If there was on item to be named as the popular favourite of all age groups- it would be chocolates. With a lingering flavour of cocoa fused with flavonoids, chocolates inevitably becomes a sumptuous treat. In fact, most of people think of it as an idea gift, sending chocolates by post on various occasions. Whether one is having a bar or candy or goodie bag full of chocolates, it is a delicacy, which is enjoyed by all alike. With recent studies on chocolates now, we have even more strong reasons to have chocolates on everyday basis. Let’s explore how:

Good for Heart

Believe it or not chocolates are actually good for heart. Chocolates contain a component- flavonoid, which is actually a phytochemical commonly called as the plant chemical that occurs naturally in chocolates. On an average one serving of chocolate contains about 536 milligrams of flavonoids. Research has shown that flavonoids help to reduce blood pressure levels by a considerable amount. Further, owing to their unique structure of their cell, flavonoids have the ability to act like anti-inflammatory and an antioxidant. It also helps to protect the cells. So, overall, it helps in protecting the heart and also aids in keeping a check on the blood pressure levels. So now there is a strong evidence to support that one can have chocolates on an everyday basis.

Helps in replenishing energy

Chocolate bars are actually energy bars. Chocolates contain enough calories, which can come in handy to replenish the lost energy between workouts. All the more, a combination of milk and chocolate is considered to be as effective as the protein shake, which is ideally used to recuperate fatigue. And yes chocolate milk shake tastes good too.

Good for skin

Chocolates are really good for skin. No one knows the exact ingredients, which help in making the skin better, however there is much evidence that when one consumes chocolates especially the dark and bitter ones, their skin turns out to be more supple, moist and glowing. Scientists believe that the flavonoids in the chocolate aid in increasing the blood flow levels, which eventually help to promote the oxygen content reaching the cells. As a result, a breath of freshness can be seen in the skin.

Boosts brain cells

Well this one’s is really good. Researchers have found that people who consume a bar of dark chocolate on a daily basis are found to be better skilled at problem solving and analytical solving abilities. All the more, the reasoning capabilities of a person are also increased when dark chocolate is consumed. So next time you are fretting for chocolate, just give this reason and you are sure to get one bar in hand.

Mood Elevator

Chocolates have certain components, which can aid in the release of serotonin, which is a ‘feel good’ hormone. It helps to elevates one mood. All the more chocolate is also an aphrodisiac, and hence can give you pleasure and a sense of happiness after consumption.

So, next time while buying chocolates in UK, think of all these benefits and relieve yourself from the guilt factor.

The mere mention of chocolate brings countless sensations, tickles the taste buds and makes us yearning for one. There would be hardly anyone on the planet who wouldn’t love this wonderful creation, except the ones who are allergic of course. You can eat it as a snack or a dessert or even as a health food.

Yes, you heard it right. Chocolate has been found to have innumerable health benefits. From containing antioxidants to being a stress buster, the versatile chocolate is actually good for your health. If you have it in moderation, it is definitely going to boost your system.

Is there a way we can make the chocolate healthier and yummier?

Yes, there is. Eat it as a chocolate fruit snack. The goodness of fruit combined with the rich and creamy taste of chocolate. What a heavenly treat, that would be!

This was the plan I had devised to make my school going daughter eat fruits. I ordered bars of chocolates by post and started trying out recipes of chocolate fruit snacks. The one that clicked was chocolate dipped fruits, especially, strawberries dipped in chocolate. Red juicy strawberries dipped in thick brown chocolate is a treat one can hardly refuse. Pears, blueberries, raspberries, oranges, pineapples, kiwi, grapes, apple and banana slices make scrumptious combinations with chocolate.

Almost anything can be dipped in chocolate and made into a delicious creation. It’s how innovative one can get. We have chocolate dipped peanuts, raisins, pretzels, potato chips, crackers, popcorn, and even popsicles!

How to make chocolate dipped fruit:

Chocolate dipped fruits are easy to make, taste yummy and add a crunchy texture to the snack. They can be had as dessert or a midday snack. They are also a great way to lure kids to eat fruits. Order chocolates online and try this recipe at home.

Strawberries Dipped in Chocolate

Ingredients:

• Fresh strawberries
• Your favourite chocolate
• Decorative toppings

You can choose from roasted nuts, sprinkles, granular sugar, crushed cookies, etc.

The health conscious can use stevia as a substitute for sugar.

• Spices

Spices enhance the flavour. You can choose any spice like cardamom, nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger, etc.

Method

1. Wash and pat dry the strawberries.

Keep all the ingredients handy.

1. Melt chocolate in a double boiler. Depending on the type of chocolate you are using, time taken to melt will vary. Keep stirring with a spatula. Avoid using a wooden spoon.
2. Add the spices to melted chocolate.
3. Now dip the strawberries in the melted chocolate. Note that the chocolate should be left simmering while dipping fruits. You can either dip the whole strawberry by holding its green stem or by piercing it into a skewer. Drip off excess chocolate and put them on a sheet.
4. Dust these chocolate covered strawberries with toppings of your choice.
5. After a batch is ready, place the tray in the refrigerator for 15 to 20 minutes. This will cool and harden the chocolate. Do not keep it in the refrigerator for longer time.
6. Mouth watering chocolate dipped strawberry is ready. It tastes fantastic and looks good too.

