Pro Chocolate

Best Store-Bought Cookies Ever

2011-12-07T16:27:00.007-05:00

I pride myself in not regularly eating store-bought cookies. I mean, if I'm gonna "waste" calories, I'm gonna waste them on some home-baked, fresh-from-the-oven sweets -- not crunchy, crumbly, flavorless yuckies from the grocery store.* I've said it before, and I'll say it again: I'm a cookie snob.

So when I decided to give Candy Cane Oreos a whirl on Sunday, I had fairly low expectations. I thought, "Creme with crunchy sprinkles? I dunno . . ." But I tried one, anyway, 'cause who can resist a mint/chocolate combination, and lo and behold! I was forever changed. That cookie was magical. I. Wanted. More.

So more I got. Four bags more, in fact. Yes, that's right -- the following day I bought the last four bags (that I could find) at Wally World. I didn't eat them all . . . That would just be ridiculous. I gave two bags away and am considering giving the fourth away. Why? Because the world has to know about these cookies. They are the best, and I can't keep that knowledge to myself. (That does not mean I haven't eat at least six Oreos every night for the last three nights. A girl has got to eat, after all.)

Anyway, buy a bag.** Or don't. Because they're like Pringles that way: Once you pop, you can't stop!

* It's quite amazing that one company can produce both the best cookie and the worst. (See Food Review: Mint OREO Fudge Cremes.)
** Incidentally, the bag is extremely user-friendly. You can re-seal it after you've had your fill of cookies. It really locks in that crisp Oreo freshness.

I Heart Chocolate Silk

2011-11-10T12:06:00.010-05:00

A couple of weeks ago, a friend suggested I buy Chocolate Silk. He said it was life-changing. I didn't believe him, but I bought it anyway. I thought maybe he knew what he was talking about.

He knew what he was talking about.

The first time I had soy milk was years ago. My sister-in-law drinks the vanilla-flavored Silk, so I tried it and hated it. (I felt so bad for people with lactose intolerance and thanked my lucky stars that I could pour as much milk on my cereal as I wanted without hesitation.) I thought Chocolate Silk would taste just as bad, especially since ready-made chocolate milk is, in my opinion, gross. (It's always too chocolatey!) Boy, was I wrong! In fact, I love the stuff so much that I drink it nearly every day. I like to have some when I get home from school or work; it gives me something to look forward to. Yesterday, however, I had to go home in the middle of the day, and I was more than a little excited that I'd get to "cheat" and have my glass of Chocolate Silk in the afternoon.

I'm probably addicted now, but there are worse things to get addicted to, right? I mean, I don't eat enough protein as it is . . . And if I'm going to have a chocolate fix each day (which I almost always do), at least it's in the form of soy milk than say, a candy bar. Right? Right??? Can I get a AMEN? ;)

A New Kind of Chocolate . . . In Peru!

2011-10-28T12:12:00.002-04:00

Did you know that chocolate is influenced by the region where it's grown? Depending on the country from which it comes, a cacao bean can have complex changes in flavor. Recently, scientists from the USDA's Agricultural Research Service reported discovering three previously unknown varieties of wild cacao in Peru.

But what does this Peruvian chocolate taste like, you ask?

Sadly for chocoholics, it will be several years before we get to find out. Cacao is a slow-growing tree; it takes at least five years for a tree to bear pods. So it will be a long while yet before the saplings now growing at a central collection spot in Tarapoto, Peru, yield enough beans to turn into chocolate.*

I think the takeaway from this news is twofold:

Be on the lookout for Peruvian chocolate in a few years.
Try chocolate from other regions of the world! (Apparently, Bolivian chocolate is amazing.

*Source: In Peru, A Hunt for Chocolate like You've Never Tasted It.

Best Chocolate Chip Cookies I've Ever Eaten

2011-04-09T19:50:00.007-04:00

Chocolate chip cookies are hard to get right. It's such a simple cookie, really, so you'd think there wouldn't be much to it. But that's precisely why I think good chocolate chip cookies are so hard to come by. Besides chocolate, there aren't many complex flavors going on in that cookie, You can't hide, for example, a bland base flavor by adding the excitement of M&Ms or butterscotch chips or coconut. It's just the base and the chocolate chips.

It may seem odd, but for a long time, the best chocolate chip cookies I had ever had were the Nestle Toll House cookies sold at Subway. They definitely had the best flavor. Still, they were always too flat for my liking.

I've tried chocolate chip cookies from all sorts of places. I even try to make my own, when I can't find the best recipe, but I can never get them quite right, either . . .

I finally found the best, though. At a hole-in-the-wall deli in Austin. Specializing in sandwiches, salads, and soups, Fricano's Deli is an unlikely place to find the best chocolate chip cookie. It's a tiny place just north of The University of Texas' campus, and it's fantastic. To be sure, the sandwiches are delicious, but I was surprised to find that they made desserts from scratch.

When I was there the first time, I saw one of the employees mixing the cookie batter. She said something about how she put her "heart and soul" into the cookies. At first I thought it was sort of a silly thing to say, but a while later, after I had devoured my cookie, I realized that she wasn't kidding!

If you are in Austin, get your chocolate chip cookies from Fricano's only! I don't care what anybody else says about other bakeries in town -- trust me, they're not as good!

