There are so many things people say about chocolates. Even though most of the people love eating it, there are several myths that are believed about this delicious treat. Since we are fans of chocolates too, we decided to debunk some myths regarding chocolates.

• Myth – White chocolate is a form of chocolate

That is not true. White chocolate is not a part of the chocolate family technically. White chocolate does not have any cocoa solids and is made out of cocoa butter, sugar and milk. If you see the ingredients, then it is clear that white chocolate does not really belong to the chocolate family. Sorry, white chocolate lovers!

• Myth – Chocolate increases weight

Well, excessive eating of chocolate can result in increase of weight, but if you have dark chocolate, then you can save yourself from gaining weight. But it is said that drinking chocolate milk post working out is extremely good for health and does not add on calories. If you do overboard with it, then any food will add up extra calories. So remove this from your head that chocolate is the reason you are gaining weight. If you correctly place chocolate in your diet, then you can shed some weight too!

• Myth – Chocolate has high caffeine properties

Chocolate barely has any caffeine properties. A basic coffee brewed at Starbucks has about 300 milligrams of caffeine in it whereas chocolate has only 9 milligrams and dark chocolate has around 20 milligrams. Though dark chocolate has a lot of caffeine compared to milk chocolate yet it is better than a cup of coffee you drink every day from Starbucks, right?

•  Myth – People with diabetes should not eat chocolate at all

Recent studies have shown that dark chocolate can be good for diabetic patients and can keep them away from strokes. Also, cocoa powder boiled in water and then consumed is great for diabetic patients as it helps their blood sugar. Other than this, there are special chocolates these days made for diabetic patients by several companies. They are basically dark chocolates without any additional sugar. They do taste a little bitter compared to the other chocolates but are great for health.

• Myth – Chocolate can cause tooth decay

Studies done in Japan showed that cocoa bean or powder form is the best way to keep tooth decay at bay. Chocolates are made with cocoa beans so technically they are good for your teeth. Like we stated earlier, if you go overboard with the eating of chocolates, then you will cause issues to your teeth, but if you have it in control, then it will not harm you at all. Plus, it is also said that the cocoa beans can help in removing the bacteria from the mouth, which causes tooth decays and other issues.

Stop believing in myths and don’t give up chocolates if you love them. If you eat it in a limit, then they are not going to harm you. The next time you send chocolates by post, add this info in a note form.

Do you love chocolates…?? Stupid question…! Who doesn’t love chocolates..?? Talking about the health benefits of chocolates, they are just too good..!! Check out these temptingly delicious recipes of chocolates, which you can actually try yourself.

Chocolate layer cake:

Prepare a mixture of cocoa, flour, salt, baking soda and granulated sugar.  Boil the blend of water and butter in a saucepan. Combine this resultant product with flour. Add eggs one at a time and then add vanilla and sour cream. Prepare the pans and divide the batter accordingly. Bake for about 40 minutes and let them cool down. Transfer them to your plates and enjoy..!

Chocolate chip cookies:

The baking process should be done at a temperature of 350⁰F. Use an electric blender to prepare a mixture of butter and sugars. To this mixture, add predetermined amounts of baking soda, baking powder, flour, cocoa and salt. Fold into chips and start the baking process. Once they are baked, allow them to cool on wire racks.

Bitter sweet chocolate soufflé:

Preheat the oven to a temperature of about 375⁰C. Add granulated sugar to the butter. Heat the blend of milk and chocolate in simmering water. Let the mixture lose its temperature and then whisk one egg at a time. Mix the compound using an electric blender. Bake for about 30 minutes and then it is ready to serve.

Chocolate cake:

 Mix the cake, pudding mixes, beaten eggs, sour cream, water and oil. Ensure to have the oven preheated to about 350⁰C. Add chocolate chips and stir well. Take a bundt pan, which is well greased and pour batter into it. 50 to 55 minutes would be a decent baking time. If the top gets springy when touched, it is an indication that the baking is completed. After cooling, you can use powdered sugar to dust the cake before serving.

Chocolate covered strawberries:

This is one of the simplest versions of chocolate, which are perfect for weddings. The major ingredients for this recipe are milk chocolate chips and strawberries with leaves. Melt the chocolate and stir occasionally in this process until a smooth mixture forms. The strawberries are inserted into this mixture using toothpicks. This compound is allowed to cool.

