My Chocolate Fantasy

A little bit of sinful indulgence in some hearty dark chocolates can work wonders for a throbbing heart. In fact, they are the perfect healthy treats which give holistic results. Ever since health and fitness have become the mantra for many people, some have shunned chocolates. There is no need as chocolate hearts are the perfect stress busters. Unless you are on an absolutely low calorie diet, chocolates can pep up the dark mood. Chocolates containing high content of cocoa beans are healthy. The flavonoids in it help in blood thinning. Milk chocolates have sugar and milk making them high in calories. But dark chocolates do not need sugar. Hence they are ideal as an occasional treat. It improves insulin immunity too. Premium versions of dark chocolate are heavenly in taste. Buy them as gifts or for self consumption. Either way there is a huge variety in the market. They work well for many occasions all year round.Chocolate can be molded into many shapes and sizes. Chocolate hearts are appealing, giving a literal meaning to ‘eat your heart out’! Chocolates hearts work like magic when presented at special events. Rich in taste and beautifully packed, they are perfect gourmet gifts for chocolate connoisseurs. Some of the most common menus offer a delectable assortment.* white chocolate,* milk chocolate,* dark chocolate, * hazelnut,* rum & raisin,* mint,* cookies & cream,* cinnamon,* Irish cream,* mocha coffee,Chocolate hearts are useful for special events and make them memorable. Mini hearts for kiddie birthdays so that they do not overeat and house warming parties are ideal, big ones for Valentine’s Day with personalized messages like “Love You” or “Marry Me”. The mouth-watering hearts are attractively wrapped in many metallic and matt foils. Pink is perfect to present the world’s best mom and new born baby girls. Similarly blue has choco hearts wrapped for a a baby boy. White chocolate hearts are just right for weddings or Mother’s day whereas cookies and cream hearts are wonderful for birthday parties. Hazelnut or rum & raisin hearts are popular with nut lovers and best for anniversaries. Cinnamon hearts are spicy sweet, just like different flavours of love. Chocolate heart dragees are luxury heart shaped milk chocolate pieces covered in a thin crisp sugar coated shell- very popular with kids! So, what kind of a chocolate heart are you?

Currently we are putting up with bad weather, a weak economy, auto recalls, etc.  Why not treat yourself, your family and/or friends to this special treat? Make a temporary escape by making a batch of these delicious Maraschino Cherry Hideaway Cookies.  Oooh, they are soooo good! They are sure to brighten your outlook and become favorites in your family.

MARASCHINO CHERRY HIDEAWAYS 2/3 cup butter-flavored shortening3/4 cup sugar1 egg1 tbsp milk1 tsp vanilla extract1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour1 tsp baking powder1/2 tsp salt1/2 tsp baking soda48 Maraschino cherries, well drained

Dipping Chocolate:

1 cup dark melting chocolate, cut into small pieces2 tbsp butter-flavored shortening finely chopped pecansslivered white chocolate for garnish, optional

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cream the butter flavored shortening, sugar, egg, milk, and vanilla in a large mixing bowl with mixer on medium speed. Cream until well blended.

Combine flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda. Beat into creamed mixture with mixer at low speed. Take a piece of dough and press into a thin layer around a maraschino cherry. Repeat with the remaining cherries. Place on an ungreased baking sheet about 2-inches apart. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Cool on the baking sheet for a minute then remove to wire racks to cool. Cool completely while preparing the dipping chocolate.

Dipping Chocolate: In a glass measuring cup melt the dark chocolate and shortening together in the microwave, stirring every 30 seconds until melted and blended. Drop one cookie at a time into the chocolate mixture using a fork to turn and coat. Lift the cookie out of the chocolate with the fork and allow the excess chocolate to drain back into the measuring cup. Place on a waxed paper covered baking sheet or tray. Sprinkle the top with chopped pecans. Sprinkle with the white chocolate while still wet, if using. Chill in the refrigerator to set the chocolate.

Yield: 4 dozen

Enjoy!

