How to Make Chocolate Recipes Better

When you're wanting to learn how to make chocolate recipes better there are a few things you need to remember.

1. Follow the recipe before you make changes to it.
2. Use good quality, fresh ingredients only.
3. Make sure your measurements are right e.g. tsp is teaspoons, tbsp is tablespoons, gram to cup conversions vary depending upon the ingredient/s.

The main item I would like to focus on here to help us all make better chocolate recipes is the Star ingredient - Chocolate.

Chocolate would have to be one of the best ingredients ever! I thank God for the Theobroma Cacao tree from which chocolate is made. The scientific name Theobroma actually means "food of the gods".

If we stop long enough and just think about chocolate all by itself we would quickly realize what a magnificent food it really is. Here is a food type that will cheer up anyone who is feeling sad. It says "I love you" better than any other food type. When we think of Valentine's Day chocolate, flowers and jewelry usually come to mind.

It also makes an excellent gift for birthdays, Easter, Christmas, engagements, weddings, anniversaries, is a great way to say sorry, makes a good excuse to get together, is delicious with practically any beverage, it markets and sells well generally and for charity drives, has featured in so many movies e.g. Willy Wonka and The Chocolate Factory, Charlie and The Chocolate Factory, Like Water for Chocolate, Chocolat, In Search of the Heart of Chocolate and so many more.

Then we start to think of chocolate as an ingredient. Possibly the best place to begin is by thinking about chocolate bars. Brand names like Cadbury, Hershey's, Nestle have made very successful businesses by adding fruits, nuts and flavors to it. Change the shape and sell it again e.g chocolate chips, blocks of chocolate, little chocolate bars, milk or dairy, dark and white chocolate etc.

Put chocolate in biscuits, cakes, drinks - both non-alcoholic and alcoholic, mousse, brownies, pies, icing, desserts and the list goes on.

Chocolate really is superb!

If are wanting to know how to make a chocolate chip cookie recipe you would find a cookbook, website or blog that is dedicated to chocolate. You want to make sure that the author of the recipe/s really knows the ingredients they promote.

Also, remember the guidelines mentioned above - follow the recipe, fresh ingredients and correct measures.

Recently I decided to make chocolate brownies. A friend suggested I double the ingredients, which I did. I poured all of the brownie mix into a deep baking dish and baked it for the suggested time. Because of this the brownie recipe was a flop however, the chocolate lava cake was a huge success - thankfully. My mistake here was I should have stuck to the recipe and poured the mix into two shallow baking dishes just like it said.

Once you are confident, then experiment to your heart's desires. Have a go at using additional ingredients. For example where the chocolate chip cookie recipe calls for rolled oats, try a natural muesli. The addition of fruit, nuts and bran to these cookies is outstanding.

Finally, when most people think of chocolate they think of fun times. Chocolate and cooking are both fun, so relax and enjoy working with different recipes. This alone can improve the quality of your hard work and time in the kitchen.

Hello. My name is Geoff

I am the author, owner and photographer of http://www.chocolate-recipes-galore.com

I have enjoyed eating chocolate as a child and have worked with chocolate in many different recipes for many years.

My passion for chocolate is seen in the recipes located at the above website. All of the recipes listed on this site are actually made and photographed by me.

I hope you are or become as passionate about chocolate as I am and that you too would share these chocolate tips and recipes with your friends and family.

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How to Make Chocolate Peanuts, Turtles and Other Chocolate Covered Products

One of the most interesting ways chocolate candy is made is a modern method that involves a machine called an "enrober". Imagine a cupcake cup in which you place a pretzel. Fill the cup up with warm chocolate. Then make slits or slots on all four sides so that the extra chocolate will run out of the cup and into a catching tray.

Now when you flood the cup with chocolate it coats the pretzel, but as the chocolate flows back out of the cup the pretzel remains coated. If you move this cup on a belt through a cooling tunnel the chocolate will harden to its final form. Suppose there are 12 cups in a row on a conveyor line, all filled with pretzels. The cups pass beneath a nozzle that fills the cups with chocolate. The overflow runs out through the slits in the cup.