White chocolate cheesecake:

Prepare a mixture of cookie crumbs, sugar and butter. In a saucepan, combine sugar, cornstarch and water. Boil this mixture, until the sauce gets thicker. The seeds can be removed by straining the sauce through the mesh. Melt the white chocolate chips in a preheated oven at a temperature of 165⁰c. In another bowl blend cheese, sugar and cream into a smooth mixture. Add the melted chocolate and vanilla. Pour the batter and then add raspberry sauce. Bake it and then refrigerate it for about 8 hours.   

Best brownies:

The ingredients in this recipe are sugar, butter, eggs, vanilla, cocoa, flour, salt and baking powder. Bake for approx. 30 minutes at a temperature of 175⁰c. Prepare frosting by using butter, cocoa, honey, vanilla and sugar. Turn it into a smooth mixture by continuous stirring. Make sure to frost brownies, before they lose heat.

Don’t just confine yourself with these recipes. Try every possible way of including chocolates in your diet. Spread this habit of consuming chocolates among your loved ones. Send chocolates by post or invite them to taste your recipes.

Do you always have chocolate and bananas at home without fail? Are you bad with making or baking desserts? Well, if that is the case, then here are few easy to go chocolate banana recipes that you must try. You can change few things here and there with the ingredients to make this a delicious dessert when guests are at home.

1. Banana Chocolate Bread Pudding – This is an easy one and quite a hit when it comes to banana chocolate combination. The process of making this dish is super simple. Just whisk 4 eggs in a bowl and add 2 cups of milk to it, then mix in a cup of sugar with a teaspoon of vanilla. Make sure everything is whisked well and the mix is smooth. Now take a baking tray and fill it with boiling hot water. Put the mix in ramekins and place it on the tray. You can bake this for an hour at 175 C. This is all you need to do to make this easy recipe. You can add chocolate dipped banana slices on the top as garnishing to the dish. Adding it inside will make the bread too moist.

2. The Chocolate Banana Parfait Pudding – Use an instant chocolate pudding mix for this recipe to ease your work. Just take a large container and whisk all the ingredients as mentioned on the packet of the chocolate pudding. Now take beer mugs or wine glasses and add this mixture to it. Layer it with banana slices and crushes chocolate pieces. You can also make it into layers of chocolate and banana in between the pudding. Add some wafers to make this recipe crunchy. Also, top it with dollop of fresh cream or whipped cream and chocolate sauce.

3. The Simple Smoothie – Who doesn’t love smoothies these days? Well, just keep your food processor or mixer ready and start adding ingredients. Put in bananas, chocolate pieces, and vanilla ice-cream and let it all blend in together. Now take this out and put it in a dessert glass. Add whipped cream, more chocolate toppings or sauce and you are ready to serve this. You can make smoothies in several different ways, but this is the easiest way to perfect it. Getting into all the details is not really necessary when you have minimal ingredients. Don’t forget to add sugar if needed. Make sure you use semi-sweet chocolates because bananas are quite sweet already. Try skipping on too much sugar!

4. The Delightful Banana Chocolate Snack – Do you have leftover vanilla sponge cake at home? If yes, then bring it to use. Make sure the cake is fresh and not too stale. Cut a slice of the sponge cake and place it on a clean dish. Now chop bananas into slices and dip it in chocolate sauce. Put this on top of the sponge cake with some whipped cream and chocolate shavings. This dish is ready to be eaten!

The next time you send chocolates by post; do add these recipes in the hamper basket.

It is going to be a tough task to find someone who doesn’t love chocolates..!! It’s been a part of our diet and celebrations since ages. The health benefits of chocolates are endless. It is a fact that they contain high quality fat. However, it has the least impact on the clogging of arteries or the cholesterol levels in our body. It is a lesser known fact that the cacao used in chocolates contains anti bacterial agents, which protect the teeth from being decayed. Consuming chocolates can make you look younger and fetch you a healthier skin. How well do you know about the various types of chocolates..? Read on to find it out.