Update: Not long after publishing this post, I went to Fricano's to buy more cookies. I asked for the recipe, and they told me they used the one on the back of the Nestle Toll House chocolate chip bag! I couldn't believe it, but the guy I talked to assured me that's what they used. I'm betting that they use a bit more flour than the original recipe calls for . . . And maybe that woman I talked to before really does put her heart and soul into the batter! :)

Might as Well Face It: I'm Addicted to Peanut Butter

2010-10-20T17:08:00.002-04:00

That's right. I've been obsessed with peanut butter lately. It used to take me several months to go through my standard-size jar of extra crunchy Jif. Lately, though, I've been going through peanut butter jars like a madwoman. It took me about a month and a half to finish off my last jar!

But here's the thing: I've started mixing it with honey. I did that as a kid, and I guess I forgot about it. I forgot how wonderfully yummy peanut butter and honey is together. And you can make it very sweet or not too sweet. And you can spread it on nearly everything. This is what I like to eat my peanut butter and honey with:

Bananas
Graham crackers
Nilla Wafers
Apples
Bread
By itself

What I wanted to especially point out, though, is that when you eat it on a graham cracker, it sort of tastes like the Girl Scout Peanut Butter Sandwich cookies. No joke! No more waiting for March to have your Peanut Butter Sandwich cookies!!! Yay!

Food Review: Mint OREO Fudge Cremes

2010-09-21T00:56:00.003-04:00

These are gross. Let me tell you why:

They left one of the chocolate cookies off.
The fudge creme makes the chocolate cookie a little soggy.
There's too much chocolate flavor and not enough mint.

All in all, this is a poor excuse for a cookie. The lack of crunch was the worst part.

I'm always looking for ways to get that Thin Mint experience during the off-season, but thinking that Mint OREO Fudge Cremes would be a good substitute was a mistake. What was I thinking?!?

I'm actually going to throw the box out. I don't know if I've ever done that with chocolate/cookies. (So trust me on this: Save your money for a different chocolate-y treat!)

Everybody Likes a Parfait!

2010-09-16T00:51:00.002-04:00

Donkey was right about parfaits: Everybody likes them! And you know what? I have found the perfect ingredients for one. :)

I use variations of three ingredients:
Low-fat vanilla yogurt
I use low-fat vanilla yogurt (preferably Kroger brand) because it's a little more tart than regular vanilla yogurt or non-fat yogurt. I like it because it gives anything a little kick!

Granola cereal
Granola cereal is best for parfaits because there are biggish chunks that make the granola extra crunchy. (I like the Kroger brand for this, too.)

Fruit
I used to use fresh blueberries almost exclusively. Then I switched to fresh strawberries. Today I discovered that frozen fruit is divine in parfaits. The bit of juice you get in frozen fruit provides a nice syrupy texture that gives the parfait a cobbler feel. Right now I'm using Kirkland's Trader Farms Triple Berry.*

So basically, just layer each ingredient on top of each other. I don't put too much effort into creating multiple layers. Usually, I just scoop some yogurt into a Tupperware container, throw a large handful of berries on top, sprinkle about a third of a cup of granola cereal on top of that, and finally, add a few more heaping spoonfuls of yogurt on the very top. Then I put the lid on the container and let the parfait sit in the fridge for a few hours.

In my opinion, those last two steps are crucial. At least some of the granola cereal has to be touching a layer of yogurt. Then, when you let the parfait sit in the fridge for a while, the granola gets a bit soft and chewy. But because it's granola cereal, some of the granola chunks stay crunchy. In the end, you get a sort of tart cobbler concoction -- but it doesn't have ice cream! So it's healthy!

Try making a parfait my way! I promise that you won't regret it!

*"But, Sara?" you ask. "What's a marionberry?" I know, I know -- I wondered, too! Let's let Wikipedia tell us: marionberry.

Eat a Peach!

2010-09-14T11:54:00.002-04:00

Better yet, eat a peach while listening to Eat a Peach! (Boy, those Allman Brothers knew what they were singing about!)

Seriously, though. Peaches are wonderful this season. I've had a peach almost every day for the last couple of weeks! You'd think I'd be tired of them, but I'm not! Because they're so good! There's almost nothing worse than a bad peach (Okay, there are a lot of things worse than a bad peach), but there is almost nothing better than a good one! (And that is true!)

I have just been eating peaches plain, but my mom always uses them to make peaches 'n' cream. You just dice a peach, put it into a cereal bowl, sprinkle a bit of sugar on top, and pour milk and a little whipping cream into it. It's basically peach cereal. I may or may not add a little extra cream . . . which makes it sort of unhealthy . . . But it is so good! In fact, I may have peaches 'n' cream for breakfast tomorrow!

Eat a peach!*

*But don't eat an apple. In my opinion, apples are sub-par this year. What happened?

The King and I

2010-08-11T14:06:00.002-04:00

The peanut butter and banana sandwich (with or without bacon/bacon grease) is often referred to as the The Elvis because it is widely known that Elvis Presley ate many a PB&B sandwich in one sitting.

How I know that, I'm not really sure, and why it gives me somewhat of a thrill every time I eat such a sandwich, I don't know. It might be because I really like Elvis. (I mean, have you listened to Jailhouse Rock lately? So good!) And it might be because I find it fascinating that people in the '50s did the same things as people now. (Really, that thought never gets old.)

One thing I do know is that minus the bacon/bacon grease, The Elvis is a highly nutritional sandwich. I like to eat mine on toasted whole wheat English muffins or flatbread. A few tablespoons of crunchy peanut butter and a sliced banana make it a low-calorie, healthy meal!