The above method would not be perfect if you need to have chocolate on the bottom of the piece. When you make chocolates in an enrober that needs a chocolate bottom first, before you place an item in the cup you add a small amount of chocolate in the cup bottom. The cup then passes through a chilling tunnel where the bottom sets. The cup is then filled with a nut or fruit center. Then the cup is top flooded with chocolate. The entire piece passes through a cooling tunnel to make the final hard set. Often this is the way production chocolate pieces are made for the large companies.

The excess chocolate recirculates and is used again to flood the next cups with chocolate. This is an enrobing line and you can always tell enrobing because there is a flat bottom on the chocolate item.

Smaller chocolate makers hand dip the chocolates - one at a time - and this is slower but more individualized. An enrober give constant quality, appearance, and large volume of products.

This method of chocolate coating is machinery intensive and requires expensive equipment. A normal plant might make 2,000 pounds of enrobed chocolate pieces on a typical production run!

Have you ever wondered how it is that we can dip nuts into chocolate so that the chocolate comes out distributed evenly all around the nut?

When the nut is coated commercially it goes through an enrobing process. If you had a cup and poured a little chocolate in it and set the chocolate, then placed a nut in the cup on the chocolate bottom, and then flowed chocolate over the nut with the excess flowing out of the cup, you would be enrobing. The finished coated nut goes through cooling tunnels to harden the chocolate and is then popped out of the cup.

You can not do that at home. About the best you can do is to pour chocolate in a mold and then push the nut into the center. As it sets the nut will form a core. Sometimes you can buy these molds at cake decorating specialty shops. They are usually made of flexible rubber or plastic.

You might also try an easier method, but more specialized. Take the nut in your hand and dip the nut into the chocolate and give your wrist a quick turn as you lift the chocolate-coated nut out of the bowl. The chocolate will run off, but some will stay on the nut forming a thin layer. Set on wax paper to dry. You can dip several times and this will build up a mass.

This method is an art-form and when you hear of "hand-dipped" chocolates, this is what they mean. It takes about a year of steady dipping and twisting to get talented so don't be discouraged if it does not go well.

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Why Retro Sweets Were Made for the Internet

The internet because it can reach a bigger audience has been a godsend to a niche market seller and none more so than retailers of retro sweets.

If you went back to the fifties and sixties in the UK every high street would be able to support a sweets shop selling a range of sweets. These were slowly replaced by corner shops who sold all manner of items from newspapers, tobacco, spirits and essential food items such as bread and milk to attract sufficient custom because high street traffic was and still is in a downward spiral.

The reason for this was the growth of supermarkets and out of town shopping malls. Many independent retailers such as grocers, bakers' tailors and hardware stores have disappeared through a lack of custom off UK high streets.

Supermarkets and shopping malls have the advantage of selling many products under one roof with free parking on the door step. Some independents have successfully transferred to shopping malls but they do tend to be dominated by national companies who can apply economies of scale to their business.

Some independent sweet shops have managed to stay in business and tend to be located in fashionable tourist type cities of York, Harrogate, Chester, Ely, Oxford and Cambridge and in the larger UK cities where there is high footfall. Rent and rates at these locations is high and a sweet is a low margin item, so huge volumes need to be sold which also means a higher ratio of staff.

As a result, the number of locations capable of supporting a shop only selling sweets has dwindled enormously, meaning that customers have got out of the habit of buying their favourite sweets and would only visit these shops if they were visiting these locations for other reasons.

Thanks to the world wide web this has all changed and the customer can visit their own retro sweets shop from the comfort of their own home and look for the sweets of yester year.

These include such classics as aniseed balls and twists, caramel merry maids, fruit salads and black jacks, taverners bob bons, liquorice all sorts, midget gems, Kendal mint cake, orange creams, Turkish delight, walnut whips, the list just goes on and on.

The beauty of these products is postage fees are relatively low with £5.50 for deliveries in the UK being the maximum amount you will pay, with orders over £50 usually free. Given the ridiculously high cost of petrol or diesel in the UK postage will work out far cheaper.

Indeed many people will often buy in bulk with family and friends which will more than cover the cost of the postage. Buying in full jars instead of 200g packages dramatically cuts the cost by as much as 30 per cent. For example Retro Sweets shop sells aniseed balls in 200g packs for £1.70 and in 3kg jars for £19.50 making a saving of £6 or 30 per cent if you buy the jar.

American Sweets have always been popular in the UK starting way back when candy first became a hit. The current top of the pops is nerds and Wonka sweets which kids in the UK cannot simply get enough of and it is through the wonder of the internet and social networking that these products become almost an instant hit in the UK as they do in America.

