Chocolate Pancakes with Chocolate Sauce

Chocolate Pancakes with Chocolate Sauce
Serves 4

CHOCOLATE SAUCE:

Ingredients Needed:

• 1 cup heavy cream
• 7 ounces bittersweet chocolate of the best quality available

Equipment Needed:

• Grater or knife, to finely chop the chocolate
• 1 quart saucepan, to heat the cream
• 2 quart mixing bowl
• wire whisk

Instructions:

1. In the saucepan, bring cream to a boil.
2. While the cream is heating, finely chop the chocolate into small pieces for
   ease in melting.
3. Pour the hot cream over the small bits of chocolate and whisk carefully
   until the sauce is smooth.
4. Set aside and keep warm until ready to serve.

Pancakes:

Ingredients Needed:

• 1/2 cup Dutch chocolate cocoa powder
• 1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs
• 1 large egg yolk (save egg white for another time)
• 3/4 cup buttermilk
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• Unsalted butter

Equipment Needed:

• griddle or large skillet
• large spatula
• large mixing bowl
• flour sifter or large strainer
• measuring spoons and measuring cups to measure ingredients
• wire whisk

Instructions:

1. Sift dry ingredients together into large mixing bowl
   and make a well in the center of the bowl by gently pushing the ingredients to the sides of the bowl.
2. Start to heat the griddle and grease with the unsalted butter.
3. Add the wet ingredients into the well in the bowl of dry ingredients and whisk until all the ingredients are combined.
4. Use 1/4 cup batter for each pancake and pour onto hot griddle.
5. In 1-2 minutes (when bubbles form on pancake surface)
   turn (flip) pancakes with large spatula.
6. Pancakes are done in about 1 minute. The top should be springy when gentley pressed.
7. Transfer pancakes to a plate and cover with foil to keep warm.
8. Re-butter the griddle with the unsalted butter between batches,
   if griddle seems dry.
9. SERVE Pancakes topped with CHOCOLATE SAUCE.

Eat Chocolate and Lose Weight?

By Mary Cascio

Eat chocolate and lose weight, yes I said it! In the same sentence even. Chocolate lovers are going to be delighted to hear that there is now a new product on the market that not only tastes heavenly but you just may lose a few pounds from eating it too!

It is no surprise that dark chocolate is healthy for you. Everybody is talking about it. It is all over the news and I am sure that you have seen the stories and read the articles that dark chocolate is indeed good for you. Dark chocolate has been found to lower blood pressure. In addition, the antioxidant content has been found to help in the fight against heart disease. But don't go grabbing for that Hershey's Bar or even a Godiva Bar just yet. The chocolate that you buy in the stores is laden with fats, fillers and waxes and even though the experts say to eat 70% cacao it is only best when eaten in moderation... right??? Not anymore.

Now there is a chocolate that not only is healthy for you but you can eat 3 times a day guilt free. This chocolate is gluten free, vegetarian/vegan and diabetic friendly. It is called Xocai (Sho-sigh) and is pure, unadulterated cacao. You can't get better than this!

Xocai is a division of MXI Corp. and is based in Reno, Nevada. They have brought to market an all-natural, pure form of cacao that maintains its nutritional value through the manufacturing process. Rather than heat the cacao, it is cold pressed. This allows the dark chocolate to maintain its healthful properties. This is a grave comparison to traditional chocolate that typically loses about 80% of the antioxidants during the manufacturing process.

Xocai's products deliver extraordinary levels of antioxidants and other important phytonutrients without adding all the extra fats, fillers, refined sugar, milk or caffeine...all which are added in your typical "chocolates".

The secret to the Xocai chocolate is in the company's approach to making chocolate. They aren't trying to make candy. Their objective is to create the most powerful, antioxidant-rich products available today and to make them in such a way that you actually look forward to being healthy! That's what MXI is all about...delivering the best tasting and healthiest chocolate available anywhere for any price.

One piece of Xocai's antioxidant rich chocolate is equivalent to 10-12 servings of fruits and vegetables in antioxidants. Wow! Not to mention that it is a natural appetite suppressant and an anti-inflammatory. Who knew chocolate could be so good for you?