Hope you liked this delicious way of eating chocolate. Do tell us about your experience of trying out this creation at home.

Usually, chocolates don’t last beyond a day as they are gobbled up soon enough. But some of us may want to preserve chocolates for many days and months. Chocolate like any other perishable food item must be kept in special conditions to keep fresh.

Here are some ideas to store chocolates for some time.

• Avoid refrigeration as much as you can. The main problem is that chocolate will easily absorb the odour of all types of food stored in the refrigerator. So don’t be surprised if the chocolate stored in the fridge smells of meat curry or Roquefort cheese. Moisture in the fridge may also lead to ‘sugar bloom’. It implies that sugar rises to the surface and causes discolouration of chocolate. Bu the effect is only cosmetic and does not affect flavour, so don’t be too worried.
• Store in dry, cool place. The emulsions of cocoa butter and cocoa solids will stay in good condition for several months if you keep chocolate in consistent temperature below 70 degree F and humidity lower than 55%.
• Keep them sealed in an air-tight container. The first reason is that cocoa butter picks up any odour around it like garlic, mint, coffee, etc. Second reason is that oxygen in air causes oxidation of chocolate that produces not so palatable flavours.
• Dark place: Keep chocolates away from light. This includes not only sunlight but also artificial light. Light causes bad flavour to develop, just akin to oxygen. Both factors are anathema either you get chocolates by post or from market and stored.
• Longevity of chocolate will improve: Milk chocolate will last for a year while dark chocolate will stay for two years. White chocolate is more perishable and lasts for only four months. Another less lasting chocolate are filled chocolates like truffles.
• Sometimes refrigeration is an option: In the heat of summer, not everyone has air conditioning at home. But before putting chocolate in fridge, first wrap it tightly to prevent odours and seal it in an air tight container. When it is time to eat the chocolate, take it out of the fridge and allow it to remain at room temperature for sometime before unwrapping the cover. This way chocolate can be stored for 3 to 6 months.
•  For longer storage: If you want chocolate to last from 6 months to one year, your best bet is the freezer. Pack chocolate just like keeping in fridge. After 2 hours inside the fridge, transfer it to the freezer. This is done so as to prevent temperature shock and retain texture. To take the chocolate out, follow the procedure in reverse. Remove chocolate from freezer, transfer to fridge and keep for 24 hours. After this time lapse, transfer chocolates outside fridge and allow it to thaw till room temperature before unwrapping them finally. A good tip is to always eat chocolates at room temperature, particularly truffles.
• Extremes of temperature: The crystalline structure of the chocolates may be disturbed when you store chocolates at too cold temperatures. It may cause bloom or affect texture or both. Great care is taken by chocolate makers to combine cocoa solids and cocoa butter. This can be undone by extremes of temperature.
•  Chocolates seldom go bad: Microbes require water to survive and chocolates contain very less moisture. So, they cannot make anyone sick.

One can get chocolates delivered to a loved one and include the above mentioned tips to help store and preserve them. Chocolates can be enjoyed for a long time if proper care is taken.

 A chocolate cookie is one of the most delicious food items, which are enjoyed by most. It has a crumbly exterior and cracks in which melted chocolate can tease your taste buds. Chocolate cookies can be eaten any time: for tea, for dessert or whenever your tummy growls for a tasty treat.

Some of the important contents of traditional chocolate cookies are eggs. Eggs act as leavening agent, binding agent and providing sufficient moisture to the batter.

But there are certain people who cannot consume eggs. It might be due to medical reasons like allergy to dairy products or personal choice like a vegan or vegetarian. In such cases, these people can enjoy chocolate cookies if they are made with eggless recipes.

Here are recipes for chocolate cookies with and without eggs:

A BASIC RECIPE for chocolate cookies is as follows:

Ingredients:

• 4 scrambled eggs
• 2 cups sugar

Melt these two on low heat such that they do not scald

•  Baking chocolate-4 ounces
• Butter-1/4 cup
• Sifted flour—2 cups
• Salt-1/2 tsp
• Baking powder- 2 tsp
• Chopped nuts- half cup
• Confection sugar- ½ cup (for decoration).

Method:

• Combine eggs and sugar and mix well
• After a bit of cooling, add chocolate and melted butter
• Add baking powder, flour,  nuts and salt and stir well
• Keep the batter to chill for some hours or overnight
• Using 1 to 2 tbsp batter, roll the dough into small balls. Then roll each ball in confection sugar.
• Keep each ball on greased paper and slow bake for 20 minutes
• Observe how cookie expands and cracks to provide a beautiful chocolate pattern.
• Serve warm

Recipe for Eggless Chocolate Cookies:

Ingredients:

• Self raising flour- 12 oz
• Soft margarine- 8 oz
• Dark chocolate drops- 2 oz (you can also use white chocolate/ raisins)
• Caster sugar-8 oz

Method:

• Mix all ingredients in a big bowl. Knead the dough using hands.
•  It should not be crumbly. Use margarine to achieve this.
• Make balls with dough the size of one and half ping pong balls
• Squeeze balls so that they are circle about 1.5 cm thick.
• Keep them on a tray that is greased
•  This yields around 20 cookies
• Bake for 15 minutes  in an oven, pre-heated to 180 degrees
• Serve hot. Tastes good with milk.