Lynne has operated a Retro Sweets shop in the small town of Retford for many years and latterly a second unit at the Meadow Hall shopping mall in Sheffield.

In response to customers who are only able to visit the shops every once in a while and to offer our range of Retro Sweets to a wider UK audience Retro Sweets Shop web site has been built providing over 500 different sweets.

We therefore welcome new and old customers to visit our http://www.retro-sweets-shop.co.uk and browse at your leisure your favourite sweets that will bring back fond memories of your childhood.

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Guess What? There Is a New Healthy Dark Chocolate Drink - Yum!

About 14 months ago my daughter informed me that she and her husband where having another child. She is 35 years of age and we did not expect this blessing. My new grandson was born on the 19th of October and Jaxon is my second grandson. My last goals in life was to see my grandson Ben graduate from college. Now I want to see Jaxon graduate, too. I will now need an extra 24 years of life to reach this goal. Yes I can get run over by a bus tomorrow but I need to do my part and stay healthy so I will reach my goal. I don't drink, smoke or do drugs. My BP is 138/72, my L.D.L. is great, my heart is strong, my lungs are clear, I'm 20 pounds overweight and my blood sugar is slightly higher than normal. My doctor told me loss 20 pounds and when I do I am positive the my blood sugar will not be a problem. I have a wish to help people who want to stay healthy. The American diet is deplorable mostly because of lobbyists, the US Government interference, fast food, trans-fatty acids, and high fructose corn syrup. My niece is blind or correctly stated visually impaired because of diabetes, my oldest son is type 1 diabetic.

My sister 's health is poor because of diabetes and heart disease, and my grandfather had his legs amputated because of diabetes before he died from that progressive disease. My three closet friends died in their 50s, two from heart attacks and one from A.L.S. Out of the three David was the only lucky one. He was watching the Comedy Channel one night with his wife, started laughing hysterically and then suddenly died at age 59. My close friend with A.L.S. died a miserable death at age 56. The other friend had a major drinking problem, smoked 2 packs a day and developed cancer; died in his sleep at age 54. Dying is inevitable; it is as natural as birth. It is how we die that's important. I refuse to lie in a hospital bed for months and put that terrible burden on my children. So my choice is working on staying healthy avoiding things that are known to cause degenerative diseases and to share my findings and success with others. A few weeks ago we met to a gentleman that had developed new products that fits my needs perfectly. These products tastes wonderful, makes one feel good and have more nutritional value than anyone could dream. Just imagine enjoying chocolate without guilt, no calories, almost no fat, no caffeine, no gluten, no dairy, no trans-fats, no corn syrup, no sodium, no sugar and no soy.

Let us share why we are so enthused about this new series of products. As we mentioned before there are almost no calories, almost no fat or carbohydrates, no caffeine, no gluten, no dairy, no trans-fats, no corn syrup, no sodium, no sugar and no soy. The point is that everyone can use this product and not concern themselves with that dietary or cardiac condition. Side bar: No one should ever ingest; trans fats and high fructose corn syrup.

Fact: Not many people would drink roasted and brewed cacao beans if it did not taste good. This beverage is incredibly tasty. Most who try it love the taste hot or cold. For those few that prefer the lighter taste of mild chocolate a pinch of stevia and some almond milk will fit that lighter taste. News! We found a new product today in the grocery store, coconut milk coffee creamers. All ingredients are natural and/or organic.

Note: We strongly suggest watch the video on the brewing of cacao beans for the best results. Roasted and brewed cacao beans are brewed like coffee but there are differences. Don't put your already brewed or used grounds down the garbage disposal! No, do not put them in your compost pile. OK, so what is done with them? Cook with the ground cocoa beans. Great cooks add those "already brewed" roasted and brewed cacao beans grounds to their cooking and baking recipes. There are incredible recipes using brewed roasted and brewed cacao beans grounds for taste sensations like brownies and Oatmeal that all youngsters will love.