Chocolate and cookies go together like air and breathing, they are a perfect match. Now imagine those cookies are soft and chewy with a glass of milk or a couple of scoops of ice cream. Hmmm I have your mind going and dreaming about these cookies. And yes that’s what they do to you, make your feel good and that’s why chewy chocolate chip cookies are so popular. Once you have them you keep coming back for more, but be careful you don’t want to eat to much save some for later or my be a few for family and friends if you want to be nice. Companies have gain market shares in the cookie world because they started making these chewy chocolate chip cookies. Did you know that 25% of all cookies baked in the United States are chocolate chip cookies. As you see Americans love chocolate chip cookies, my be you want to make your own, my be you want to show your kids or friends how to make some really good chewy chocolate chip cookies. If you want a big chewy cookie like the kind you see at bakeries and specialty shops, then these are the cookies for you.Stir in the chocolate chips by hand using a wooden spoon. Cookies will spread as they bake and this ensures a more even spread. Allow cookies to cool before removing them from the baking sheet. It gives a tiny bit more tooth, and, I think, keeps the cookies chewy longer. It’s not the only chocolate chip cookie recipe I’ll use, but when you want a “big, fat, chewy chocolate chop cookie,” this is awesome. I have tried quite a few chocolate chip cookie recipes, and this is by far the BEST! Take the cookies out of the oven when the edges are just turning brown, leave on cookie sheet for a few min, and then let rest a bit longer to ensure best results. If you want these cookies to stay moist, put in sealed container after baking. Learn from my mistake Use (margarine) rather than butter in this recipe if you want thick cookies. This may be the perfect way for cookies to be, but all cookies are good fresh from the oven. Recipe Pre heat oven at 375 degrees in a large bowl beat the cooled melted butter with the sugars. Beat in the egg, egg yolk and vanilla until well-combined. In a medium bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the margarine, sugars, salt, and vanilla until well combined. Beat in the egg Scrape down the bowl using a rubber spatula and beat for a few more seconds. Beat in the egg, yolk, and vanilla until combined. Add the dry ingredients and beat at low speed just until combined. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the corn syrup, water, and vanilla. Reduce speed to medium-low and add in eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition until well incorporated. Reduce speed to lowest setting or gently stir by hand , gradually add in dry ingredients, scraping down bowl as necessary, and beating until just incorporated, don’t over mix. Ingredients 2 1/8 cups unsifted all-purpose flour 1/2 tsp. salt 1/2 tsp. baking soda 12 T. margarine, melted and cooled until warm 1 cup brown sugar 1/2 cup granulated sugar 1 large egg plus 1 yolk 2 tsp. vanilla extract (pure, real!) 1-2 cups semi-or bittersweet chocolate chips/chunks 2tsp. corn syrup Place on parchment paper-lined cookie sheets. Makes 1 1/2 dozen very large cookies. For more information go to http://www.Teegoes.com

The chocolate chip cookie is an American classic. It’s the favorite cookie of many people, and the New York Times even produced an article about them which is still getting ‘buzz’. It’s no surprise that this cookie is such a big favorite, it’s very down-to-earth, and is often a comfort food. It’s also easy to make at home, if you don’t try to get overly exotic with it.

Chocolate chip cookies come in two basic textures, chewy and crispy. This recipe is for the chewiest, most melt-in-your-mouth delicious chocolate chippers you’ve had. If you like crispy cookies, stay far away because these bake up puffy, light and never oily. The soft moist cookies are full of big gooey chocolate chips. They taste fantastic hot from the oven, and keep well in sealed containers. However, because they are moist and rich-tasting with no preservatives, they should be refrigerated after a few days to prevent mold. (Much like a bakery-fresh moist bread, these cookies need care to not go stale)

Extra fact:Most cookie recipes only make cookies of ONE size. If you attempt to make the cookies at a size that is not described in the original recipe, you’ll run into problems such as undercooking while edges burn, or over-done cookies despite the bake-time. These cookies can easily be made in ANY of THREE sizes!

From ¼ cup scoops of dough at once for giant cookies…to1.5 tablespoon sized medium cookies…and1 .5 teaspoon size regular cookies

With this recipe the size is totally up to you! Just adjust the baking time accordingly. (seen below) A big chocolate chip cookie can make a nice ‘thank you’ gift for someone you know. When it’s home made, it really shows you care…and you only need to spend minutes making them!

How could a chocolate chip cookie get even better?What if it had HALF the fat of an ordinary cookie?What if it tasted richer and chewier than an ordinary cookie?And what if it had fiber, and healthy nutrients as well?

The seemingly impossible becomes possible with this fantastic chocolate chip cookie recipe. In one easy batch, these could become your new favorites. Chia Gel is your secret to a better tasting, lower fat cookie that has extra nutrition. You can find the recipe for Chia Gel below.

