used as spacers. Dip your fruit in chocolate and put the orange slices, un-dipped in the middle of your dipped fruit.

Try dipping strawberries or maraschino cherries and adding them to the top of pudding or ice cream for a very pretty visual look.

Make or buy a pound cake. Cut the pound cake into squares. Dip half of the square in chocolate and mix on the platter with your dipped fruit.

When you use fruits such as strawberries and pineapple you are able to have green on your dessert platter also.

Are you feeling brave? Once you dip the fruit, try sprinkling coconut or chopped nuts over the chocolate. If kids will be eating the fruit, try sprinkling M&M’s or Reeses Pieces over the fruit.

It’s fun to arrange dessert platters with assorted fruits, some in white chocolate, some in milk chocolate, some with nuts on them, and some with coconut on them. Experiment and enjoy a delicious yet very simple dessert.

Bon Appetite!!

Audrey’s mom always entertained when she was growing up. Audrey learned to prepare for large groups and has often entertained 15-30 people in her home at a time. You can find more great recipes at http://www.recipe-barn.com

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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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Gourmet, from the word itself, stands in relation to food and means “of high-quality”. This is also known to be sophisticated, rare, meticulously prepared and sometimes expensive. With this definition, gourmet chocolates are regarded fine chocolate confectioneries.

Chocolate is made from both raw as well as processed foods from the cacao seeds. This seed is known to be cultivated in Central America almost 3,000 years ago. Cacao seeds are usually used in make chocolate beverages in those times.

To make chocolate, the cacao seeds must be fermented. After that, the seeds are dried and roasted. This is with the shell being taken out. This produces cacao nibs. These nibs are grounded until they turn into liquid, which subsequently becomes pure liquid chocolate. This is known as chocolate liquor. Thus, Cocoa solids and butter are created when this cocoa liquor is processed.

There are different kinds of chocolates. Unsweetened pure chocolates only have Cocoa solids and butter in it. Milk chocolates are the sweet type due to the fact that it contains condensed milk or milk powder. As for white chocolate, they do not have cocoa solids but they contain cocoa butter, milk and sugar.

Most people all over the world have become chocolate lovers whether it is in the form of food or beverage. With the advancement of technology, the production of mass chocolate candies is now made easier to make and sell. In addition, some chefs make use of chocolates as a part of their food delicacies, such as in specialty dishes, desserts as well as beverages.

At present, a popular type of chocolate has come out. This is known as gourmet chocolates. What does gourmet chocolate mean? Gourmet, from the word itself, stands in relation to food and means “of high-quality”. This is also known to be sophisticated, rare, meticulously prepared and sometimes expensive. With this definition, gourmet chocolates are regarded fine chocolate confectioneries. However, there are no regulations in terms of the standards of chocolate being classified as gourmet.

With this, how can one know if he or she is buying a gourmet kind of chocolate? From the definition in itself, you need to assess the total package of the chocolate being bought. To start with, the ingredients of the chocolate should be made from its purest form. The usage of pure cocoa butter as well as solids will make the gourmet chocolate delicately flavorful instead of having the usual vegetable fat flavouring. Moreover, these ingredients should be placed early on the list of other ingredients. In addition, if one is planning to buy truffle chocolates, one must look for unique as well as fresh ingredients. There must be no preservatives.

Furthermore, the presentation is also the key for making gourmet chocolates. Being an art in itself, the packaging and presentation would show how the maker carefully and intricately designed his craft. To serve at its best, gourmet chocolates should be made with a big heart and passion for chocolates. With taste and quality masterfully interwoven together, this makes gourmet chocolates the most expensive and delectable treat.

Listed below are the top five gourmet chocolate makers:

1. Christopher Norman Chocolates

Christopher Norman chocolates are beautifully crafted chocolates that were created with utmost perfection. Each piece has been hand made, thus creating a sensual luscious treat with extraordinary provoking taste. One of the finest in New York City!

2. MarieBelle New York

Created by Maribel Lieberman, her fine chocolates are a combination of art and electic ingredients. A taste would bring you poignant emotions of delight and contentment. Just like the beautiful gems delicately placed in their stylish Italian boxes, MarieBelle New York gourmet chocolate is sure worth the treasure hunt!

3. Lake Champlain Chocolate

Native delicacies such as these bring traditions to ultimate experience. Especially made from Vermont, this craftsmanship has been passed from generation to generation, bringing with them the classical flavours of the original Vermont pride. It sure makes you feel like home.