This is what is really important. The ancient Mayan culture knew the cacao bean is one of nature's perfect foods. Cacao is the base ingredient to chocolate and most of us have heard about the benefits of dark chocolate offering high antioxidant value, essential mineral benefits and natural energy. Today dietary professionals refer to healthy dark chocolate as a super food and these dietary pros suggest 70% dark chocolate is a part of a healthy diet. This is why! Just 10 calories and 1.5g carbohydrates per serving, it helps curb appetite, promote weight loss. It has a very safe natural stimulant, not caffeine but gives one a noticeable increase in energy without feeling nervous or jittery; it is long-lasting and non-addictive. Cocoa (or cacao) has the highest concentration of antioxidants of any food in the world and has an abundance of minerals or trace elements helping the immune system, liver, pancreas and skin, also helps prevents colds. It is known to stabilizes blood sugar levels, supports the heart, aids digestion, balances brain chemistry and builds strong bones. Lastly roasted and brewed cacao beans have natural plant chemicals that makes one feel great, increase focus, reduce stress and even helps us sleep better.

What we now know, roasted and brewed cacao beans tastes good, has no waste, if desired the entire product is used. It is free of gluten, fats, dairy, caffeine, sugar and soy. Roasted and brewed cacao beans has many trace elements, phytochemicals, endorphins, antioxidants, theobromine, and natural fat blockers. So adding roasted and brewed cacao beans, the healthy chocolate drink and other cacao beans products to the family diet will help everyone take advantage of the many nutrients and benefits natural to the cacao bean, enabling the entire family to lead a healthier and happier life.

Of course we want to sell products that is why we are in business but we understand that customer service is the most important product we have. For our customers we offer information about the cacao and coffees and their health benefits, a lot of it; the information we offer is simplified so no one has to have a science degree to understand. Come visit us, http://www.smallbatchroaster.com. The site is a good read. Book Mark it, you will want to return. Register while at Small Batch Roasters for a free eBook by our Master Chef Cacao the eBook has very interesting, tasty and healthy recipes. Thank you.

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Chestnut Chocolate Cake

hocolate cake with chestnut filling

I made this cake because one of my sons very often eats chestnut cream. So I came up with the idea of a chestnut filling, and I don't regret it, because this chestnut filling cake came out delicious. The chestnut cream in a jar is very thick, that is harder, and it must be mixed with whipped cream so that it is easier to spread on the cake layer. I could have made a separate chocolate cream or ness coffee cream to soften the chestnut cream, but I thought it's better to put whipped cream so as not to mix the fillings too much, and it came out very good. It takes some time to prepare this cake, but the result will be a truly special one.

Ingredients:

• 1 chocolate cake layer
• 2 chestnut cream jars
• 2 jars of cherries in cherry juice
• 1 box of liquid cream from the brand "Hulala" (500 ml)
• 2 packages of chocolate icing
• 300 gr. of nutmeats, cut into small pieces with a knife
• Raw sugar for the whipped cream, 3 or 4 spoons
• 50 ml amaretto liqueur for the syrup

Preparation:

First, we prepare the chestnut cream using the 2 jars, mixing it then with some "Hulala" whipped cream spoons. I've used 6 whipped cream spoons for 600 gr. of chestnut cream. We thoroughly mix the cream with a wooden spoon, so that the cream homogenizes well and then we put the cream into the refrigerator. We also prepare the "Hulala" whipped cream, to which we add 4 spoons of raw sugar. After that we put it into the refrigerator.

We prepare the syrup for moistening the cake layers. I've prepared it out of 250 ml of water, to which I have added 4 or 5 spoons of raw sugar, depending on your taste. We put the kettle on the fire, until the sugar dissolves entirely, and then we add 50 ml of amaretto liqueur. We pass on to moisturizing the cake layers, we add plenty of cream and on top of the cream we also add a generous layer of nutmeats, crushed or cut into small pieces with a knife. I've cut the nutmeats with a knife, because we like it to be a little bigger, not finely crushed. After we have moistened the cake and added the cream and nutmeats, on top we put the icing, the whipped cream and the cherries taken from the jar. The cake is served after keeping it into the refrigerator for a while, and then it is cut into squares. Enjoy!!!



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Tempering Chocolate Simply

I thought this would be incredibly difficult, but it just takes patience and a very accurate candy thermometer that can read from 20-50 degrees celsius (68-122 degrees fahrenheit). This is a very simple guide on tempering.

Tempering your chocolate gives it a lovely shine and allows it to stay solid at room temperature and when picked up. It gives the chocolate a lovely crisp snap and is absolutely necessary if you intend on making chocolates as gifts or to keep. Non tempered chocolate melts almost instantly in your hands and is pretty unusable.