Now, go! Get thee to a kitchen and make The Elvis!

Whole Grain Mac 'n' Cheese!

2010-08-10T17:59:00.002-04:00

Am I the last person to know that Kraft Foods now makes whole grain macaroni and cheese? What a magnificent product! I didn't grow up on homemade macaroni and cheese; it was always Kraft macaroni in my parents' house. As such, I love the stuff! Unfortunately, I had cut it out of my diet for the most part because I don't like to eat much white flour, if I can help it.

So imagine my delight when I saw that Kraft now makes macaroni with half white flour and half whole wheat! Now I'm getting at least some whole grains without completely sacrificing the flavor!

Yummee!

Graeter's Ice Cream and Candy

2007-05-24T01:41:00.001-04:00

I haven't posted anything on this blog since November of last year. Well, I hope that dry spell is over, thanks to 2 things:

I decided to expand the scope of this blog a bit. Instead of just blogging about chocolate, I will blog about baking in general. Uh, I doubt I will write about cooking because my true interest is in sweet treats . . .
I tasted the best dark chocolate I've ever had in my life. I will expound on this below.

A co-worker brought Cincinnati's finest to the office today -- in the form of Graeter's dark chocolate bars. I tend to be skeptical of dark chocolate because it's usually bitter and waxy. Actually, that's probably because I rarely eat gourmet chocolate. I'm used to cheap dark chocolate, like Hershey's and Dove. (Dove dark is pretty good.)

Oh, but Graeter's dark chocolate has so much genuine chocolate flavor. The texture is amazing; it's so, so smooth and creamy. My co-worker brought their milk chocolate as well, but it just didn't hold a candle to the dark. Not even close.

Well, I looked Graeter's up online, and from the looks of it, the company's big draw is ice cream. Louis C. Graeter began the business in 1870 as an ice cream shop. He started in Cincinnati, and as the range of sweets grew to include candy, the number of shops grew. Graeter's now operates in 7 U.S. cities and has an online store. (Though, they are not shipping anything at the moment due to warm weather -- shucks.)

But you can read all about the company's history online. What I want you to take away from this post is that all I know about Graeter's is their chocolate, and it's good. Very good. Bottom line? Graeter's is greater. Get some.

Hershey's Sticks

2006-11-29T01:28:00.000-05:00

Just call me Louis. Or Clark. Because I just discovered a new chocolate product for you!

It seems that the folks at Hershey have jumped on board the small-portion-size marketing strategy (e.g. 100-calorie packs). They've created Hershey's Sticks -- smooth and creamy, perfectly-sized, 60-calorie chocolate sticks. The sticks come in 4 varieties: milk chocolate, caramel-filled milk chocolate, rich dark chocolate, and mint chocolate. They really are the perfect snack size! I'm telling you -- if you have a hankering for an after-lunch, but before-work-ends sweet snack, keep these on hand. You'll satisfy your chocolate urge, but with only 60 calories. Not bad! (Of course, you do need to make sure you only eat one . . .)

I think the psychology behind it is in the shape. They are long and skinny sticks. So you almost feel like you're eating a candy bar -- just a skinny one. But those little Hershey miniatures? Fuhgedaboudit. They make me think I need to eat about 10 before I'm satisfied . . .

Basically, I think if you're a chocoholic like me, this is a great development in the industry for you.

Bonus: You can use these sticks in hot chocolate!

Recipe for Some Good Hot Chocolate

2006-11-29T01:09:00.000-05:00

Okay, so this isn't really an original recipe, but if you need some great hot chocolate fast, this is what you have to do:

Buy Archer Farms Hazelnut Hot Cocoa Mix from Target.
Buy a box of Hershey's Sticks, the Mint Milk Chocolate variety.
Make one cup of hot cocoa, according to the directions on the hot chocolate tin. (This means you'd be using 4 tablespoons of cocoa mix.)
Add half of a mint Hershey Stick to the mixture, and stir until it's thoroughly melted.

And that's it! You can add whipped cream if you want, which I almost always recommend -- the fatter, the better, I say!

So this recipe seems pretty boring, but just try it. It'll knock your proverbial socks off! The thing that's so great about this recipe is that it's minty, but not overly minty, which is the problem I have with many mint chocolate mixes. Also, I used only water for this mix, whereas usually I use milk for hot chocolate. Milk is my favorite, but then you have to deal with that curdled layer on top when you heat it -- gross! But I guess what you trade off for milkfat in this mix is sugar -- 'cuz there's a lot of it!

Go make yourself some hot chocolate!

Watch Out -- These Little Buggers Will Get You Every Time

2006-11-25T20:18:00.001-05:00

That's right -- I'm talking about the Mint Chocolate M&M's. They only come out at Christmastime, and it's difficult to find them just anywhere. I usually can't find them at any other store besides Target. I was finally able to get three bags last night at $2.98 a pop! But that's $2.98 well-spent, I say.

The bags are really pretty this year, too, and "Limited Edition" is printed next to the logo. So I'm tempted to buy a huge box and freeze them. I mean, you never know -- Mars, Inc. could very well decide they don't want to produce anymore. Sadly, that was the fate of the Hershey Cookies 'n' Mint bar . . .

I'm hopeful this won't happen, though, because candy that only comes out once a year seems to fair better, usually. Plus, I think the mint and chocolate combo is addictive. Addictive, I tell you.

