Chocolates are among the most delicious and versatile types of food in the world. They have a unique flavor that lends to use in myriad preparations from cakes to puddings to milkshakes and ice cream.

There are also a great variety of chocolates as per their content, texture and shape. One can send chocolates to loved ones based on the occasion and their taste. Following are the major types of chocolates:

• RAW CACOA: This consists of the cacao bean without the shell without anything else. One can buy roasted or raw cacao.  It may be used as whole bean or in powdered form. Though sometimes bitter, it is very healthy food.

• CHOCOLATE LIQUOR: This makes the base of most chocolates and is created by grinding cacao beans into a liquid or a smooth paste. It does not contain any alcohol but has fat content (53%).

• UNSWEETENED CHOCOLATE: It is chocolate liquor that has been cooled and hardened. It is popular with baking recipes.

• BITTER SWEET CHOCOLATE: It is also called as Dark chocolate. It contains chocolate liquor up to 35%.
• SWEET CHOCOLATE:  It contains 15% chocolate liquor with sugar and cocoa butter in different amounts. Sometimes, it is mistaken for ‘bitter sweet’.

• MILK CHOCOLATE: It has at least 10% chocolate liquor as well as sugar and cocoa butter in various amounts and most important, milk content of at least 12 %. Milk may be in form of cream, milk powder, plain milk etc.

• WHITE CHOCOLATE: It is not technically chocolate in the real sense since it lacks chocolate liquor. But it needs to consist of a minimum cocoa butter of 20% and milk of 14%, in addition to sugar.

• COCOA POWDER: It is made by putting pressure on chocolate liquor with a hydraulic press to remove fat (Cocoa butter). The remaining substance is made to harden and then, crushed to powder form. Around 10 to 20% fat will still remain. Because of low fat content, it is used in healthy recipes. Cocoa powder is used in most chocolate recipes particularly in baking cakes.

• GROUND CHOCOLATE: It must not be mistaken for cocoa powder. It is the powdered form of most edible chocolate. It is used mostly in drinks and must not be substituted for cocoa powder in baking recipes.

• BAKING CHOCOLATE: Many types of chocolate may be labeled as baking chocolate. These include unsweetened chocolate/ bitter sweet chocolate/ chocolate chip etc.

• CHOCOLATE COATING: This is vegetable fat based coatings that contain cocoa powder, sugar, chocolate liquor and fat. It is not real chocolate. The best part about it is that it will not bloom when exposed to heat.

• COUVERTURE: It is a great type of chocolate- made of dark chocolate with cocoa butter added to help it melt better. High cocoa butter content makes it easy to melt.

• GIANDUJA: This is chocolate made of toasted and ground hazelnuts. It has a warm, chocolaty texture in addition to delicious taste of hazel nuts. Example is the popular product- Nutella.

These are the major types of chocolates in the world. No matter where you stay, you can send chocolates by post to loved ones through online gift stores.

A piece of chocolate candy or a bar gives inexpressible contentment to your heart. From children to age all love to roll the candies inside the mouth. It gives an infinite joy that really satisfies your taste and pleases your mind outright.

In this context, you will see that these days, people love to gift a separate chocolate tray to spice up the occasion.

Keeping that in mind, the lowdown below will give you some simple chocolate tray decorating ideas.

• The first thing that you should try to purchase from the list are the trays, well, there are many types some are hand printed while few are machine made. In this regard just try to look for trays which are crafted only from solid woods. Now, this assures longevity of the tray as a gift. But at the same time, you should go for hand-printed ones which portray a touch of authenticity. Now if you are willful, then get ready to choose any tray from chocolates online.

• Once done, you should move on to the next item that is getting some decorative ribbons, laces. Make sure that you should pick some satin made ribbons all in unique designs because that to a great length it gives a decorative feel to the tray.

• But there are many of you who even love to get metal trays. In that case, you can simply decorate that with a fine net cloth. As you scout for colors definitely you can get many both the metal tray as well as mesh. But it is better to mishmash the bi- color tones which will really pull out the uniqueness of the decoration.

• Now if you have to look for the occasions where you want to present the chocolate tray. Suppose if you want to gift someone on an anniversary, then just make sure to especially touch up with motley colored designer butterflies, additionally top it with some crystal beads as well. In the midst of these sprinkle the candies wrapped in a multi-colored paper. Hope this will bring immense happiness in someone’s life after he or she receives this type of chocolates by post.