What you'll need
2 bowls, one big enough to place over simmering water without it touching the water.

A good thermometer

Dark, milk or white chocolate, (minimum 400g)

A helpful short guide
Melt to
Dark chocolate 46C/115F
Milk or white 43C/110F
Add seed chocolate and cool too
Dark 32C/90F
Milk or white 31C/88F
If you need to reheat to work with the chocolate, heat only to 33c/92F

Rules
Never, ever get water in your chocolate. This cannot be stressed enough. It will ruin your whole batch.

Be patient and love your chocolate. Let the temperature rise and drop slowly, turn the simmering pan down if needed.

Detailed instructions
1. Grate your chocolate so that it all melts evenly.

2. Separate into three piles, add 2 piles to the bowl you will be placing over the simmering pan. Put the last pile into a separate bowl. Make sure the bowl that will be heated does not touch the water whilst over the simmering pan.

3. Place a large enough pan of shallow water over the stove and bring to a low simmer. Turn off heat, place chocolate over the pan (remember, not touching the water.) Melt to

Dark chocolate 46C/115F
Milk or white 43C/110F
4. Remove and wrap bowl in towel, add the remaining chocolate from earlier and stir.

5. Cool too

Dark 32C/90F
Milk or white 31C/88F
6.You should notice it becoming very shiny and pretty. Being in a hot or cold place here makes all the difference. If you need to move to a warmer/colder place to reach the temper stage, you can.

7. Place back on hot pan and reheat to maximum 33C/92F to make the chocolate usable.

8. Thats it! You're done. You have tempered chocolate. You can use it for dipping, or make your own chocolates as gifts.

To check it is properly tempered, place some on a knife and place in the fridge for a couple of minutes. It should be smooth, slightly shiny and when placed between your fingers it melts slowly. Instead of putting it in the fridge, I usually place a piece on some baking paper with a knife, and it should peel off neatly and not melt in your hand.

Remember, smooth, matte/shiny, crisp, doesn't melt easily. It also snaps nicely.

I hope you have enjoyed this article! For more great methods and recipes, visit my blog

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Classic Candy Bars That Are Perfect For The Holidays

Candy has existed in one form or another for thousands of years. Ancient peoples enjoyed honey right out of the hive and later combined it with nuts and fruits to create tasty confectionary treats. Sweets were typically served at the end of a meal for dessert or were eaten as a snack. For most of its history, candy made from sugar was too expensive for commoners. It was a delicacy only the rich could afford.

After the Spanish rediscovered cacao, from which chocolate is made, in Mexico in 1519, the price of candy fell precipitously. By the 17th century, hard candy was wildly popular in North America and chocolate was all the rage in Europe. Large factories were suddenly springing up on both sides of the Atlantic. Though the chocolate bar was invented in England in 1847, it was popularized by an American company at the dawn of the twentieth century.

The Hersey Company introduced the first wrapped chocolate bar in 1900. Its success encouraged countless candy makers to develop their own candy bars. The Hershey Bar has been one of the best-selling candies on earth for most of its history. However, it is not the company's most popular product. Miniature chocolate droplets called "Kisses" were introduced in 1907. The Hershey Company ships about sixty million of them each day! Their diminutive chocolate bars, Hershey's Miniatures, are also extremely popular with chocolate lovers everywhere.

Holiday Candies

Chocolate bars have never been particularly popular during the holiday season. As you might expect, the nearly ubiquitous candy cane is the most common holiday treat. According to reliable estimates, about 1.76 billion of them are made each year! But chocolate bars and candies have gained a loyal following of late.
Hershey's Kisses

As we mentioned, Hershey's Kisses are one of the most popular products in the history of chocolate. Tens of billions of them are shipped and sold each year. Though annual sales peak just before Halloween, they also spike during the holiday season. They are so popular, in fact, that Hershey's produces a special holiday edition of its famous candies wrapped in festive red, silver and green foil. With 7 ounces of milk chocolate, the Giant Hershey's Kiss has also become a trendy stocking stuffer and holiday gift.

Hershey's Holiday Miniatures

Modeled after their original chocolate bar, Hershey's Miniatures are a common holiday gift. Whether deposited into stockings or left out in bowl, miniatures make for a tasty treat when the weather gets cold. Just like their more famous cousins (the Kisses), Hershey's Miniatures are wrapped in festive foils for the holiday season. They are sold in variety packs at most major supermarkets and department stores.