Alternative Recipe for Eggless Chocolate Cookies:

Ingredients:

• Baking soda:1 tsp
• Baking powder: 1 tsp
• Flour- 2 cups
• Salt-1/4 tsp
• Softened butter-1/4 cup
• Sugar-1 cup
•  Brown sugar- 2 tbsp
• Vanilla extract-1/2 tsp
• Peanut butter- 1/3 cup
• Cocoa powder- ¼ cup
• Milk-1/2 cup

Method:

• Preheat oven to 190 degrees C.
• Sift together baking powder, baking soda, salt and flour. Keep aside.
•  Cream together white sugar, brown sugar and butter in a big bowl.
• Add cocoa powder, peanut butter and vanilla extract and stir well.
• Add sifted materials till well blended.
• Pour milk into dough and mix till fully combined.
• Drop dollops of dough on ungreased baking sheet.
•  Bake in oven that is pre-heated till cookies are lightly brown (13-15 minutes).

There are many ways to eat chocolate cookies. They are:

• Cookie sticks: Cut with pizza cutter
• Chocolate cookie pizza
• Chocolate chip cookie cake
• Deep fried chocolate cookie dough
• Chocolate cookie shake
• Chocolate cookie pie
• Chocolate cookie dough football dip
• Chocolate cookie dough cannolis
• Chocolate cookie in a mug
• Chocolate cookie ice cream bars
• Chocolate cookie waffles
• Chocolate cookie dough cup cakes

In sum, there are a variety of recipes and ways of consuming chocolate cookies. They make for excellent chocolate gifts. For loved ones faraway, you can send cookies made of chocolates by post. They are sure to be impressed.

Making chocolates at home is an exciting venture. You can view with great satisfaction how friends and family enjoy your chocolate creations.

 Making dipped chocolates at home provides stunning results. They are ideal for entertaining and gift giving. Using a few tips, you can create an assortment of sweets with a silky chocolate coating.

Creating chocolate bon bons starts with getting ready a creamy filling. Add a flavour of vanilla or liqueur and then roll filling into balls, which are prepared to be dipped in chocolate.

If you want to eat the chocolate balls right away, you may wish not to waste time tempering the chocolate. Here are a few tips for creating chocolate bon bons:

• Mix together ingredients for filling: Take a 2–quart heavy saucepan and butter its sides. This way you prevent filling to rise and overflow the vessel. Combine water, corn syrup, sugar and light cream.
• Making soft balls: Cook filling over medium to low heat and stir constantly using a spoon made of wood. This prevents mix from becoming granular by completely dissolving the sugar and takes about 5 to 6 minutes. Attach a candy thermometer to the side of the vessel so it dips in mix. Cook with occasional stirring till thermo meter clocks 240 degrees F or soft ball stage. This should take 15 to 20 minutes.

Some tips are: While stirring the filling, gently stir so it doesn’t splash on sides of the vessel to prevent crystal formation.

• Rolling away the filling: Without stirring, cool the filling till it is lukewarm, which might take 45 minutes. Add flavour to filling using liqueur like coffee or amaretto or even vanilla. Now, beat the mix smoothly till it is creamy and still. Using your hands, roll out filling into balls measuring 1 inch and allow it to rest at room temperature till 20 minutes for drying.
• Making chocolate dips: To dip the filling balls, you may use confectioner’s coating, which is like chocolates and does not require tempering. You may also use your favourite chocolate. Taking great care drop the filling balls one by one into melted chocolate and turn them to coat.  Using a fork, lift each ball out of chocolate mix, wiping away any excess chocolate. Place each ball atop a baking sheet with wax paper lining. Let them rest on waxed paper till dry to touch. Keep them in a closed container and allow to rest in a dry, cool place.
• Melting chocolate: Tempering is advised for dipped chocolates, which will help it hold shape and get a glossy shine. You can melt chocolates on stove top or using a microwave.
• Ideas for dipping chocolate: You can use following ingredients- dried fruits like pears, apples, apricots with milk, white or dark chocolates. Pretzels, Caramels, Fresh strawberries, marsh mallows, caramels, whole nuts, truffles, cubed pieces of angel food cake may also be used.
• Drizzle on top: You can even drizzle following ingredients atop chocolates. They are pieces of fresh fruit, cheese cakes and cakes, nuts, dried cherries, cookies, cranberries, blond brownies or peanut butter or almond bark or toffees.

After making chocolate dips at home, you can send chocolates by post to a loved one far away. The gesture to send chocolates will be well-appreciated.