4. Romanicos Chocolates

Owned by Alejandra Bigai, her mastery would account to her presentation of the chocolate, according to its own nature: luxurious, sultry, and most of all mouth wateringly delicious. Hand rolled to its perfection, these gourmet chocolates exude delectable flavours such as passion caramel, and holy berry, heavenly vanilla, wild coconut, and a whole lot more! The Piccolo Art Collection also showcases chocolates that are hand painted wand are filled with nuts like hazelnuts, almonds, as well as pistachios. These are even beautifully and wonderfully packaged! You will never go wrong with Romanicos Chocolates.

5. L.A. Burdick Handmade Chocolates

This company makes gourmet chocolates at its most natural! This is aside from being fresh, delicious and original. This is due to the fact that each chocolate being made is uniquely designed. They are handmade can be ordered beforehand. This is what L.A. Burdick Handmade Chocolates are known for.

Aside from this, in Hershey, Pennsylvania, you will find the home of Hershey’s chocolate itself. It is also regarded as the sweetest place in the globe. Aside from the Hershey Park, it also has the Chocolate Spa and the Hershey’s Chocolate World. This area is definitely a chocolate lover’s paradise. Aside from experiencing their Chocolate Tour, they also have the Kitkat Cafe and the Hershey’s Factory Works among others. Not only will you be able to view the entire Hershey’s Chocolate Factory, you can also take part in an interactive chocolate making project. You will have the chance to design your own chocolate cupcake and chocolate flavoured ice cream. Thus, Every July is the anniversary of Hershey Kisses.

For more information on Gourmet Chocolates please visit our website.

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If you love chocolate, then you are likely among the millions of people who enjoy a good candy bar. Candy bars have some basic ingredients including milk and sugar. They are often coated with chocolate. You can select from white chocolate, milk, chocolate, or even dark chocolate. There are hundreds of varieties of candy bars to choose from. Some are soft and others are crunchy.

One of the most popular additions to candy bars are peanuts. Carmel is another favorite. Not many of us can resist a candy bar with creamy caramel covered in chocolate. Nugget if popular too. Some candy bars have cookies or wafers that have been covered in chocolate and other combinations of ingredients to make them even more delicious. Coconut isn’t as well received in candy bars, but for those who love it the will find the few candy bars with it.

The first candy bar was introduced in 1900, created by Milton Hershey. The Hershey bar line has been selling millions of chocolate bars every year for more than 100 years. They have introduced many varieties, but the basic Hershey chocolate bar is the most purchased, followed by the Hershey bar with almonds.

They marketed their famous Hershey Kiss in 1907, with each one being individually wrapped in gold foil with a small paper with the name on the top. The Hershey kiss is a well known chocolate favorite for Valentine’s Day. They also make a variety of them for various holidays including the Peppermint Twist for Christmas time. Other varieties include caramel filled, chocolate filled, white chocolate, and classic kisses with almonds in the middle.

Another very famous candy bar is the Babe Ruth. This is a nugget roll with peanuts covered in chocolate. Many people believe this delicious candy bar was named after the famous baseball player. It was actually named after President Cleveland’s daughter.

The Almond Joy and Mound candy bars almost didn’t get manufactured. Researchers didn’t feel there was enough market out there for coconut to be a hit. The Almond Joy features creamy coconut covered with chocolate, and a large Almond on each piece. The Mound is the same but without the nut. The portion of the market who does love coconut with chocolate made them both a well received it. They remain two of the very few candy bars on the market featuring coconut.

Candy bars are a favorite sweet many of us love to indulge in. With so many choices, it can be hard to pick one. The manufacturers have helped by creating miniature sized candy bars that come in an assortment. This is a great way to experience the flavor and satisfaction of more than one kind of candy bar.

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Chocolate and tea lovers know a good quality chocolate or tea when they taste it. Gourmet treats are always a welcome change from the regular varieties found in your average grocery store or worse, convenience store. When you really have sophisticated tastes you need to explore the world of gourmet food.

What is Gourmet Food?

Categorizing what is and what is not a gourmet food is a challenge for some people. Generally speaking, gourmet food is food that is a cut above your average food items. Gourmet food is often considered a special treat, not only because it tends to be more costly, but because it is made to extremely fine standards using the best ingredients. Gourmet food is definitely for those who crave more distinguished tastes. Another feature is that they often take a much longer preparation time than other foods. A lot of care and perfection goes into creating gourmet foods.