With new scientific studies showing dark chocolate and raw cacao's ability to help stabilize blood sugar, it only makes sense that the right kind of chocolate can help those looking to lose weight. And that's only the beginning of what research is saying about the health benefits of chocolate.

To learn more about [http://www.nwhealthychocolate.com]Losing Weight, visit Mary's [http://www.nwhealthychocolate.com]Healthy Chocolate website.
Mary Cascio is a successful home based business entrepreneur and international business builder. Her passions are helping people to achieve their goals towards financial freedom and time management.
"The only difference between a rich person and poor person is how they use their time" - Robert Kiyosaki
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mary_Cascio http://EzineArticles.com/?Eat-Chocolate-and-Lose-Weight?&id=1092863

Chocolate Gift Baskets - Heart Healthy and Delicious

By Elaine Lince

Gift baskets with chocolate, wine, balloons, flowers, baby items, or even cookies, are a great way to remember someone or to help them celebrate a great event. I love sending gift baskets because it is convenient way to send a personalized gift. I can just look at one of my favorites on line, pick what I want, and have it delivered. It’s as simple as that.

When you send a gift basket, you are telling the recipient that you cared enough to take the time to select something just for them. There are so many choices of baskets you can send. I think about what the person I am sending it to might like, and then select amongst the various baskets that are available with that theme in mind.

Chocolate gift baskets are always a great hit! Various gourmet chocolates, cocoas, or chocolate theme items are arranged in a unique and appropriate basket, bucket or other container. Dark chocolate, or chocolate covered nuts or hot fudge sauce or even seasonal chocolates such as hearts for Valentines Day or bunnies for Easter are some of the choices you have.

Remember, 99% of women love chocolate. Chocolate contains phenylethylamine the “fall in love” chemical; so chocolate is a good Valentine or Anniversary gift. Chocolate also causes the release of dopamine and endorphins, both of which affect the “feel good” portion of the brain. Choosing a chocolate gift basket is definitely going to make someone happy. And it is true, even men like chocolate.

Dark chocolate has been found to be heart healthy taken in small daily portions. Chocolate can decrease hypertension and improve cardiovascular health. There are a lot of good reasons to send a chocolate gift basket. Most of all, when you send a chocolate gift basket you will feel good, and the recipient will be excited to receive it.

Next time you are trying to think of a quick, easy way to treat someone consider sending a chocolate gift basket, I guarantee they will love it!

Come in and see the almost unlimited gift baskets we have to offer. Browse around the taste-tempting.

Chocolate Gift Baskets and see what appeals to you. In as little as 10 minutes a decedent chocolate gift basket can be on the way to your lucky recipient.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Elaine_Lince
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The Charm of Homemade Wedding Favors

By Kevin Stith

Homemade wedding favors come from a centuries old tradition of brides and grooms providing small gifts to wedding guests. Every culture across time has treated marriage as a wonderful event with the nuptials celebrated throughout the community. In many cultures the bride and groom are associated with good luck. A common thought among these cultures was, that every thing the couple touched would be charmed. By gifting members of the community, the couple would pass blessings to others for the rest of the year.

Initially all wedding favors were homemade, as the concept of mass produced items had yet to be conceived. Many brides would choose to redistribute their good luck by preparing a small gift of almonds beautifully wrapped in elegant fabric. The custom in the Middle East is for the bride to provide five almonds to represent fertility, longevity, wealth, health and happiness. Today, the candied nut known as Jordan almonds, provides for one of the most common and traditional wedding favors, when they are wrapped in small bundles of delicate fabric.

The gifts a bride might create would be dependent on the culture and materials available. For years European and American women would crochet small bags or stiffen their work to create small boxes that would typically hold fruit, nut or candy treats. Crochet items are still an elegant touch for Victorian or country themed weddings. Today, a bride is only limited to her imagination when it comes to selecting the gifts that will show appreciation from the blessed couple.

The tradition of creating homemade weddings favors has continued as a means for the bride to reduce expenses on the wedding budget. Although today, many quality items can be mass produced for a relatively low cost, brides prefer to create homemade favors as a means of self expression. Homemade favors allow her opportunities for unique gift giving and personalization that can't be found in retail store.