Please, go to your nearest Target and pick up a bag or two. And come back to tell me what you think of the divine red, white, and green Christmas candies.

World's Tallest Chocolate Fountain

2006-05-23T02:45:00.000-04:00

I never really cared about Las Vegas, even after "Ocean's Eleven" came out. Sure, the Bellagio sounds cool and hip, but what do I care about casinos? Well, I just found out that this is what I care about casinos:

That's right, folks -- it's the World's tallest chocolate fountain at the Bellagio Hotel and Casino. I found these photos on Flickr (Thanks, lesliebyk and shookiemookie!). Here are the facts:

Designed by Montreal artist Michel Mailhot
It's the world's tallest and largest-volume chocolate fountain.
The glass-encased fountain contains about 2,100 pounds of flowing chocolate.
6 pumps circulate close to 2 tons of chocolate.
Over 500 feet of stainless steel piping
Chocolate circulates at 120 degrees Farenheit.
2 years of engineering, planning, and design

Now, scroll back up to those images. You know you want to.

Making Chocolate: A Video

2006-05-10T11:01:00.000-04:00

If you love watching chocolate products being made, you really ought to check out the "Making Chocolate" video on the Hershey Corporation Web site. It's incredible.

2006-05-01T20:28:00.000-04:00

Could it be real? Could it be true? Could the Hershey candy company have begun producing Cookies 'n' Mint again?

Well, folks, believe it. Because it is true. I spotted them a week ago at Cowboys gas station, and today I actually bought one. It was as delightful as it ever was.

I'm not sure what brought this small miracle of capitalism about, but I have an idea it has to do with Steve Almond's book Candy Freak. (If you've found this blog about chocolate, you probably already know about the book.) I'll save the discussion of this book for another post, but I'll just say that in his 2004 publication, Almond describes candy that has gone into . . . extinction. One of them was Cookies 'n' Mint. He bemoans the loss of this candy within the first 3 pages, and the book had pretty good reviews. So I just bet that Hershey took some notice.

Thanks, Mr. Almond.

Update: Since writing this post, I have searched for information on Cookies 'n' Mint production, and sadly, I have to wonder if it is too good to be true. I noticed the other day that the words "Limited Edition" were printed on the stash of bars at the gas station I had been buying them from. What does this mean? I don't know. But I have a feeling it doesn't mean that Hershey is producing an entire line. I'm sorry chocolate-lovers and Pro Chocolate readers; I should've checked my facts thoroughly first.

The Rules of Chocolate

2006-04-17T15:00:00.000-04:00

I found this list on Smile of the Day, and actually, I think I received it in a forward once . . .

So. These are the rules of chocolate:

If you get melted chocolate all over your hands, you're eating it too slowly.
Chocolate-covered raisins, cherries, orange slices, and strawberries all count as fruit, so eat as many as you want.
The Problem: How to get 2 pounds of chocolate home from the store in a hot car. Solution: Eat it in the parking lot.
Diet tip: Eat a chocolate bar before each meal. It will take the edge off your appetite and you will eat less.
A nice box of chocolates can provide your total daily intake of calories in one place. Isn't that handy?
Money talks. Chocolate sings.
Chocolate has many preservatives. Preservatives make you look younger.
Chocolate is a health food. Chocolate is derived from cacao beans. Bean = vegetable. Sugar is derived either from sugar beets or cane, both vegetables. And, of course, the milk/cream is dairy. So eat more chocolate to meet the dietary requirements for daily vegetable and dairy intake.
Put "eat chocolate" at the top of your list of things to do today. That way, at least you will get one thing done.

Can you think of any other chocolate rules?

Can You Guess This Candy?

2006-04-16T01:00:00.000-04:00

It is the best-selling confectionery item between January 1st and Easter; over 200 million are sold annually, 3 for every person in the UK.

Yep, that's right -- the Cadbury Creme Egg.

The Cadbury Creme Egg plant at Bournville can produce more than 1.5 million eggs per day. If you laid all the eggs made on the Creme Egg plant end to end, they would stretch all the way from the Bournville factory in Birmingham UK to Sydney in Australia -- that's 12,000 miles.

Besides these interesting facts, the Cadbury Creme Egg site tells us this about the history of the Cadbury chocolateers:

In the 19th century the Cadbury family were members of the Society of Friends or Quakers, one of the many non-conformist groups developed in the 17th century in protest against the formalism of the Established Church. Quakers held strong beliefs and ideals which carried into 'campaigns for justice, equality and social reform, putting an end to poverty and deprivation'.

As nonconformists, Quakers weren't allowed to enter the Universities, which in the 19th century were closely linked with the Established Church. So entry into the professions was impossible, and pacifist principles precluded the military as a career. Their energies and talents were therefore directed towards business, social reform and the transformation of social and industrial society in Victorian Britain.

And so, the Cadbury's got into the chocolate business. Maybe it's a good thing they weren't allowed to enter the universities?

And the Survey Says . . .

2006-04-11T16:38:00.000-04:00

Okay, I think it's about time that I post the results of my chocolate blogpoll. It's been up for about 2-3 months, and it still only got a grand total of . . . wait for it . . . 14 votes! (Looks like it's time for me to start paying attention to my chocolate blog!)