Gourmet chocolate and tea are both much higher quality than your average chocolate bar or cup of tea. With chocolate the finest cocoa beans are used. There is a careful measuring of ingredients and most are 100% handmade. Gourmet chocolates can be milk, dark or white chocolate. They may have flavors or fillings that are unique flavors.

Gourmet teas are made with carefully grown and harvested tea leaves. Every step of the process is done with extreme care. Gourmet teas come from all over the world. Where the tea comes from it not what makes it gourmet. They usually have exotic flavors and are much purer than average tea. Gourmet tea can be green, black, oolong or herbal.

Type of Gourmet Foods

Even if you are not particularly into chocolate or tea, there are many gourmet foods that you can try. Gourmet food is just more special than your everyday, ordinary fare. Here are some treats to try if your taste buds ache for something more.

If you want something different to drink then you can try gourmet coffee. Blends of gourmet coffee come from the highest quality of beans from all over the world.

If fish is your thing then try gourmet seafood. They are prepared with special methods. Only the highest quality fish are used. Almost any wish can be gourmet when it is handled and prepared the right way.

There are also gourmet meats. Gourmet meat is becoming quite popular. High quality cuts are used and many styles are available. Gourmet meat can include dried and cured cuts, too.

Get great Foods

Gourmet foods are not as difficult to find as you may think. The internet provides the perfect opportunity to order gourmet food. Shipping techniques used today make it possible to ship any food item without losing quality. You can get food fast that maintains its gourmet quality.

Whether you are into chocolate and tea or you want to try out other gourmet foods, you are in for an amazing treat. Your taste buds will be very grateful to you for providing them with mature and mind blowing tastes that you get from gourmet food.

Richard Walker - All About Gourmet Foods http://www.foodsuppliesnow.com is a site that provides free information and resources for candy and chocolate, beverages and more

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The easiest way to make chocolate is to buy cooking chocolate from your local supermarket, melt it down, and pour it into molds. Cooking chocolate usually comes in four different flavours: milk, white, dark, and caramel. You do not, however, have to restrict yourself to these flavours as any store bought chocolate can be melted down and used. Now, we will take a look at the different steps used in making your chocolate.

• Break or chop up the chocolate and put it into a bowl; this makes it easier to melt. Next, place the bowl into a microwave oven and put it on high.

  Another method is to place the broken up chocolate into a ceramic or glass bowl, which is then placed over a pot of boiling water. The aim is to use the steam to melt the chocolate, so never let the bowl touch the boiling water.

• If the chocolate retains its original shape - thereby slowing down the melting process - one can stir it, with a wooden spoon, halfway through the process. This will keep it from overcooking. Note: different kinds of chocolate melt at different rates. White chocolate melts the fastest, while dark chocolate takes twice as long. Cooking chocolate, on the other hand, is the slowest melting chocolate of all three.
• If the melted chocolate is too thin to use for decorating, add glycerine, as this thickens its consistency.
• Once the chocolate is melted, pour it into a mold and leave it to harden. Generally, molds can be brought at your local supermarket; for more variety, you might want to go to a catering supply store. Alternatively, you can make your own molds by using aluminium foil or hygienic non-toxic plastics. If you are on a budget, ice trays can make good mold. You should not, however, use copper as it releases a poisonous residue that can be harmful.
• For variety, one can melt two or three different types of chocolate and pour them into the different sections of the same mold. For example, if you have a mold of the Easter bunny, you could pour white chocolate into the mold of his head, milk chocolate into his body, and dark chocolate into his legs. Mixing different kinds of chocolates into the same mold will give you a unique looking chocolates and a variety of tastes. Another idea is to fill the mold almost to the brim with milk chocolate then, while it is still in liquid form, pour white chocolate in a spiral into the same mold, creating a beautiful whirl effect. The possibilities are endless! Bon appetite!

Ant Coe runs the information website How To Make Chocolate (http://www.how-to-make-chocolate.com), which contains recipes for making chocolate, chocolate milk, cookies and other chocolate products.

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Chocolate is one of the oldest processed foods enjoyed over the past millennium. It came from the tropical tree called cocoa. This tree is native to South America, Central America and Mexico. The seeds of the cocoa tree are dried and fermented and finally grounded and liquefied. As a result of these processes, pure unsweetened chocolate is formed.