Advent Calendars

The holidays are a hectic time of year for any parent. Crowded stores, annoying in-laws, and boring office parties make the season a chore for most. Of course, most parents forget all about those minor frustrations when their kids open their presents. An easy and affordable way to prolong the air of magic and mystery that surrounds the holiday season is to give your little angel an advent calendar.

The standard advent calendar contains twenty-four doors, and behind each one is a tasty milk chocolate treat. Most calendars also include information about the holiday, so that your child can learn the story and meaning of Christmas as the big day approaches.

Chocolate Ornaments

As popular as candy canes are, they are rarely eaten. Sure, the kids might have one or two of them. But if you decorate your tree with dozens of cane-shaped candy treats, most of them will probably end up in the trash. We're not saying that candy canes have fallen out of fashion, but a little variety never hurt anyone. Chocolate ornaments wrapped in festive foils are an attractive and tasty accessory for any tree. And don't worry, they will not melt!

Chocolate Dreidel

A dreidel is a popular toy Jewish children play with during the holiday of Hanukkah. The four-sided spinning top is used in a gambling game where contestants bet raisins, chocolate, pennies or candies. Chocolate dreidels may not spin like their wooden brethren, but they are far tastier!

Holiday-inspired chocolate candy bars can be purchased from reputable sellers on the internet.

David Shirey is a freelance writer who writes about shopping and food products including candy bars.

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A Brief History of the Candy Bar

Most people have had a craving for a candy bar at some point in their life. They're easily accessible at work, at home, or at the supermarket. It can give you a "pick me up" for a burst of energy. If you're hungry, it can curb your appetite until lunch or dinner. When you're feeling down, eating one can put a smile on your face. Chocolate, the prominent ingredient, has been around for hundreds of years, but it wasn't until the nineteenth century that it was developed into a candy bar. Here is its brief history:

1500 BC to 400 BC - The Olmec Indians of the Eastern Mexico lowlands are thought to be the first people to grow cocoa beans as a domestic crop. It took hundreds of years before cocoa became widely used as a remedy and as an aphrodisiac, and so it became known as a food from the gods. The Aztecs used cacao beans as currency and as a drink for people with high social status. Europeans were first introduced to chocolate as a beverage, and they loved it so much that a chocolate house was opened in London in 1657 where drinks were served to the upper class. Within twenty years, chocolate was found in tea cakes and other sweets. It took almost ninety years after Europe discovered chocolate before it was introduced to the United States. Dr. James Baker and John Hanan built America's first chocolate mill, and soon after, they were making Baker's chocolate.

1830- A kind of solid chocolate was developed by a British company called Joseph Fry & Sons.
1847- Fry's chocolate factory molded the first chocolate bar.
1866- The Fry's Chocolate Cream bar is produced for mass sale.
1900- Milton S. Hershey introduces the first Hershey milk chocolate bar in the United States. It sold for a nickel.
1920- The Baby Ruth candy bar is first sold. There is still an ongoing dialogue whether is was named after President Cleveland's daughter or Babe Ruth.
1923- Mounds, a double chocolate coconut concoction, is first made.
1924- Milky Way is introduced.
1928- Heath Bar, a chocolate coated toffee is introduced.
1936- The 5th Avenue Bar is created.
Hundreds of candy bars have come and gone. Some popular ones are: 100 Grand Bar, Almond Joy, Charleston Chew, Chunky, Clark Bar, Goo-Goo Clusters, Marathon Bar, Milkshake, Mr. Goodbar, Nestle Crunch, Oh Henry, Powerhouse, Seven-Up Bar, Skybar, Snickers, and Three Musketeers. Most candy bars are made with chocolate, but an occasional non-chocolate one becomes a favorite, such as Payday, Zero, and Zagnut. Time will tell which ones will be favored by future generations.

Bridget Sweeney is the owner of Woodstock Candy, an online store that specializes in retro and nostalgic candy gift boxes. Please visit Woodstock Candy for all your favorite old time candies.