So the question was: Which is your favorite chocolate combination? Chocolate and mint? Or Chocolate and peanut butter? Here are the results:

Chocolate and mint -- 9 votes, 64.3%
Chocolate and peanut butter -- 5 votes, 35.7%

Chocolate and mint won! That's the one I voted for. For one main reason: Chocolate and peanut butter is a brilliant combo, no doubt. One of my favorite treats is to eat Hershey's Kisses with a dollop of crunchy peanut butter. And who can doubt the power of the Reese's Peanut Butter egg at Easter? It makes my mouth water. But then the memory of the special Christmas mint M&M's pop into my head . . . They're just little, unassuming red and green candies, but they are the most addictive junk food I've ever put into my mouth. I wonder if mint is addictive . . . I'll have to do some research on that . . .

Anyway, mint is the winner. And this is a very scientific survey . . .

Lindt Balls

2006-03-15T15:35:00.000-05:00

I asked my sister Summer to model a milk chocolate Lindt ball for 2 reasons:

It looks like the medicine ball Miracle Max makes Westley in The Princess Bride.
It is an extremely delicious piece of food. I had actually never had Lindt chocolate before Valentine's Day '06, and I must say that I feel I've been left out of the full chocolate heaven for the majority of my life. There are other chocolates I still like better, but I now think that a platter of the finest chocolates must always include at least one Lindt ball. Try one; you'll like it.

*Regarding the picture, I have to tell you that I took a few more. Summer actually shot me the bird in one of them . . . It's a crazy funny picture, but I'm not posting it on my blog. You'll have to ask me for it in person.

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY, INDEED!

2006-02-14T14:03:00.000-05:00

I saw this article on MSN and jumped on it! It's an article about the health benefits of chocolate. Yeah, we've all "heard" that before, but I thought I'd at least post the article. And here are some excerpts:

According to the diet doc [Arthur Agatston of South Beach Diet fame], studies show that high concentrations of cocoa found in dark chocolate -- at least 70 percent -- help improve vascular function by relaxing blood vessels, keeping cholesterol from gathering in blood vessels and reducing the risk of blood clots.

Others agreed. Jeffrey Blumberg, a professor of nutrition at Tufts University's Friedman School of Nutrition, in Boston, said dark chocolate contains flavanols, plant-based antioxidants that may have beneficial effects on cardiovascular function. These benefits might extend to improving heart function and lowering blood pressure, he said.

"However, even if you're eating 80 percent cocoa, flavanol-rich dark chocolate, you're still eating a high-calorie, high-fat food," the Boston expert warned. "It is not a 'health food.'"

Nevertheless, he and a team of researchers published a study last August in Hypertension that found that eating a dark chocolate candy bar once a day for 15 days significantly lowered the blood pressure of 20 people suffering from hypertension.

There was a catch: The participants had to lower their caloric intake of other foods to accommodate the nearly 500 calories they consumed every day by eating the candy bar.

"You choose whole grain bread instead of white bread, sweet potatoes instead of white potatoes, and when it comes to Valentine's Day, choose dark chocolate-covered almonds rather than milk chocolate or white chocolate," Agatston said.

"You want to make the best choices, even when you're cheating a bit," Agatston advised.

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

2006-02-14T09:02:00.000-05:00

Chocolate: The Exhibition

2006-02-13T12:55:00.000-05:00

On February 11th, 2006, Fernbank Museum of Natural History opened the doors to Chocolate: The Exhibition. That's right -- an exhibit all about chocolate. How could I not post about it?

I haven't even seen it yet, but I don't expect it to be bad! I will make time to go soon enough, but until I post my reactions, I think you should find out yours. The exhibit lasts until August 13th. That's 7 whole months of chocolate!

Guys: Take your girlfriends to this exhibit for Valentine's Day!

Japanese Chocolate

2006-02-09T14:40:00.000-05:00

I found a link to Engrish.com through a friend's blog. It's all about Japanese/English culture. So check out these Japanese chocolate wrappers I found:

This is the mini "Big Bar."

These look like little colons. I love that Japan has "Hello Kitty" plastered everywhere.

They couldn't come up with a name for these, so they just called them what they are.

My Favorite Chocolates In the Whole World

2006-01-12T13:33:00.000-05:00

One of my sisters-in-law's parents just sent my family some See's chocolates! YAY! I hadn't eaten lunch yet, but I ate three chocolates anyway! How could I resist? See's is my favorite candy company. If I could get a lifetime supply of anything, it would probably be See's chocolates -- the ones I've circled below.

What's YOUR favorite gourmet chocolate or candy?

Favorite Chocolate Bar?

2006-01-07T03:39:00.000-05:00

I've closed the most recent Pro Chocolate Poll, "What is your favorite chocolate Bar?". Here are the results (out of 19 total votes):

Snickers: 4 votes, 21.1%
Mr. Goodbar: 4 votes, 21.1%
Kit Kat: 3 votes, 15.8%
Other: 3 votes, 15.8%
Heath: 2 votes, 10.5%
Butterfinger: 1 vote, 5.3%
Baby Ruth: 1 vote, 5.3%
3 Musketeers: 1 vote, 5.3%

I thought you might like to know what the top 10 candy brands in the U.S. were in 2000 (2000's data is the most recent I could get my hands on.). The source is The Manufacturing Confectioner ("The Business Magazine of the Global Sweet Goods Industry"), and the research actually covers brand/sales in dollars for the first quarter of 1998.

