Top Health Benefits of Dark Chocolate

Source:  http://www.myhealthtips.in/


See also:
Why you should have a little dark chocolate every day
Dark chocolate is healthy chocolate

A Chocolate Favorite: Hawaiian Host Chocolate Covered Macadamia Nuts

Since my first trip to Hawaii, back in 1981, I have always had a favorite chocolate treat from the islands: Chocolate covered Macadamia Nuts by Hawaiian Host.

I have tried this same treat as made by other companies as well, but none compare to the rich flavor and perfect blend of delicious, creamy chocolate and tasty, quality nuts as those made by Hawaiian Host.  Although you can find these in specialty stores, or order them online, the most common way for me to enjoy them is when I make a trip to Hawaii, or have a relative from Hawaii come here to visit.

I've got an upcoming Hawaiian trip, and you can bet that I will stock up on plenty of these delectable chocolates.  I can't wait!

Quotes from the Movie "Chocolat"

Père Henri: [hearing confession] What else?
Guillaume Blerot: Impure thoughts. The woman who runs the chocolaterie...
Père Henri: Vianne Rocher?
Guillaume Blerot: She suggested I buy chocolate sea shells for the widow Audel. And, well... I guess that got me to thinking, about the widow Audel.
Père Henri: At her age? At *your* age?
Guillaume Blerot: Yes, and yes.

------

Luc Clairmont: [at confession] Each time I tell myself it's the last time, but then I get a whiff of her hot chocolate, or...
Madame Audel: ...Seashells. Chocolate seashells, so small, so plain, so *innocent*. I thought, oh, just one little taste, it can't do any harm. But it turned out they were filled with rich, sinful...
Yvette Marceau: ...And it *melts*, God forgive me, it melts ever so slowly on your tongue, and tortures you with pleasure.

------

Armande Voizin: Your cinnamon looks rancid.
Vianne Rocher: Well, it's not cinnamon, it's a special kind of chili pepper.
Armande Voizin: Chili pepper in hot chocolate? Psh.
Vianne Rocher: Mm-hm. It'll give you a lift.

------

Vianne Rocher: And these are for your husband. Unrefined cacao nips from Guatemala, to awaken the passions.
Yvette Marceau: Psshh. You've obviously never met my husband.
Vianne Rocher: Well, you've obviously never tried these.

------

Vianne Rocher: I have two announcements. Number one, if you enjoyed what you ate here, you're going to love my chocolate festival on Sunday.
Armande Voizin: Advertise on your own time. Whats for dessert?
Vianne Rocher: That brings me to number two. It is my duty to announce, that there is no dessert here tonight. [guests sound disappointed]
Vianne Rocher: Because its on Rouxs boat. [uncomfortable silence]
Armande Voizin: Any complaints, see me.

------

Roux: I thought you'd never guess. My favourite - hot chocolate.

------

From the book Chocolat by Joanne Harris:

“Happiness. Simple as a glass of chocolate or tortuous as the heart. Bitter. Sweet. Alive.”

“Why can no one here think of anything but chocolates?”

“I sell dreams, small comforts, sweet harmless temptations to bring down a multitude of saints crashing among the hazels and nougatines”

Great Chocolate Excerpts from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Excerpts from the book by Roald Dahl:

“He turned and reached behind him for the chocolate bar, then he turned back again and handed it to Charlie. Charlie grabbed it and quickly tore off the wrapper and took an enormous bite. Then he took another…and another…and oh, the joy of being able to cram large pieces of something sweet and solid into one's mouth! The sheer blissful joy of being able to fill one's mouth with rich solid food!

'You look like you wanted that one, sonny,' the shopkeeper said pleasantly.

Charlie nodded, his mouth bulging with chocolate.”

------

"And now the whole country, indeed, the whole world, seemed suddenly to be caught up in a mad chocolate-buying spree, everybody searching frantically for those precious remaining tickets. Fully grown women were seen going into sweet shops and buying ten Wonka bars at a time, then tearing off the wrappers on the spot and peering eagerly underneath for a glint of golden paper. Children were taking hammers and smashing their piggy banks and running out to the shops with handfuls of money. In one city, a famous gangster robbed a bank of a thousand pounds and spent the whole lot on Wonka bars that same afternoon. And when the police entered his house to arrest him, they found him sitting on the floor amidts mountains of chocolate, ripping off the wrappers with the blade of a long dagger..."

------

"Mother! Look! I've got it! Look, Mother, look! The last Golden Ticket! It's mine! I found some money in the street and I bought two bars of chocolate and the second one had the Golden Ticket and there were crowds of people all around me wanting to see it and the shopkeeper rescued me and I ran all the way home and here I am! IT'S THE FIFTH GOLDEN TICKET, MOTHER, AND I'VE FOUND IT!"

-----

“An important room, this!” cried Mr. Wonka, taking a bunch of keys from his pocket and slipping one into the keyhole of the door. “This is the nerve center of the whole factory, the heart of the whole business! And so beautiful! I insist upon my rooms being beautiful! I can’t abide ugliness in factories! In we go, then! But do be careful, my dear children! Don’t lose your heads! Don’t get overexcited! Keep very calm!”

Mr. Wonka opened the door. Five children and nine grownups pushed their ways in – and oh, what an amazing sight it was that now met their eyes!

They were looking down upon a lovely valley. There were green meadows on either side of the valley, and along the bottom of it there flowed a great brown river.

What is more, there was a tremendous waterfall halfway along the river – a steep cliff over which the water curled and rolled in a solid sheet, and then went crashing down into a boiling churning whirlpool of froth and spray.