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The History of Truffles

The chocolate truffle today is at the top of all the collections of self-indulging delicacies and has remained a superior chocolate candy in France, Italy, Switzerland, North America, and the rest of Western Europe for more than a century. Thanks to the invention of the cocoa press and the ideas of a few prestigious chocolatiers, the history of truffles remains a very rich one. By definition, a truffle is not just a truffle unless it contains Ganache inside, which is a paste of dark chocolate and heavy cream.

Chocolate started out as a beverage for the Aztecs during the Maya civilization dating all the way back to 400 AD. It ws introduced and spread all over Europe after some Kekchi Maya nobles were escorted by Dominican Friars to Spain in 1544 to visit Prince Phillip. The Kekchi gifted him with many gifts including their chocolate beverage which they called "Chocolatl". Since then large shipments into Europe of cocoa beans allowed Royals to enjoy Chocolatl and different chocolate beverages as an elite drink.

Eating chocolate alone was not possible due to its very bitter taste. When the Cocoa Press was invented in 1828, the process of separating the cocoa solids from the cocoa butter in the beans gave chocolatiers the ability to add sweeteners and other ingredients and shape them into candy. The first edible chocolate bar was introduced in 1847 by Fry Chocolate Factory in Bristol, England. In 1879 Swiss chocolatiers Henri Nestle and Daniel Peter added two ingredients to the chocolate: powdered milk and sugar, making the now famous milk chocolate. Continued experimentation of adding other ingredients back in France and Switzerland lead to the mixture of heavy cream and cocoa powder, which was named Ganache. Check out what the cocoa press looks like here.

One christmas day in 1895, French Patissier Louis Dufour in Chambery, France had run out of ideas for his christmas confections. Instead of going to suppliers to get more sweets, he put together the Ganache mixture, rolled it into a ball, dipped it once in melted chocolate and then into cocoa powder. It looked just like the rough round black mushroom truffles grown in the deep forests of France, so these chocolate ganache balls were named right after the mushrooms, Truffles.

The recipe was brought back to London by Antoine Dufour and introduced in his new Prestat Chocolate shop in 1902 in order to take advantage of its growing popularity in England. He named the cocoa powdered truffle the "Napoleon III", after the 19th century Emperor that spent many periods in exile with his loyal chef. The shop made chocolates for Queen Elizabeth II and many other future royals including Princess Diana.

Chocolate truffles were considered an exquisite dish to be enjoyed by the royal wealth due to the high costs of imported cocoa beans. Today it is still considered a luxury, however it is rejoiced worldwide and in different varieties. Decorated in powdered sugar, chopped nuts, or shredded coconut are just a few of the kinds of coatings truffles are dipped in and relished.

Ana Gonzalez
Vanillana.com - The Art of Chocolate
For more information on chocolate history, the Maya Civilization and their chocolate legend, click here.

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When Can You Gift Chocolate Gold Coins?

Chocolate gold coins have been around since the times of Julius Caesar! These coins were engraved with the ruler's face and gifted to the courtesans. However, they were draped with gold sheet so that the countrymen also received something valuable along with the chocolates. Today, we have identical coins covered in golden foil which are highly popular as gifting items. You can also choose to personalize them in whichever way you please. In order to customize it, you can get the coins engraved with special dates, logos, photos or even religious symbols.

Chocolate gold coins can be gifted for a host of occasions and purposes. However, their value would be more appreciated when they are gifted on certain special occasions. Read up on the occasions when you can actually gift chocolate gold coins before you buy them.

Best Uses of Chocolate Gold Coins

Chocolate gold coins can be offered as gifts for one of the following occasions:

1. Hanukkah celebrations

Coins made from chocolate are substituted for "gelt" which is the Yiddish term for money, during the holidays of Hanukkah. Confections are distributed around this time instead of cash coins, for playing the game of Dreidel. These confections can also be stored in small organza pouches to make it presentable. However, make sure that you place your order for these coins well in advance so that you can receive them at the desired time.

2. Baptism

You could use chocolate gold coins souvenirs to commemorate the event of being baptized. You can have the coins distributed among women attendees. Alternatively, they can also be thrown along with real money, as a part of the ritual performed by the godfather of the baptized child.

3. Anniversary centerpieces

Chocolate gold coins can be suitably used to decorate the centerpiece of your anniversary party. They would be most suited for your silver or golden jubilee celebrations! You could also have them distributed among your guests with the anniversary year printed or engraved on it.