Homemade wedding favors can be labor extensive or have a sense of simple sophistication. Time, talent and imagination are the only limits for the creation of wedding favors. Craft stores offer an extensive variety of materials from which to create a memorable item. Simple glass bud vases and candles can be adorned with paint or glass gems. Ready-to-paint bare wood birdhouses can be adorned to resemble wedding chapels. Something as simple as adding a photo of the couple, to a simple picture frame makes an excellent favor that will outlast the wedding day.

Home computers, desktop publishing software and quality papers make it easy to duplicate products that have only been available from professional printers in the past. Poetry can be added to beautiful backgrounds for unique bookmarks or framed works. Decorative placecards with the guests name in an beautiful script can later serve to replace a boring name placard on their work desk. Software to edit music and video recordings allow for the production of private CD's and DVD's.

Baked goods continue to make excellent wedding favors. Cookie cutters are manufactured in every imaginable shape allowing the bride to present distinctive, frosted and personalized delights. Miniature cakes, petits fours and even chocolates can be recreated in the home kitchen. Plastic molds for forming chocolate and other candies make it easy to produce delicacies that are representative of wedding themes. A fun twist on a common molded candy is to prepare it on a stick to create a lollipop from hard candies or chocolates.

Homemade wedding favors will continue to be a favorite for the bride and her guests. The opportunity to produce an item that genuinely expresses the heartfelt sentiments of the couple, will never go out of style.

Wedding Favors Info provides personalized, homemade, cheap, and unique wedding favors, including chocolate and cookie favors, wedding favor boxes, wedding shower favors, and more. Wedding Favors Info is the sister site of Wedding Invitations Web.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kevin_Stith
http://EzineArticles.com/?The-Charm-of-Homemade-Wedding-Favors&id=64155

Chocolate Drums Cookie Recipe

By Griffin Wetzstein

The chocolate drums cookie recipe is a perfect one to make with the children. These little gems will look so great sitting on a serving plate at your next holiday party!

Ingredients:
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup salted butter, softened
1 egg yolk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

Decorations:
Vanilla flavored candy coating, melted, slightly cooled
Decorator sugars and candies

Drumsticks:
Red licorice laces
Vanilla flavored candy coating, melted, slightly cooled

Hardware:
Large bowl
Small microwave safe bowl
Cookie sheets
Plastic wrap
Mixer

Step 1: In a large bowl, combine sugar, butter, egg yolk and vanilla extract. Beat at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy (2-3 minutes).

Step 2: Reduce speed to low and add the flour and cocoa; beat until well mixed.

Step 3: Divide dough into fourths. Shape each fourth into a 7-inch roll about 1-inch in diameter. Wrap each roll with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Step 4: Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Step 5: Cut rolls into 3/4-inch slices with a sharp knife. Place rolls 1 inch apart, cut side down, on ungreased cookie sheets.

Step 6: Bake for 8-10 minutes or until set. Let cookies set for 2 minutes before transferring to a cooling surface. Cool completely.

Decorating:
Step 1: In a small microwave safe bowl, melt candy coating in microwave according to directions on package.

Step 2: Roll sides of drums in the melted candy coating. Immediately dip or roll in desired decorator sugars or candies. Let stand to harden.

Drumsticks:
Step 1: Cut licorice laces into 1 1/4-inch pieces.

Step 2: Dip one end of each piece into melted candy coating. Crisscross two drumsticks on top of each drum. Let stand to harden

The chocolate drums cookie recipe makes 24 drums.

For more information on baking procedures and hardware used in this recipe see our Baking Tips section.

For more great Christmas cookie recipes visit http://kicked-up-cookie-recipes.com/christmas-cookie-recipes.html

For some great tasting oatmeal cookie recipes visit http://kicked-up-cookie-recipes.com/oatmeal-cookie-recipes.html


For cookie baking tips and a wide selection of recipes visit http://kicked-up-cookie-recipes.com/


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Chocolate Chile Truffles

by Carol Slinker

Both dark chocolate and spices provide health benefits. Dark chocolate lowers blood pressure, chiles boost metabolism and they both provide vital antioxidants, if taken in moderation, of course.

