Flourless Chocolate Cake with Dark Chocolate GlazeI was four years old when I had my first soft-serve vanilla ice cream cone covered with hardened dark chocolate. I was immediately in love with that chocolate! Alas, I cannot claim mutual exclusivity in this relationship. Recipes like Chocolate Dipped Anything opens in a new tab, Chocolate Almond Cake with Bay Whipped Cream opens in a new tab and My Fruity Nutty Chocolate Valentine opens in a new tabhave claimed the hearts of many people including mine who have succumbed to the likes of chocolate.
Chocolate PuddingHere’s a quick rundown of different types of chocolate:
Unsweetened Chocolate – Also known as baking chocolate, it’s about 55% cocoa butter and 45% cocoa solids. The tempting aroma is hard to resist, but remember, pure chocolate without anything added is not sweet at all.
Milk Chocolate – Likely the favorite among most Americans, this sweet, mild and smooth chocolate is formed when some of the chocolate liquor is replaced with milk and/or milk solids.
Bittersweet Chocolate – It contains at least 35% chocolate liquor. The higher the percentage, the darker and more bitter the chocolate. Tip: bittersweet chocolate chips are great in cookies!
Dark or Semi-Sweet Chocolate – Usually these chocolates contain 15% to 35% chocolate liquor and are mildly sweet and somewhat bitter.
Cocoa Powder – Cocoa solids are removed from the chocolate liquor, pressed into a cake then ground into fine powder.
Did you know that white chocolate — made of cocoa butter, milk solids, sugar and vanilla — has the aroma of chocolate, but is not really chocolate at all?
Triple Chocolate Sour Cherry FudgeIf you plan to celebrate Valentine’s Day the entire month of February like I do, you’ll appreciate these ideas — regardless of your favorite variety of chocolate:
Chocolate Cashew Pie opens in a new tab is truly unique. Melted dark chocolate coats the crust of the pie before the filling is added.
Vegan Chocolate Pudding opens in a new tab is a better-for-you delicious treat made with avocado, dates and cocoa powder.
Add chopped chocolate or chocolate chips to muffins, pancakes, waffles and quick breads.
Combine cocoa powder with yogurt and honey or maple syrup to sweeten, or stir chocolate chips or cacao nibs into yogurt.
Make cookies:
- Mini Sesame Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Chocolate Sandwich Cookies with Peppermint Frosting
- Chocolate-Drizzled Pistachio Biscotti
- Chocolate Chocolate-Chip Cookies (gluten free, made with coconut flour and cocoa powder)
Make hot chocolate:
Make chocolate cake:
Make fudge!
To keep chocolate fresh, wrap it tightly (preferably in its original wrapping), and store it in a dry place at about 65°F to 70°F. Be sure to keep it away from strong-smelling items. Properly stored, most chocolate will keep for more than a year, and dark chocolate will keep even longer. For more information including melting, check out our Guide to Chocolate opens in a new tab.
What’s your favorite chocolate recipe? Let me know.