Ultra Chewy Chia Chocolate Chip Cookies

What you’ll need:

Dry Ingredients2 cups flour½ heaping tsp baking soda ½ tsp salt¼ cup white sugar1 cup brown sugar2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Wet Ingredients8 tbsp butter (works best if melted first)4 tbsp chia gel¼ cup apple sauce (unsweetened)1 tbsp vanilla1 whole egg1 egg yolk only

First, pre-heat the oven to 325 degrees and grease your cookie sheets. Mix the melted butter, and both sugars until well blended. Then add the vanilla, applesauce, whole egg and egg yolk. Stir again until thoroughly combined. Last add in your chia gel and stir again. In another bowl, combine the rest of the dry ingredients except the chocolate chips. (Flour, baking soda, salt) Once the dry ingredients are mixed, add them slowly to the wet ingredients with a wooden spoon. Stir only until just combined. Last, add in the 2 cups chocolate chips.

Suggestion:If you’re making large or medium size cookies, you can use Jumbo chocolate chips or chocolate chunks.If you’re making regular or small size cookies, regular-size chocolate chips work best

Sizes:If you use ¼ cup batter per cookie bake for about 15 minutes (Large)If you use 1.5 tbsp batter per cookie bake for about 12 minutes (Medium)If you use 1.5 tsp batter per cookie bake for about 10 minutes (regular/small)

When done baking, the cookies will become golden brown. The edges may appear lightly toasted but the centers will still be soft and puffy. Be careful not to over bake.

Make Chia Gel (a video)

Chia gel is super easy to make, and it’s the key to the healthy kick these cookies pack. Due to its unique gelling property, it replaces half of the butter in this recipe, without changing the flavor. Chia seeds have no flavor of their own when you make the gel with filtered water. You won’t even know they’re in the cookies.

1 tbsp dry chia seeds9 tbsp filtered water

In a seal-able container, simply scoop in the chia seeds and add the 9 tbsp filtered water. Stir with a fork to prevent clumping, and let stand for about 10 to 15 minutes. The seeds will each have formed a thick gel around them. This gel can now be used to replace up to half the butter or oil in almost any baked recipe.

 This year, why not floor your competition with a gift that they will never forget? Delicious, personalized chocolate cigars carrying a heartfelt personal message will leave an impression that won’t go away in a hurry.

 Custom chocolate cigars are a highly innovative idea. They can be used for a number of wonderful occasions. You may use them for wedding receptions, bridal showers, birthday parties, baby showers or at wedding anniversaries. You may use them as wonderful and attractive centerpieces, or you may use them during fundraisers, annual company meetings or client parties.

Chocolate cigars are particularly handy when you want to announce the birth of a baby. You get readymade blue or pink cigars and you can personalize it by adding your own message to these wonderful cigars. According to new parents, Jim and Hannah Hayes, “Personalized chocolate cigars are a huge hit with small kids, big kids and adults. The cigars look absolutely amazing and they are fantastic treat for smokers, non-smokers – just about everybody!”

Whatever the occasion, there is one thing you can be sure of when it comes to chocolate cigars – the recipient will always love what he/she got, without exception. In the rare case where the recipient may not be a chocolate fan, you can still rest assured that someone in the family or close circle will love it. So, your gift will never go unappreciated.

Personalized chocolate cigars add a touch of extravaganza and celebration to every event, more so because everyone associates chocolates and fine cigars with celebrations. It is also the perfect gift for the special man in your life. Whether he is into cigars or chocolates or both, he will love it. Says Wendy Perble, “My dad loves cigars. He used to import some of his favorite brands all the time. But a year ago, he was asked to stop smoking completely. Since then, my sister and I make it a point to send him authentic custom made chocolate cigars twice a year. And you know what; he loves them just as much as his real cigars, or may be even more.”

Another huge plus in the favor of custom chocolate cigars is the opportunity to make these favors exclusively yours. You can add your own logo, pictures, sayings or quotes to give your personalized chocolate cigars a highly personal touch.

Personalized chocolate cigars are undoubtedly wonderful. They are a great way to express warmth, and anyone who receives them cannot help but fall in love with them.

 

Who doesn’t love chocolate? Well there are some but for the majority of us with a sweet tooth we just can’t resist that second, third (is there any need to go on?) bar of that lovely, creamy, succulent chocolate. The chances of feeling guilty after eating those lovely bars of chocolate are quite high.

We all know how difficult it is to find great quality chocolate that is not only low in fat and sugar, but low in carbs and made with natural sweetener. The chocolate also contains what is known as Inulin. Inulin is a dietary fiber that is a pre-biotic. This means it is good for your body on the inside and the outside. It helps digestion and promotes good health throughout.

