Dark chocolate health benefits

Have you ever heard someone say chocolate is good for you? Well, you should know that there are actually many studies that show proven results indicating the great advantages of chocolate, especially dark chocolate.

When you think about buying a chocolate gift, or just buying fine chocolate to indulge yourself, what’s  the first thing that comes to mind? The rich flavor, or the guilt over the extra calories?

If you are worrying over the results of eating a few chocolate squares with your coffee every day, let me help you ease your worries once and for all!

Dark chocolate health benefits


Chocolate contains natural antioxidants. These antioxidants can help the body resist many serious diseases, by reducing blood pressure, reducing the risks of cancer, heart disease and more.

Dark chocolate has more cacao bean solids than milk chocolate and the greater the percentage of cacao in your dark chocolate, the better it is for your health. Why? Because it has less sugar in it and more cocoa beans  packed with antioxidants. Did you know, for instance, that baking chocolate doesn’t have any sugar in it whatsoever?

 

But what if I need to watch my cholesterol, you ask?


Well, studies have also shown that dark chocolate can help maintain healthy cholesterol levels, that is, of course, if you choose to eat only a few squares a day and don’t overdo it (just like anything else in life).

So, the next time you’re trying to pick the best gourmet chocolates for your gift, why not select only dark chocolates - pralines and bars (keeping the dark chocolate health benefits in mind). The variety is huge (all kinds of fillings, liquor, nougat, marzipan, almonds..) there is a choice for everyone!

If you would like further information on chocolate ingredients, you can visit  this article explaining all you need to know about gourmet chocolate.

For your health and self- indulgence!  

How to Make Valentine Chocolate – #2 Step

Hi,

I hope you've managed to get all the supplies you need for this step (if not, look  at step #1 of my guide - how to make valentine chocolate).

We are going to temper 1 pound of rich dark chocolate for making beautiful Valentine chocolate hearts.

If you stick to these directions you’ll know how to make valentine chocolate in no time!

In addition- if you know how to make valentine chocolate then you’ll know how to make chocolate in any shape you like!

How to make Valentine chocolate - easy steps:

1. Divide your chocolate amount into 2 unequal amounts – the second amount of chocolate equal to 25 percent of the original amount.  
2. Melt the original amount of chocolate carefully using microwave & a glass bowl.
3. The melted chocolate should be 120⁰ F . 
4. Add the second amount of chocolate to the bowl.  
5. Stir the melted chocolate constantly until the temperature falls to 85⁰ F. 
6. Warm the chocolate again, not exceeding 89⁰F.   
7. Remove any unmelted chunks from the melted chocolate. 
8. Put the chocolate into a piping bag and squeeze the top of the bag over the cavities or just use a spoon.  
9. Use a palette knife to straighten the chocolate mold surface.
10. Tap the molds on your kitchen countertop. 
11. Put the chocolate molds in the refrigerator for about 10 minutes.
12. How do you know that your Valentine chocolate hearts are ready? Look at the bottom of the mold and see if the color of the chocolates is light in all places.
     
13. If you choose to put all Valentine chocolate hearts in  a romantic box then place it on a cellophane sheet.

  

Now that you know how to make Valentine chocolate you can surprise your loved one with a special homemade gift - Valentine chocolate hearts in a romantic box! He/ she would know that you made an effort in learning how to make Valentine chocolate yourself and appreciate it!  

If  you are excited about knowing all there is to know about the professional way of how to make Valentine chocolate or all kinds of chocolates – check these comprehensive chocolate books -  

If you don’t have the time to learn how to make Valentine chocolate yourself and you‘re looking for a special gift, check these original ideas for best Valentines chocolates!

Have a romantic & creative Valentines day!

How to Make Valentine Chocolate - #1 Step

Hi everyone!

This post we are going to start look into the tempering chocolate world and discover how to make valentine chocolate – the professional way!
The most perfect Valentine chocolate hearts!

If you haven’t heard of tempering before or heard of it but didn’t try it, then this is the right time for you. The outcome of this tempering process is that the chocolate will be shiny and have a "snap" to it.

Why go through all the hassle of learning how to make Valentine chocolate instead of buy Valentines chocolates? Because no gift can excite your love one more on Valentines day than the gift you made yourself!

In order to succeed in doing the tempering process, you must pay attention to details and follow directions strictly.

How to make Valentine chocolate – #1 step

In this post I will elaborate all the things you need in order to do this right, so you can prepare yourself.

supplies
gourmet chocolate of your choice – chocolate rounds (about 1 pound)

chocolate molds (heart shaped)
a bowl
microwave
spatula
chocolate thermometer
palette knife 


an apron (this is going to be a little bit messy)
about 90 minutes of your time
So that was your #1 step on the guide - how to make Valentine chocolate and that’s it for now.