• When you take out time to garner the ribbons, it is better to have the imprinted personalized ribbons, these are easy to glue and completely time-saving as well. Undoubtedly the beautiful glossy ribbon pinned into a bow surely enhances the charm of the chocolate tray. Now, once you look for the ribbon designs, some are left to simple heart shaped, while many are in the form of crisscross shape, therefore altogether it gives a wonderful engrossing appeal to the tray.

• Lastly, you have to be liberal with the candies, because of these issues a final statement to the tray decoration. Do not clutter the tray instead add some French candies. You can choose any shape, but cylindrical ones make the tray visually appealing.

Now, it is your chance to try the decoration yourself. Before you buy the chocolate tray go through the above points and pick the items very carefully. Follow the procedure and carve an eye- gripping chocolate tray for your near ones.

Do your children scamper with a bar of chocolate whenever you chase them? Yes, that is the most common scenario which can you capture almost in every house. As parents you know that it is really hard to isolate children from chocolates. Both are inseparable and are tied to a single bond. But being overcautious parents you have a fallacy that chocolates are harmful to children so they should stay away from these.

Well, the below pointers will give you some health benefits of chocolates which will surely reverse your thoughts.

• Highly nutritious for the kids: As lamented earlier kids are the diehard fan of chocolates. But as parents do you know that these chocolates actually come from a nutritious plant which is said to be an enriched source of selenium, zinc, potassium, magnesium, copper and iron.
• No diabetes in kids: If you love to have dark chocolates, then just grab it without any second thought. This is because it consists of flavonoids, which are basically anti-inflammatory, anti-septic and anti-clotting. Additionally, it also restricts the causes that trigger juvenile diabetes in smaller kids.
• Good for kid’s skin: For kids who are prone to rashes and acne prone skin, should eat chocolates in a routine as it prevents the generation of excess sebum. Moreover, it is also a prudent saver of the skin from the dreadful ultraviolet rays of the sun. Therefore, parents who by now believes that chocolates can truly turn out good for health can definitely send some chocolate gifts by post.
• Gives good memory: Chocolates can make you remember things more spontaneously. In fact, to a great length, it plays an effective role in brain development. Additionally, studies have found that flavonols in dark chocolate have turned out quite efficient in treating brain disorders like the concussion.
• Brings happiness in kids: Sometimes children also travel through an emotional transformation, at times they feel depressed and are not active enough to take part in anything. For them, chocolates serve as an instant energy booster. It is because it contains endorphin as well as serotonin, which stimulates their mind and uplifts their depressed mood.
• Helps to fight child obesity: Chocolates even act as the best medicine for children diagnosed with obesity. Yes, that is true that it helps to put off some kilos. Now researchers have put forth that if a child is asked to put a chocolate on the tongue and taste it by allowing it to melt on the tongue for a long duration. Certainly, it transmits a virtual message to the brain that he or she is completely satisfied and fulfilled. Now, this is good enough as it won’t let you snack frequently. Thus, now you will never restrict your child from munching on a limited number of chocolates in a day. For fathers who are in a distant land, just don’t be dubious and send for chocolates by post.

To sum up, these are the couple of health benefits that chocolate provide to kids. Therefore, from today onwards, if your kid asks for a chocolate in a day, neither scold him nor say no. Simply give him as he will draw these above-said benefits from chocolates.

Chocolates are sinful desserts which are loved by each and every one of us. No matter what age, no one can resist the urge to have a bite of the chocolate. Also, they make for a wonderful gifting option. You can opt from various chocolates available in market or gift a chocolate basket which consists of various types of chocolates.

But if you are looking for some distinct gifting options apart from usual ready-made chocolates that are available in the open market, here is a list of chocolate recipes that can come to your rescue.

Chocolate bars

While you could have easily bought them from any shops, it would be a different experience to make them yourself. This will really leave the receiver with a pleasant surprise. You can also send chocolates online and get them delivered on the same day of booking.

Chocolate Cookie

Chocolate cookies are yet another amazing gifting option. This makes for a great corporate gift as well. You can bake scrumptious cookies with chocolate powder. You can experiment a little with cocoa powder or cinnamon powder.