So, just because you want a low carb, low calorie diet doesn’t mean you have to miss out on all the good stuff. We make all of our chocolate with real cocoa butter and it is packed full with fiber-rich Inulin. Even if you are not on a diet, what better way is there to have a treat without having all the guilt that goes along with it?

I happened to find a place where none of the chocolate contains maltitol and is truly delicious and nutritious to boot. They use Erythritol and not maltitol, the chocolate will not cause you any stomach distress as it is easily digestible, sweet and so tasty.

Erythritol is a sugar alcohol that is from naturally derived sources, it looks and tastes just like normal sugar, but it is much better for your overall health and weight. It is a sugar alcohol that is made from plants or starches. It can be found in grapes, in mushrooms, in cheese, wine, beer and many more sources. It doesn’t upset digestive systems and is gentle on your body. Erythritol contains almost zero sugar and helps assist a healthy and low calorie diet.

The place I’m talking about is cocoawishes. Their chocolate is so appetizing, just looking at the pictures will make your mouth water. They ensure you will be satisfied with our chocolate as it is made with love and care. You can have any of these melting in your mouth in both milk chocolate and dark chocolate.

So even if you love chocolate and can’t bear to give it up while you are on a diet or looking to eat healthier, theirs an answer to your problems. If you love chocolate the way they do, do check out their specials. Enjoy this amazing and succulent chocolate without any of the guilt or despair afterwards.

Life is too short to cut out what we love to eat, that is why one should go out and pamper yourself with a little indulgence of chocolate. You won’t have to sacrifice your health or your love of chocolate.

In my humble opinion, there is not a better cookie in the world than a well-made chocolate cookie. I am about to tell you how to make the perfect chocolate cookie.

The Perfect Chocolate Cookie

Cocoa drop cookie, the best chocolate cookie. They are not only delicious, but very easy to make as well.

The ingredients required for this recipe are: ¼ cup butter, softened; ¼ cup shortening; 1 cup sugar; 1 egg; ¾ cup buttermilk; 1 tsp vanilla; 1 ¼ cup sifted all-purpose flour; ½ tsp baking soda; ½ tsp salt; ½ cup cocoa powder, unsweetened; and 1 cup of chopped pecans.

1. Cream the shortening and butter with sugar; beat in egg.

2. Stir in the buttermilk and vanilla

3. Sift the dry ingredients together and add to the first mixture.

4. Stir in the pecans, and chill the cookie dough for about an hour.

5. Use a teaspoon to drop the dough onto a greased baking sheet, leaving about 2 inches between the cookies.

6. Bake in a preheated 400°F oven for about 8-10 minutes, or until set.

7. Then cool and frost with a simple chocolate or vanilla icing if desired.

Shortbread Cookie Recipe

Here is the recipe for another great cookie, the chocolate covered shortbread cookie recipe. For this you will need: 8 ounces butter at room temperature; ½ cup powdered sugar; 2 cups all-purpose flour; ½ teaspoon baking powder; 2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, melted; and ½ teaspoon vanilla extract.

1. Combine all ingredients.

2. Knead with your hands to made sure they are well mixed

3. Press into lightly buttered pans.

4. Bake at 325°F for about 20 minutes.

5. Cut into wedges while they are still warm or break them apart.

There are many fabulous recipes out there but here are two of the best. Remember these recipes around the holidays and you can present your friends and family with delightful treats that will be remembered the rest of the year.

 

Chocolate – ah, the rich, seductive swirl of thick, creamy chocolate melting at the tip of your tongue sends all your senses into a tizzy of pleasure. Every time you bite into a piece of chocolate, whether it is white, brown or even bitter chocolate, you cannot help but heave a sigh of pure, undiluted pleasure. This is the reason why more and more people are celebrating with chocolate favors.

Custom chocolate coins are pieces of delicious chocolates cut and packed in rich foils to make them look like currency coins. In the past, chocolate coins were a popular feature of gala events like a treasure hunt, parties and even weddings. Today, the popularity of personalized chocolate coins is such that it is being increasingly used even in the corporate world.

Many companies use custom chocolate coins to advertise their services. This is made easier by the advent of a new technology that allows manufacturers to transfer images and pictures on to the surfaces of individual pieces of chocolates. Thus, it becomes quite easy to imprint a message or logo on individual pieces of chocolate. That is why companies often give away chocolate coins imprinted with their corporate logos to their clients or other business people attending the meetings. These personalized chocolate coins for great promotional tools.