Prepare all you need because next time we are going to start the next step of  the chocolate melting celebration- bright & yummy valentine chocolate hearts will be created!

If you don’t have the time to learn how to make Valentine chocolate yourself and you‘re looking for a special gift, check these original ideas for best Valentines chocolates!

Have a great weekend!

Christmas Wrapping Ideas – 6 Beautiful Tips!

Hi, Christmas is a minute away! Did you manage to buy gifts for everyone?
This Christmas wrapping ideas post is not just for chocoholics.
 If you decided to go for homemade Christmas gifts (like making Christmas chocolate molds- my last post) or if you bought a gift and want to wrap it yourself, making it more personalized, than this is the post for you!
I’m going to review some beautiful Christmas wrapping ideas so you can start wrapping your presents today.

·   Christmas wrapping ideas – tip #1 - The right colorsWhat colors to use?
It depends on the kind of gift! If you are giving a gourmet gift you need to choose elegant colors like brown& gold, dark blue& silver, dark red & gold.. If you are giving a joyful gift you should use cheerful colors and designed papers like dots or flourish wrapping paper.

·   Christmas wrapping ideas – Tip #2 – What kind of wrapping paper?
So much to choose from – I find this step to be very enjoyable- it's time to show your creativity! Of course I've found only the best quality for your Christmas wrapping paper! I'm warning you, these are very special - Japanese papers (beautiful graphic patterns), Indian fine papers (are carefully handcarafted), Nepalese fine paper (luscious feel, unique colors and textures), Italian papers..
Just click on the images below and find out how special wrapping papers can be!

·   Christmas wrapping ideas – Tip #3 – What about gift boxes?
Here you got some amazing ideas – gold/ silver glitter, colorful dots, floral and you must check out these chocolate shirt boxes.. click on your favorite box-

·   Christmas wrapping ideas – Tip #4 – final touches
For the final touch - add ribbons, gift tags, Stickers and Labels - Here are some ideas to begin with..

·   Christmas wrapping ideas – Tip #5 – cut your favored Christmas shapes
    You can add some homemade Christmas designs as well. Make a pattern by drawing your preferred christmas shape on a paper and cut it out. Place your template on several kinds of papers, draw and cut your Christmas shapes.
Punch a hole at the top of the shapes. Choose your matching ribbon and thread it through the holes.  Attach your Christmas designs to your gift boxes.

• christmas wrapping ideas – Tip #6 - use templates to create your own gift boxesIf you want to create your own gift boxes, using unique templates & patterns in the easiest way – check this guide "World's Cutest Gift Boxes" - Click Here!

Use these Christmas wrapping ideas to bring the holiday spirit into your home.

Don’t waste your time. Choose your preferred Christmas wrapping ideas and start wrapping, only a few minutes and you are done.

Before you go, imagine how your presents will look like beneath your tree.. is this picture amazing or what!

Buying christmas presents at the last minute? Save your time by finding out my recommendations for the best Christmas chocolates online

Have a colorful & happy Christmas!

E. Rose

Making Christmas gifts? Easy to follow guide for making Christmas chocolate molds in 10 minutes!

I know what you’re thinking! This is going to be hard, messy and I have never did this before so maybe I’ll just read this post and make Christmas chocolate molds next year when I have more time for it..

So, for all skepticals out there, I’m telling you – this is a no brainer! I promise I’m not going to talk about difficult methods (like tempering..), we are going to do this the easy and fun way, so let’s start – you are just a few steps away from your charming Christmas chocolate molds –

1.  Choose the right kind of chocolate
when making Christmas chocolate molds for kids I prefer using fine milk chocolate,for grown-ups – fine dark chocolate is preferable, and fine white chocolate can be used for both of them.

2.  Buy rich chocolate rounds.



3.  Choose your preferred Christmas chocolate molds
you can use plastic chocolate molds (these are for home cooks and much cheaper than the professional ones). I prefer the chocolate lollipop molds – it much more fun…
 
A few tips on buying Christmas chocolate molds-

a.    Choose detailed designs Christmas chocolate molds – the end result will have much professional look.

b.    Choose molds with deep cavities

c.    Choose molds made from strong plastic

Here are some great molds I have found on Amazon -

4.  Put the lollipop sticks into your Christmas chocolate molds(Wilton(R) 4 Inch Lollipop Sticks)

5. Start melting...Melt your chocolate using microwave (20 seconds at a time, watch out not to burn it!)

6.  Spoon it...Fill a piping bag with your melted chocolate (for a much accurate result)(Wilton Disposable 12 Inch Decorating Bags, Pack Of 24)and squeeze the top of the bag and pipe the chocolate into the cavities of the Christmas chocolate molds or just use a spoon. 