4. Birthday parties

These coins could also be used as confections for birthday parties. You can fill up balloons and toys with them and gift them to young children. Having your child's name or date of birth engraved on them would also be a suitable personal touch. You could simply hand out coins to your guests as a part of the return booty they would take back home as well.

You can buy chocolate gold coins from ChocolateFavorWorld.com. The range of options hosted by the shop is truly amazing and you can easily find ones that suit your gifting needs perfectly.

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Chocolatey, Chocolate Brownie Recipe Without Nuts

I know I have written about chocolate brownie recipes, with everything but the kitchen sink in them, but sometimes a Chocolatey chocolate brownies, is what you need, the rich dark decadent and intense flavour of chocolate brownies, without nuts. The sort of Chocolatey chocolate brownies that can only be achieved by a good organic cocoa and also chocolate. The sort of Chocolatey chocolate brownies that intensify in flavour if you leave them in a tin for a day or two. At least I suspect that they would if they were left in the tin long enough, which they never are, in my house they are lucky if they get to go cold.

Why I like Chocolatey chocolate brownies

Like wine, chocolate has a complex layers of flavour, it is are bitter, sour, astringent, fruity, figgy, raisiny, nutty, smokey, floral flavour which is the essence of the cocoa beans. When chocolate beans are made into cocoa, it eradicates only some of these layers of flavour. Usually the fruity,bitter, sour and astringent qualities of chocolate are taken out, which is why I like to add fresh flavour as well, especially dark chocolate.

This recipe also doubles up as a hot pudding for a cold winter's day, it is wonderful hot with ice cream over it, but use a coffee or vanilla ice cream as a rich chocolate one detracts from the flavour of the brownie. Even I have to admit that too many conflicting flavours of chocolate can be a bad thing. The centre of this brownie is as rich and dark as the mud of the Mississippi, but the crust is actually quite light. It only uses a little flour to stop it from falling in itself. I like to add coffee ice cream and single cream, because as the ice cream melts it mixes with the cream in rivulets, and then I am in brownie recipe heaven.

The quality of the chocolate is important here, the cocoa should be organic Green and Black's is good but the chocolate should have a high cocoa solid content, cheap baking chocolate won't cut it here. I quite like to make it with chocolate over 85% cocoa fat, but the family say that is quite bitter and they won't eat it, so horror of horrors, someone has to bite to bite the bullet and eat them and it always me! A high fat cocoa solid chocolate should be over 70%.

I like to bake my brownies in a glass pyres dish, but any roasting or baking tin will do, but if it is not non stick them put aluminium foil inside and put the brownies in that.

Ingredients
300g caster sugar
250g butter
250g chocolate (at least 70 per cent cocoa solids)
3 large organic eggs plus an extra egg yolk
60g flour
60g good quality organic cocoa powder
½ tsp baking powder

You will need a baking tray about 20cm x 20cm.
Heat the oven to 180°C/Gas 4.

Method

Grease the baking tray with butter. Put the sugar and butter into the bowl of a food mixer and cream them together for several minutes until they are pale and fluffy.

Put a bowl over a pan of hot water, but make sure that the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water, or the chocolate will go grainy when it melts. Keep 50g aside and break the rest into small pieces and leave it in the bowl over the water. leave it for five minutes and stir, as soon as it has melted remove it from the heat. Break the remaining 50g into chunks the size of large plump raisins.

Beat the eggs lightly in a small bowl. Sieve together the flour, cocoa and baking powder to remove the lumps and make it light and airy, add a pinch of rock salt to intensify the flavour of the chocolate. Add the eggs to the creamed butter and sugar a little at a time, it will curdle if you add it all at once. Once the egg has all been incorporates, fold in the melted chocolate and the chopped chocolate. Gently fold in the flour and cocoa, do this slowly and do not overwork, as you need to be sure not to knock the air out of the flour mixture.

Pour into the prepared dish or baking tin and shake on the work top, to flatten the top slightly. Bake for about thirty minutes, the chocolate brownies are ready when the edge is pulling slightly away from the dish, but the centre still looks soft and squiggly. If you are not sure insert a metal skewer in the centre and it should emerge slightly wet, but not with raw mixture sticking to it.

Brownies continue to cook and solidify in the tin when cooling so make sure that it is not overcooked. If it is not quite ready then return it to the oven but check every two to three minutes.

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