M&Ms 26,128,204
Hershey 18,721,350
Reeses 16,876,411
Snickers 15,565,099
York Peppermint Patty 6,971,883
Butterfinger 5,645,239
Three Musketeers 5,283,848
Nestle Crunch 5,213,076
Russell Stover 4,615,111
Almond Joy 4,358,023

So Nestle Crunch, really? And Three Musketeers? Who buys those? Also, number 10 tells us that people feel like a nut more often than not.

Hershey's Kisses Peanut Butter Cookies

2006-01-07T03:38:00.000-05:00

I think Hershey's Kisses cookies are the prettiest kind of cookie. Look at that chocolate sheen. YUMMY.

You can get the recipe for these cookies on the back of any Hershey's Kisses bag (I think the Hershey company calls them Peanut Blossoms.) If you want a bigger batch and a more peanut buttery taste, though, try my sister-in-law's recipe:

1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup soft butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/3 cup flour
1 tsp baking soda
2-3 dozen Hershey's Kisses (There are more than enough in one regular-size bag.)

1. Mix ingredients.
2. Roll dough in sugar and place on cookie sheet.
3. Bake @ 375 degrees for 8-10 minutes.
4. Put Hershey's Kisses on top before the cookies cool. (Right after they come out of the oven works the best.)

I'd like to add a baking tip here. That is, it's almost ALWAYS best to mix the wet ingredients and dry ingredients separately. Make sure you beat your butters and sugars for a few minutes so that you get a really fluffy, creamy mixture. Then add the egg and vanilla. Again, mix the dry ingredients. Then add the dry mixture to the wet mixture, beating only until the dry ingredients are incorporated into the wet mixture.

This really is a good way to get smooth and fluffy dough. I promise! I've read about it over and over again in all of my recipe books!

Chocolate Crinkles

2005-12-30T02:01:00.000-05:00

I just made these chocolate crinkle cookies. They are divine. I'd been seeing these cookies in all my cookbooks and thought, "Hm. Those look good. I should really try those." Finally, I did. I used the recipe from Betty Crocker's Baking For Today (2005). Before I give you the recipe, I should mention that I now do all my baking with unbleached white flour. I read in Essentials of Baking (Williams Sonoma, 2003) that unbleached flour has a more pleasant taste, and I quite agree. I think it has made a huge difference in the flavor of my sugar cookies, especially. Oh, I also use parchment paper to bake with now. It's just simpler.

Anyway, here's the recipe:

1 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons butter or margarine, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 oz unsweetened baking chocolate, melted and cooled
2 eggs
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
approximately 1/2 cup powdered sugar

In large bowl, mix granulated sugar, butter, vanilla and chocolate with spoon. Stir in eggs, one at a time. Stir in flour, baking powder and salt. Cover and refrigerate at least 3 hours.

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease cookie sheet with shortening or spray with cooking spray. Drop dough by teaspoonfuls into powdered sugar; roll around to coat. Shape into balls. On cookie sheet, place balls about 2 inches apart.

Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until almost no indentation remains when touched. Immediately remove from cookie sheet to wire rack; cool.

Be sure to really drop the dough directly into the powdered sugar. I thought I was being so clever by deciding it would work better to ball it up in my hands first. I was definitely wrong! Plus, if you ball it up after you've rolled it in the powdered sugar, the excess sugar comes off and doesn't get everywhere when moving the cookies. Maybe the dough was so sticky because I only left it in the refrigerator for about two hours. Hey, when you bake a dozen different cookies in half a week, you start to look for shortcuts! :)

(Note: The image was also taken from Baking For Today.)

5-Minute Fudge

2005-12-23T16:28:00.000-05:00

My sister told me the best fudge she ever tasted was Rachel Ray 's 5-Minute Fudge her friend made. I'm a bit skeptical of Rachel Ray because I've heard that her recipes are not as quick and easy as she professes. Some food critics say that her recipes are good, though. And Summer did say it was the best fudge she ever had. Summer's hard to please when it comes to fudge, and actually, so am I. So I decided to give Rachel Ray a shot. And I came to the conclusion that if I ever need to make something to impress someone, but I don't have a lot of time, I'll make this fudge.

Her fudge includes currants, and it's in the shape of a wreath. I generally think that putting fruit in dessert completely goes against the whole purpose of dessert, so I left the currants out. Also, presentation is nice, but in my family, desserts don't really last long enough to make the presentation matter, so I just slapped the fudge in a 1" jelly roll or cake pan. Fudge wreaths? Who needs 'em?!?

So this is what my final adaptation came out to be:

1 (12-ounce) bag semisweet chocolate morsels
9 ounces (3/4 of a 12-ounce bag) butterscotch morsels
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 (8-ounce) bag walnut halves

Lightly grease the cookie/cake/jelly roll pan with softened butter.

Place a heavy pot on the stove and preheat it over low heat. Add chips and milk and stir until chips are melted and milk combined. Stir in vanilla, and remove fudge from heat. Stir in nuts immediately.

The fudge will set up almost immediately. Chill covered in the refrigerator.

Now, this recipe does not take 5 minutes. But it probably doesn't take more than 10, either. Because butterscotch has a higher melting point than chocolate, you will probably need to raise the heat a bit past "low". I suppose you could just add as much butterscotch as you like, since it's a pretty rough measurement. Same goes for walnuts. If you like crunch, add more.

It's really a foolproof recipe. Try it.

Ghirar-heaven?