This idea of absolute personalization has found a welcome reception in personal parties and weddings, with people imprinting the image or names of the couple to be wedded on personalized chocolate coins. Thus, custom made chocolate coins make great gifts for baby showers, anniversaries or birthdays. In fact, you name the event and a chocolate coin can carry the message effectively!

Personalized chocolate coins are highly versatile since they appear in a variety of shapes, sizes and even colors (yes, you read that right). Chocolate coins can be round, heart-shaped or intricately designed into a cute little box. Some chocolates are colored to suit the occasion.

Every effort is taken to make the chocolate coin leave a lasting impression on the person who receives it. Even the wrapping is done very elaborately. You can get custom chocolate coins wrapped in colorful foils so that the printed sides are accentuated. Some companies pay a lot of attention to the smallest of details in order to make their coins look as authentic as possible. Designs can vary from simplistic to complex.

High quality chocolate coins are made using the best quality of chocolate. You can find personalized chocolate coins made in a variety of flavors like milk, vanilla and chocolate. Some companies even offer chocolate coins in rich Belgian chocolate, a wonderful combination that is difficult to match. A wonderful way to celebrate a special event, don’t you think?

Chocolates Origin. When devouring chocolate, you are partaking of the cacao tree, which requires definite environmental conditions to effectively grow. Prospering within Central America, records far back as 3000 years, the cacao tree is also known as Theobroma, a scientific name branded by Swedish taxonomist Carl Linnaeus (1707-1778). Throughout history, chocolate uses range from a delicacy in food industries to the application of treating varies ailments.

 

Chocolates Popularity. Chocolate is so admired experts are concerned there may be a dearth in the future. To keep up with demand, resourceful methods are being used to cultivate the cocoa tree. One arrangement of growth makes use of providing premature shade for the cocoa trees, and then treats them with excess sunlight to augment production. Alas, this method only lasts for about 10 years as the trees lose their might. However, sophisticated methods such as vertical greenhouses can be placed in cityscapes and grant environmental conditions to produce anything plantlike, including the lovable cocoa tree!

 

Flavors To Indulge By. With chocolate having such an inexhaustible history, supported by today’s mass popularity, confers chocolate the potential for many recipes. Chocolate can be diverse in taste from sourness to sweetness. Chocolate is also formed in varying textures such as smoothness, crispiness, crunchiness, softness, and of course liquid form. Most important of all, chocolate is normally combined with many different flavors, adding a magnitude of variety. This literally allows many recipes to be invented and most certainly consumed with joy.

 

Apparently there is no way to place several hundred recipes in this article. However, there is info pertaining to a powerhouse chocolate recipe cookbook that should easily provide your desire and decide upon any chocolate recipe, located at: http://www.metaversis.com/info/chocolate.html.

I have always loved the combination of chocolate and peanut butter. I used to love the commercials of the kids running into each other, one child with the Hershey chocolate bar, and the other child with a jar of peanut butter.

The first time I tried these cookies, I was hooked. The recipe is a very simple peanut butter dough, with a Hershey’s kiss in the middle:

1 cup butter2/3 cup creamy peanut butter1 cup white sugar1 cup brown sugar2 eggs2 teaspoons vanilla2 2/3 cups flour2 teaspoon baking soda1 teaspoon salt

Additional sugar in a bowl for rollingChocolate Kisses

Combine butter, peanut butter and sugars; blend until creamy. Add eggs and vanilla; blend. Mix flour, salt and soda, add to cream mixture; stir well. Roll dough into quarter size balls. Roll ball in bowl of sugar. Bake dough at 350 degrees for 8 minutes. Immediately place chocolate kiss in center of each cookie. Bake an additional 2 minutes. Transfer to cooling rack.

You can add food coloring to the dough to create any color you’d like. We have made these cookies in red, green and blue. You can also divide the batter and make multiple colors for one batch of cookies.

Experiment with the many flavors of Hershey’s kisses. They make a kiss that has peanut butter right in the middle. These are a wonderful addition to the peanut butter cookie. Hershey’s also makes kisses with nuts in the middle. This is a fun kiss to put in the middle of the cookies. If you make a red dough, try the chocolate kisses that are part white and part brown.

We have also added peanut M&M’s in the middle, instead of Hershey’s Kisses. Follow the same recipe adding the M&M’s at the very end and baking 2 additional minutes.

If you find the cookies a little sweet for your taste, cut out some of the brown sugar. Try cutting the brown sugar down to 3/4 of a cup.