This addictive chocolate creation contains few ingredients - butter, cream cheese, sugar, and a kiss of brandy - but they all combine to create a sublime texture which highlights the pure flavor of the ancho & chipotle chile powders. A great modern dessert.

The ingredients are simple, although you may have to go to a specialty market for the ancho or Chipotle chile powders.

Start with

16 ozs of dark chocolate, broken or chopped
1 cup suger
16 ozs cream cheese
1 cup cocoa powder
2 Tablespoons brandy
¼ teaspoon ancho chile powder
¼ teaspoon chipotle chile powder

You'll need a double boiler, a bowl and a parchment lined cookie sheet.

First, in the bowl, soften the cream cheese with a large spoon until the water boils.

Melt the broken chocolate over the double boiler and add the sugar when the chocolate is almost melted. When the sugar is dissolved, remove from heat and add the softened cream cheese to the chocolate-sugar mixture. Then add the remaining ingredients.

Mix into a soft dough and break off a small amount at a time to form into the truffles, about 1 teaspoon or ½ oz each. Place the truffles on a parchment lined cookie sheet.

The list of toppings for these truffles is endless, as for most truffles, but a dusting of Chipotle chile powder, paprika or even shredded coconut makes for a truly new and exciting flavor blend.

Of course, for some, there must be nuts!

Go crazy with chopped pistachios, chopped almonds or walnuts.

This recipe makes about 95 ½ oz truffles. Refrigerate completed truffles for at least an hour before serving.

The Mysterious Truffle

By Jane Roseen

Truffles are well-known as some of the most delectable chocolate treats available. But they are such a delicacy that they were shrouded in mystery for many years. These tempting treats are exquisite in variety of both taste and settings in which to enjoy them.

For the most basic of explanations, chocolate truffles typically are a thin shell of powdered chocolate with a soft center. They can vary widely from there, but that is a basic truffle.

The outer layer is most often couverture chocolate, which contains at least 32 percent cocoa butter. This is much higher than most eating and baking chocolate, and allows for a wonderfully smooth, shiny, even surface. This couverture chocolate is available in all varieties, including white, milk, and dark, allowing for variety in truffle coatings.

The center is called ganache, which is a mixture of chocolate and cream. The exact balance between the two determines the creaminess and texture of the center. More cream, and it’s a smoother, softer truffle center. Less cream, more chocolate, and it’s a firmer, coarser truffle.

In addition, the ganache can be flavored with a variety of items to create a new taste altogether. Some of the perennial favorites include nuts, essential extracts, and liqueurs. These add an entirely new dimension to the truffle, and allow for even more discussion as to what makes the perfect truffle.

The question that always pops up when viewing a truffle – what kind is it? Without being so gauche as to stick one’s finger in the center like a child, you can usually tell what kind of truffle is in front of you from the outer coating. The predominant flavor of the truffle usually decorates the top of the outer coating. For example, apricot truffles have a small sliver of apricot on the top. Or praline truffles have a small praline or bits of praline on the outer layer. So never again wonder what you might get when you bite in!

Historically, truffles were solely for the rich. The time and effort that goes into the making of a truffle by hand just priced them beyond the reach of many common people. Truffles therefore became known as a very special treat with dessert.
However, with the advent of many automated manufacturing processes, almost anyone can enjoy the exquisite pleasure of chocolate truffles. They serve as a wonderful centerpiece to a collection of candies on a buffet, pair delightfully with after-dinner coffee, and even freeze beautifully to take along on a picnic and thaw as the day progresses.

So next time you have a craving for chocolate, consider trying truffles. You won’t be disappointed in these delicate morsels, and will likely wonder why you didn’t have some on hand before this!

Jane S. Roseen is the Owner and President of Harmony Sweets, an international gourmet chocolate shop. Harmony Sweets' mission focuses on individual consumers purchasing gourmet chocolates from around the world for their friends and relatives, as well as corporate gift giving. Gourmet chocolate gift baskets and personalized chocolates are also available.
Website: http://www.harmonysweets.com/

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