2005-12-15T23:19:00.000-05:00

Ghirardelli chocolates aren't my favorites. I'd rather have a Milka or a Ferrero Rocher. Yesterday, though, I DID have Ghirardelli because my boss gave me some small samples -- or "Fun Sizes," as the candy world likes to call them. I wasn't expecting to be swept off my feet. But swept off, I was. I scanned the wrappers in the order of best to . . . least best. I'll cover the main points below.

Milk Chocolate with Double Chocolate Filling. This piece was brilliant. There was just enough filling to make each bite the perfect moistness. Now -- nearly two days later -- I can't recall what kind of chocolate was in the middle -- sweet or semi-sweet? Whatever it was, it was gooooood.
Milk Chocolate with Caramel Filling. The effect here is kind of like those Nestle Treasures. The Caramel isn't chewy, but syrupy -- just how I like it.
Dark Chocolate with White Mint Filling. This was actually not that tasty to me. As I get older, I am developing a taste for dark chocolate, but I'm still pretty particular about the amount of dark chocolate in a candy. For example, dark chocolate tastes great with mint. Look at the York Peppermint Pattie or the Junior Mint -- peanut butter and chocolate is perhaps the only flavor pair that tops the dark chocolate/mint combination. The problem with this Ghirardelli version, I think, is that it just has too much dark chocolate. To put it another way, Ghirardelli didn't use enough filling.

Well, folks. There's a very rough overview of Ghirardelli chocolate anatomy. Try these little chocolate squares out. I think you'll be very pleased.

Blogpoll = Crazy Poll

2005-12-13T00:00:00.000-05:00

I had some technical difficulties with the current blog poll -- one of which is that I didn't name my poll. So obviously, it just says "Your title". Sorry, guys. Just work around it.

Aztecs and Chocolate

2005-12-12T11:00:00.000-05:00

The Aztecs prepared a drink that contained chocolate, water, chili, achiote (a natural coloring), cinnamon, and vanilla. It is said that Montezuma drank 50 goblets of this bitter beverage each day.

Hernando Cortez brought cacao back to Europe but it was not well received. Later when Europeans deleted the spices and added sugar, the popularity of chocolate as a beverage soared.

(Source: California Academy of Sciences)

Dark, Milk, or White?

2005-11-29T16:49:00.000-05:00

This just in: Poll results are finally displayed!

About two weeks ago, I posted a "Weekly Poll." Obviously, it wasn't a week-long poll because I decided I don't get enough visitors in a week to produce a decent poll result. Actually, I don't get enough visitors in month, either. . .

So why, then, am I posting the results two weeks too early? I found out someone's been cheating! You can all thank Lauren for skewing the polls and giving us inaccurate results. She clicked on dark chocolate a few times using different computers. I was wondering why milk chocolate didn't win. . .

Well, here are the results:

Dark: 46.2% with 6 votes
Milk: 30.8% with 4 votes
White: 23.1% with 3 votes

(For those of you thinking, "What is white chocolate, anyway?" I have the answer. It's made of sugar, cocoa butter, dry milk solids, and flavoring. It contains no milk solids other than cocoa butter.)

Please, people (LAUREN), please! Try to make what little votes I get count! Don't vote more than once! The poll is a small sample based on scientific principles, not a popularity contest! :)

Gourmet Chocolates

2005-11-28T00:09:00.000-05:00

A Washington Post article was just uploaded on MSN today: Rich and Hot, Chocolate On the Luxury Level. It's all about how chocolatiers are raising the bar on their delicacies; they're learning how to raise the cost of chocolates and do it in a way that doesn't alarm customers. Part of the strategy is to make chocolate a fashion statement -- something cool. In an excerpt of the article, we read:

Last year, almost 65 percent of those surveyed in the Mintel report said that they would rather have a little bit of premium chocolate than a lot of so-so chocolate. To her customers, Leiberman said, the right chocolate in the proper packaging feels more like a fashion accessory than a threat to their waistlines.

What does this mean, practically? It means that Godiva is selling some of their boxes for $120 a pop!

Hmmm. It looks like I got into this chocolate trend at the right time. Now I'm cool, AND I could make money with advertisements on my blog! :)

Readers, would you pay $120 for a pound of chocolate?

(Image source: California Academy of Sciences)

French Hot Chocolate

2005-11-27T20:39:00.000-05:00

If you've ever seen the movie Chocolat and loved it, then you've probably, at one time or another, craved the hot chocolate featured in the movie. It's French hot chocolate, and I'm finally posting the recipe, as promised.

I found this particular concoction at Bed and Breakfast Inns Online. I adapted it a little according to my own tastes.

In a medium, heavy saucepan, bring to rolling boil: 1 cup light or heavy cream.
Immediately remove from heat and whisk in: 8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, cut into 1/4 inch pieces. (Refrigerate the chocolate concentrate in a covered jar for up to 10 days.)
For each cup of hot chocolate, stir together: 1/4 cup chocolate concentrate and 1/4 cup of milk, cream, half and half, or water.
Heat on low or in a microwave on high for 45-60 seconds, until warm but not boiling.
Stir in: 1/2 teaspoon sugar and 1/4 teaspoon vanilla.
Top each serving with whipped cream, and sprinkle with cinnamon.

The site says this recipe is a richer, sweeter version of hot cocoa. I found this to be half-true. It's definitely richer, but I'd also say it's a little bitter. As you can see, I added some sugar to make it sweeter, and I also played around with different chocolate -- Baker's German chocolate is a bit sweeter, but it's also richer. You really just have to play around with the recipe and find out what you like. But I can tell you this: If you're not into anything other than the standard American milk chocolate, you probably won't like it.