• Milk chocolates: The ingredients of this chocolate consist of cocoa butter, chocolate liquor, milk solids and vanilla. The concentration of chocolate liquor is around 10%.  When you are dealing with decorative aspects, you can’t miss out this one.
• Sweet chocolates: It is interesting to see that these chocolates have absolutely no milk in it. The absence of milk brings out a darker colour to the chocolate. Cocoa butter and sugar are the major ingredients. Many times, it is mistaken for a bitter sweet chocolate.
• White chocolates: The missing ingredient here is the chocolate liquor. It is characterized by ivory colour. However, when the cocoa butter is replaced by the vegetable fats, white colour can be imparted. The striking advantage of this chocolate is that they can be stored for about 6 to 10 months when placed in a cool dry place.
• Dark chocolates: We don’t find any traces of milk solids in these chocolates. Appreciable amounts of cocoa butter and chocolate liquor are used in their manufacturing. Talking about their taste, they are semi sweet and bitter sweet in nature. It is highly recommended and famous for its health benefits. The blood pressure can be controlled effectively by consuming them.
• Unsweetened chocolates: As the name suggests, they taste bitter. If you feel like eating it alone, it’s going to be a very bad idea as it yields a strong bitter taste. Pure chocolate liquor is used to make this one.
• Cocoa powder: Defatted chocolate liquor has no traces of cocoa fats in it. The resultant product is used in the manufacture of this chocolate. Natural cocoa and Dutch cocoa are the major types of this chocolate. When you choose to prefer the natural cocoa, make sure to use it with an alkali, so as to weaken its astringency.
• Compound chocolates: A combination of cocoa and vegetable fats is used in the manufacture of this chocolate. Strawberry and orange mints are the popular flavours available in this type of chocolate. They are used widely to coat the candies.
• Couverture chocolates: If you are a professional candy maker, this is something which you use mostly. The functional aspects of this chocolate are similar to that of the compound chocolates. It is confined only for the purpose of coating. We can find high quantities of cocoa butter and solids in it.

If you are planning to gift chocolates by post, that’s the best thing you are doing today. They are the excellent mood elevators. There are good chances that your loved ones can be impressed easily by a chocolate..!

Do you love dark chocolates..? Then you are doing some good for yourself. The dark chocolates are truly delicious. Consuming these chocolates can fetch you a bunch of other assets as well. It is highly nutritious and consists of iron, magnesium, copper, manganese, potassium and phosphorus. Dark chocolate can stimulate the production of nitric acid in our body. NO plays a dominant role in improving blood flow and regulating blood pressure. Minute amounts of dark chocolate are capable enough to minimize the risk of heart attack. It is also a good source of anti oxidants, which helps us to fight diabetes.

Manufacturing of dark chocolate

Ever wondered, why the dark chocolates are so delicious..? Having a closer look at their manufacturing process and ingredients used can let us know the ‘dark’ secrets. The production process is broadly divided into four phases, which are detailed below.

• • Cocoa beans:

Cocoa beans form the major ingredient of dark chocolates. After harvesting the cocoa pods, the beans are extracted by split opening the pods. Large boxes or baskets, which are lined with banana leaves, are used to store the beans and their surrounding fruit pulp. They are left undisturbed for 2 to 8 days. In this fermentation process, the beans absorb the fruity taste of the pulp. Further the beans are sun dried and the dying process is carried out where the pulp gets separated. The beans are packed into sacks and are prepared for shipping.

• • Roasting:

After shipping the beans to the chocolate factory, the cleaning process is carried out. The cleaned beans are roasted for some time period of 30 minutes to 2 hours at an elevated temperature of 250 to 350 degrees F. This entire roasting process is carried out in revolving drums. The range of time period and temperature has to be carefully chosen according to the moisture content in it. The bean shells are removed and resultant product is broken down to form nibs.

• • Chocolate liquor:

The nibs are made into fine powder and heated to form chocolate liquor, which is a thick paste. Cocoa powder is formed by removing the cocoa butter from the liquor. Low quality chocolates can be manufactured by the mixture of cocoa powder, sugar and vegetable fat. A mixture of cocoa butter, chocolate liquor, milk and sugar is used in the preparation of high quality chocolates. It is recommended to maintain at least 35 percent cocoa solids in the dark chocolate.

• • Finishing process:

A smooth texture is obtained by rolling process. Steel rollers are employed for this purpose of smoothing out the chocolate. The conching process is carried out in the last phase. The chocolate loses any traces of bitter ort acidic flavours in this process. Continuous mixing at an elevated temperature followed by grounding process increases the smoothness of the chocolate. The molten chocolate is cooled in a mould, where it takes the required shape.

Are you ready to taste the dark chocolate..? Oh wait..! Don’t you feel like sharing it with your loved ones..? You don’t have to worry if they are not with you right now. Send chocolates by post to them. It sends the gestures of your love and care for them.