Chocolate Brownie

Chocolate brownies are amazing dessert to gorge on. You can easily bake brownie in no time at home. While the recipe of brownie is similar to that of a chocolate cake, the brownie consists of less flour and eggs and more of sugar and chocolate content.

Chocolate Cake

Chocolate cake is the traditional gifting item but most popular of all. A yummy chocolate cake is everyone’s favourite and one of the safest bet in case of any confusion. There are many variants of a chocolate cake like the chocolate truffle, dark chocolate, white chocolate, excess chocolate, white forest, choco-chip and many more. You can bake a cake of your choice and give a sweet chocolaty surprise to a loved one.

Choco-chip cookie

The recipe of the choco-chip cookie remains the same as the usual cookie one. The only difference is that you have to replace chocolate powder with choco-chips. This cookie is for people who like subtle flavour of chocolate instead of a mouth full of chocolate.

Chocolate pudding

We all delight the experience of relishing on a sweet, smooth pudding. You can easily get the recipe of a chocolate pudding online. But the pudding would need refrigeration, so you can’t gift pudding to someone residing at a distant location. It would be restricted to the near and dear ones!

Flourless chocolate cake

The flourless chocolate cake is for people who love to devour on chocolate. The flourless chocolate as the name suggests is made without flour. It consists of eggs, lots of chocolate, butter and sugar. This is a yummy cake recipe.

Molten lava cake

The molten lava cakes are served hot, and hence even they are restricted to people who are located in near vicinity.

Chocolate donuts

Donuts are pure love! They taste simply amazing and come in a huge variety. The chocolate donut makes for an amazing gift for a loved one. You can either coat the donut with melted chocolate, chocolate shavings or opt for an eclair donut.

You can send chocolates by post in any corner of the world with online shops along with beautiful flowers.

Are you guilty of treating yourself with chocolates often? Do you find it irresistible to move on when your eyes fall on a box of chocolate? – Worry no more because chocolates are really not something you should feel guilty about once you know all the good it does to you. The use of chocolate was seen in the Olmec civilization but the commercially available chocolates came into being when the British company J.S. Fry & Sons started manufacturing chocolate bars in 1847.

Terms often used when it comes to chocolates

• Cocoa – It is the plant from which you get the cocoa beans prior to processing. The fruits this small evergreen plant has seeds which are commonly called the cocoa beans.

• Cocoa also refers to as the powdered form of the roasted cocoa from which the fat mostly has been removed.

• Cocoa butter is the aft component of the cocoa seed.

• Chocolate are the solid preparation when sugar and other ingredients are added to raw chocolate. Since cocoa is originally bitter in taste, so higher the amount of cocoa bitter the chocolate taste.

• White chocolates contain no cocoa at all and are made with milk and sugar. This should be preferably avoided.

When the thought of chocolate comes to the mind, you surely can’t say no and even its scientific name The obroma cocoa literally means ‘food of god’. So you need not feel guilty when your urges call for a chocolate bar. Spread the joy this festive season by sending chocolates by post to your loved one.

Amazing benefits of having chocolates

• Is it stressful lately? – Then chocolate is the answer. Hurry and get some chocolates immediately. Researchers say that valeric acid content in it is a relaxant or a tranquilizer helping you to calm down.

• Are you suffering from loss of appetite? – Then chocolates will surely give you some relief. The cannabinoid present in it acts on the hypothalamus of the brain and thus controls hunger. So keep the appetizer with you in case your taste buds are on holiday.

• Who wants to live a little longer? – Studies say that people eating moderate amount of chocolates live a year longer than those not having. So want to spend some more time on the mother earth? – Chocolate is the answer to your desire.

• Compounds stimulating CNS are present in chocolates such as the obromine, caffeine, and methylxanthines.

• Studies in Norfolk showed that risk of getting stroke also reduces in people consuming chocolates.

• Cognitive function is also seen to increase in people eating chocolates and researches have said that eating chocolates before exams may do you good.

Some popular chocolates you can try when you are getting a chocolate gift or planning on feasting on some good chocolates are –

• Unsweetened chocolate

• Bitter sweet chocolate

• Milk chocolate

• Semisweet chocolate

• Sweet baking chocolate

• Pre-melted chocolate

You get all of the above types of chocolates available in the market which has the basic difference of varied amount of cocoa in it. So feel free to enjoy them ordering them online or going to the nearest grocery shop.