The key to French hot chocolate, though, and the part that makes it fun is the thickness. It's so viscous that it leaves a film on the sides of the mug. Check it out:

Just try it and see what you think! I will be trying out different versions, too and will update my blog accordingly.

(In case you're wondering, that "little something extra" in the first photo is a Pepperidge Farm Chocolate Hazelnut Pirouette. They also come in Mint Chocolate and Vanilla flavors.)

Completely Inappropriate Use of Chocolate

2005-11-25T03:30:00.000-05:00

While looking for chocolate images to use on this blog, I stumbled across an image of Michelangelo's Pieta.

What is the Pieta, you ask? It's my favorite sculpture and quite possibly my favorite fine art piece in general. It's Michelangelo's representation of the Virgin Mary holding her crucified son. Here's a Google image:

This sculpture is so aesthetically pleasing to me. I love to look at it. I marvel to know that Michelangelo carved this statue out of marble at age 23!

So I was a little surprised to see this thumbnail in a list of chocolate images on Google. I clicked on the image, and to my horror, saw that the image was a piece of white chocolate made to look like the Pieta. That's right; Encore Chocolates, Inc. -- a chocolate candy company in Rochester, NY -- is selling the Pieta as a PIECE OF FOOD!!!

This is extremely disturbing on so many levels. If we were to look at the piece of chocolate as just a piece of chocolate, then we could say that the mini-sculpture was terribly made. (It's not to scale at all.) But more importantly, it's a completely inappropriate way to sell candy. As a Christian, I respect the admirable and solemn tone of Michelangelo's sculpture. It's a religious art work that moves me in a profoundly spiritual way, and I'm sure it has the same effect on others. As such, it should not be replicated in chocolate form and eaten! And the same goes for any other religious figure or symbol. I would not, for example, condone a chocolate candy of the Catholic Pope, St. Peter's Basilica, or Mathura Buddha.

I can't believe this company is making money off the candies!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

2005-11-24T05:45:00.000-05:00

Hmm, I wish I had a wonderful chocolatey dessert to show you for the holiday, but as my family never has chocolate desserts at Thanksgiving, I will have to find a random Google image.

Yeah, it's just another chocolate pour, but who gets tired of those?

If I have time tonight, I will whip up some French hot chocolate, take pictures of it, and give you the recipe.

Just To Get Your Tastebuds Going . . .

2005-11-21T02:06:00.000-05:00

Why Is Swiss Chocolate Soooo Good?

2005-11-19T21:36:00.000-05:00

Some of you Pro Chocolate readers have specifically asked about Swiss chocolate. Why is it so good? Well, the answer is cocoa butter. Cocoa butter is the natural fat of the cacao bean.

Now, the cacao bean is the seed found in a cacao pod, the fruit of the cacao tree. Workers cut the pods from the trees, cut the pods open, and scoop out the beans. The beans are allowed to ferment for about a week and are then cleaned, roasted, and hulled. Cacao beans with the shells removed are called nibs. The nibs contain about 54% cocoa butter, and when they are ground, the nibs release the butter. This mixture of finely ground nibs and cocoa butter forms a free-flowing substance known as chocolate liquor. Chocolate liquor is then processed in various ways to produce chocolate in the forms we buy at the grocery store: cocoa powder, and semi-sweet and milk chocolate. Want to know what the chocolate liquor tastes like, though? Just try some baking chocolate -- that's the commercial form of the liquor.

So, what does all of this have to do with cocoa butter and Swiss chocolate? Cocoa butter is very expensive, and to reduce production costs, many chocolate companies substitute vegetable oil for cocoa butter. Why don't manufacturers just use the butter they ground out of the nib, you ask? Besides cutting costs, they can make an extra buck by skimping on the amount of butter and selling it for use in other products like laxative and anaesthetic suppositories, various medical ointments, and cosmetics.

But Swiss chocolatiers -- as well as other purist chocolatiers -- refuse to use vegetable oil in their chocolates. Although European Union chocolate makers are allowed to use up to 5% of vegetable fats in chocolate production, Swiss companies are resisting. They say they have a quality reputation to uphold.

And I think we can all agree that Swiss chocolate IS the best. Although I must say that Hershey makes a pretty good cheap version; the company is my chocolate addiction enabler.

Hmmm, perhaps I should call this blog "Pro Cocoa Butter."

To read more about the plight of the Swiss Chocolatier, click here. For more about chocolate production, check out the following site: "Vernost Kachestvu" Confectionery Ltd.

(Sources: The previous two linked web sites and Applebaum, Rhona S. "Chocolate." The World Book Encyclopedia. 2001.)

Chocolate Sculptures

2005-11-17T18:29:00.000-05:00

When I was in the 5th or 6th grade, my gifted class visited the High Museum of Art while the chocolate busts of "some artist" were displayed. She'd also created soap busts, but I could care less about those. What I liked was the chocolate. I remember thinking, "Licking chocolate? How can anyone call that work?" I was fascinated. Sadly, I couldn't remember the name of the artist after all these years. But thanks to the wonderful service that is the internet, I found her name and some images of those sculptures.

Her name is Janine Antoni, and you can find information about her here. There are also video clips, so check it out.

Chocolate Bunnies

2005-11-12T01:50:00.000-05:00

To kick off this blog, I thought I'd start with a little chocolate humor.