There are different kinds of chocolate. Each is classified according to its composition and color. Milk chocolate is the combination of sugar, cocoa butter and milk. It is considered not a true chocolate because of the absence of cocoa solids formed from the processes involved in production of pure chocolate. White chocolate can be consumed by animals. The addition of sugar and fats makes up the third kind of chocolate. Dark chocolate has high cocoa content and is believed to have health benefits by reducing the occurrence of heart attack. One example of dark chocolate is semisweet chocolate which is used in cooking recipes. Sometimes vanilla is added for a more pleasing aroma.

Chocolate is enjoyed in a wide variety of preparations nowadays. If one would go to a nearby restaurant, cafeteria or snack bar, one would definitely come across chocolates in various attractive servings ranging from breads, cakes, drinks and ice creams.

Below is an easy chocolate dessert recipe that you can enjoy doing. It’s a recipe on how to make your ice cream richer, creamier and attractive when served after a sumptuous meal. It is very easy to prepare.

Chocolate Caramel Sauce
Ingredients:

½ gallon vanilla ice cream of any flavor
10 caramels
¾ cup of Nestle Carnation Evaporated Milk
1 ¾ cups of Nestle Toll House Milk Chocolate Morsels

Directions: Combine caramels, 1 ½ cups morsels and evaporated milk in a saucepan under low heat. Continuously stir until mixture is smooth. Serve as a topping on ice cream.

This easy chocolate recipe has an estimated cooking time of ten minutes. It yields to seven servings of ¼ cup each. In case of left over, refrigerate and reheat in saucepan while continuously stirring.

You can also use this sauce to add flavor to your brownies and cheesecakes. You can even add peanut butter chips, colored chocolate chips to make it more attractive for kids. This stuff is heavenly and your friends will compliment you for its rich and tempting taste.

This is just an example of an easy to prepare chocolate recipe. Other recipes vary from their ingredients, procedures, cooking time, skill level and the number of servings. Nestle, a multinational packaged food company, offers a wide range of easy chocolate recipes for you to choose from to fit your interests. With its line of chocolate products, dairy products, and ice cream you can surely select a wide variety of easy recipe suggestions to satisfy your eagerness to learn more about easy chocolate recipes.

These easy chocolate recipes let you spend little time in your kitchen yet let you delight anybody’s taste buds. These are easy to follow recipes that you alone can enjoy doing even on a busy day. Enjoy the chocolates. Enjoy the recipes.

More recipes can be found at the Easy Chocolate Dessert Recipes site.

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I remember when I first learned that chocolate has some health benefits. I could not believe that chocolate contains antioxidants.

They have sent years and thousands of dollars researching the health benefits. Eating chocolate on a regular basis will help lower the chance of getting cancer and heart disease. The antioxidants will also lower your LDL cholesterol.

Chocolate will also add beneficial iron, and magnesium to your body. Learning these interesting facts about chocolate has been a lot of fun. Looking up these facts can be a terrific way to pass the time. The downside is that, I often find myself looking up more interesting facts about chocolate than I do studying for an upcoming test. I can not believe that the chip was not introduced until 1939.

Nestle was the first company to introduce the chocolate chip. Which are still the most popular chocolate chip used in most chocolate chip cookie recipes. I also have a hard time believing that the first, milk chocolate bar was not introduced to consumers until 1938.

Believe it or not Nestle was also the first to bring this bar to market. Bring these different chocolate formats to market contributed to the overall, chocolate consumption. Americans consume a large amount of chocolate on a regular basis; however, they consume less than most Europeans consume, especially the Swiss.

Americans consume 2.8 billion pounds of candy a year. This is split between candy and chocolate. When you think of the amount of chocolate this equates too, you may not want to know all of the interesting facts about chocolate.

Do not let this fact scare you away, chocolate is still great! Did you know that the term white chocolate is a misnomer? There is absolutely no chocolate in white chocolate. In order to be classified as chocolate, you need to have some chocolate in your product.

If you are one of those individuals watching your caffeine intake, you do not necessarily have to give up chocolate. Chocolate has less caffeine in it than tea. This is a great fact for most chocolate lovers. The best fact out of them all is that there is scientific proof that chocolate does not cause acne, nor does it make acne worst.

These are all old wives tales, to get you to stop eating chocolate. Shame on them for telling us these tales!
Let’s eat!

Bob Pardue writes about health benefits of chocolate at http://chocolatefacts.wordpress.com/.

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