7.  make sure to put chocolate also on the lollipop stick (the part that stuck in the cavity of the Christmas chocolate molds)

8.  Make sure to keep the edges of the shapes very clean.

9.  Tap the Christmas chocolate molds gently on your kitchen countertop.

10.It's freezing..Place the Christmas chocolate molds in the freezer and allow the chocolate to set (otherwise it will never come out of the mold).

11. Freezing time: little Christmas chocolate molds – about 10 minutes, large ones – 20-30 minutes.

12. Time to grab..When are the Christmas chocolate molds ready? Look at the bottom of the mold – if the color of the chocolates is light in all places than it means that the chocolate have shrinked a little and will pop out easily.

13. Your Christmas chocolate molds are done!

14. More tips..

•      Because we have skipped the tempering step, after a few hours or so your christmas chocolate molds will show little white clouds, that is why I prefer serving or eating these Christmas chocolate molds just when the chocolates get to room temperature (of course white clouds doesn’t flaw the chocolates’ taste and the chocolates are perfectly fine).
•      Other choice - use white chocolate for your Christmas chocolate molds and that way avoid the problem...and you can give these amazing chocolates as a gift.

Follow these steps accurately and I’m sure that your Christmas chocolate molds will turned out great.

The most importany thing here is to have fun! Don't forget it..

Next post - Wrapping ideas & gift boxes for your Christmas chocolate molds, so join me and bring your creative mood..

Don’t have the time to make Christmas chocolate molds yourself? Find out my tips & recommendations for buying Christmas chocolates online.
Your friend,
E. Rose

What is Couverture Chocolate?

Hi!
Today we are going to talk chocolate!
We’ll begin with a very special kind- couverture chocolate. If you are not a pastry chef or a chocolatier, chances are you didn’t hear of couverture chocolate before. 

Couverture chocolate is creamier, firmer (snaps when it’s broken) and has more shine than regular and commercial chocolate because it contains much more cocoa butter (32%-39%). Couverture chocolate is a very high quality chocolate and is manufactured from the best cocoa beans.
So what is couverture chocolate being used for?
Because of its qualities, couverture chocolate is excellent for tempering, molding chocolate, dipping, coating (fruits and pralines) and glazing all kinds of excellent deserts and chocolate pralines.
If you have thoughts about tempering your chocolate or if you want to become more professional in your chocolate making – this is the right chocolate to look for.
Because it is usually used by chocolatiers and pastry chefs, you should look for wholesale chocolate suppliers, when seeking to buy couverture chocolate.

For more info on couverture chocolate and much more chocolate treats visit my website-
your gourmet chocolate site!

Talk soon..
E. Rose

  
  

Welcome to the Chocolate Treats for Chocoholics blog!

Hello chocolate lovers!

This is my first sweet post on my new blog, and I’m really excited!

My name is E. Rose and I am a pastry chef and a cake decorator, and now, on this blog, I'm going to have the opportunity to share with you my great passion – CHOCOLATE!
And I don’t mean ordinary, commercial chocolate that you can buy in a supermarket, I mean gourmet chocolate (also known as premium chocolate /luxury chocolate / fine chocolate).

Well, lots of people don’t know what gourmet chocolate really is, and what is the difference between those two kinds of chocolates (regular chocolate and gourmet chocolate), and there is a HUGE difference.

The difference doesn’t mean that gourmet chocolate is the kind that sells in elegant box with golden ribbon and cost much more.. The real difference is in the ingredients, excellent ingredients, cacao percentage (at least 35% cacao), no preservatives, handmade process of manufacturing… and of course the superb taste!!

Well, there is a lot to write about chocolate and I don’t want to miss a thing..
So join me on my upcoming posts!“I never met a chocolate I didn’t like” (Star Trek: The Next Generation)
 Upcoming posts – A comprehensive guide to what you need to know –

*      The difference between ALL kinds of chocolates

*      gourmet chocolate for your Self indulgence

*      Everything you need to know on chocolate ingridients
*       Make your own chocolates - all tempering methods
*       Professional chocolate schools and workshops
*       Chocolate tours around the world
*       And much more chocolate ...

For more info on what gourmet chocolate is and much more chocolate treats visit my website-
your gourmet chocolate site!

Have a sweet day!