Below the waterfall (and this was the most astonishing sight of all), a whole mass of enormous glass pipes were dangling down into the river from somewhere high up in the ceiling! They really were enormous, those pipes. There must have been a dozen of them at least, and they were sucking up the brownish muddy water from the river and carrying it away to goodness knows where. And because they were made of glass, you could see the liquid flowing and bubbling along inside them, and above the noise of the waterfall, you could hear the never-ending suck-suck-sucking sound of the pipes as they did their work.

Graceful trees and bushes were growing along the riverbanks – weeping willows and alders and tall clumps of rhododendrons with their pink and red and mauve blossoms. In the meadows, there were thousands of buttercups.

“There!” cried Mr. Wonka, dancing up and down and pointing his gold-tipped cane at the great brown river. “It’s all chocolate! Every drop of that river is hot melted chocolate of the finest quality. The very finest quality. There’s enough chocolate in there to fill every bathtub in the entire country! And all the swimming pools as well! Isn’t it terrific? And just look at my pipes! They suck up the chocolate and carry it away to all the other rooms in the factory where it is needed! Thousands of gallons an hour, my dear children! Thousands and thousands of gallons!

The children and their parents were too flabbergasted to speak. They were staggered. They were dumfounded. They were bewildered and dazzled. They were completely bowled over by the hugeness of the whole thing. They simply stood and stared.

------

"The waterfall is most important! It mixes the chocolate! It churn it up! It pounds it and beats it! It makes it light and frothy! No other factory in the world mixes its chocolate by waterfall! But it's the only was to do it properly! The only way!"

Delicious Chocolate Recipes

1. Aunt Teen's Creamy Chocolate Fudge

Prep time: 10 minutes 

Cook time: 20 minutes

Ready in 30 minutes

Makes 3 pounds of fudge

Ingredients

2 cups milk chocolate chips

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup chopped nuts

1 (7 ounce) jar marshmallow creme

1 1/2 cups white sugar

2/3 cup evaporated milk

1/4 cup butter

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

1.  Line an 8x8 inch pan with aluminum foil. Set aside.

2.  In a large saucepan over medium heat, combine marshmallow cream, sugar, evaporated milk, butter and salt. Bring to a full boil, and cook for 5 minutes, stirring constantly.

3.  Remove from heat and pour in semisweet chocolate chips and milk chocolate chips. Stir until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth. Stir in nuts and vanilla. Pour into prepared pan. Chill in refrigerator for 2 hours, or until firm.

This recipe was borrowed from:
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Aunt-Teens-Creamy-Chocolate-Fudge/Detail.aspx

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2. The Best Chocolate Cake Ever

1 box devil’s food cake mix

1 small pkg Jello instant chocolate pudding mix
1 cup sour cream
1 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups mini chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a very large bowl, mix together everything except chocolate chips. Batter will be thick. 
3. Stir in the chocolate chips. 
4. Pour batter into cake pan(s) of choice. 
5. For cooking time, use the cooking times on the back of the devil’s food cake box as a guide and add 10 mins to whatever it says. 
6. Toothpick check, and if not done, check on it every 5 mins after that. It usually takes around 45 mins for two, 9-inch pie pans.

Buttercream Frosting

1 cup shortening (Crisco)
4 cups powdered sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup heavy whipping cream

1. In a mixing bowl, cream shortening until fluffy. 
2. Add sugar and continue creaming until well blended. 
3. Add salt, vanilla, and whipping cream. 
4. Blend on low speed until moistened. Beat at high speed until frosting is fluffy.

This recipe was borrowed from:
http://recipes/dessert/the-best-chocolate-cake.html#ixzz2BEFbTtZH

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3. World's Best Chocolate Chip Cookie

Ingredients
3/4 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup butter, softened
1 tablespoon vanilla
2 large eggs, slightly beaten
3 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
3 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup chopped walnuts or 1 cup pecans

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Cream sugars and butter.
3. Add vanilla and eggs and mix well.
4. Combine dry ingredients together and gradually add to creamed mixture.
5. Stir in chips and nuts.
6. Roll into 1 1/4" balls and place on non-stick cookie sheets, about 2" apart.
7. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes.


This recipe was borrowed from:
http://www.food.com/recipe/worlds-best-chocolate-chip-cookies-26849

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4. Classical Chocolate Mouse 
Prep time: 30 mins
Total time: 30 mins
Serves: 8

Ingredients
13 oz bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, finely cut
6 tbsp. (3 oz) butter softened
½ cup sugar
6 egg yolks
¼ cup strong black coffee or espresso
¼ cup Kahlua
3 cups heavy cream*

Instructions
Chocolate
1. Place the chocolate in a stainless steel bowl, over a pot of simmering water, stir with a rubber spatula as the chocolate melts, if the pan starts to get too hot, remove it from the heat.
2. Continue to stir the chocolate until it has melted completely, then remove from the heat.
3. Cut the butter into 8 pieces and mix it into the melted chocolate until it has been completely absorbed by the chocolate.
4. Set the chocolate aside to cool to room temperature.

Sabayon
1. Add the egg yolks to the bowl of your mixer and begin to whip them until doubled in size, then begin to slowly pour the sugar in a steady stream into the yolks. Continue to whip for another minute.
2. Add the liquid to the egg yolk mixture and place your mixing bowl over a pot of simmering water and whisk the yolk mixture until it becomes very thick.
3. When the egg yolks have thickened, continue to whip in your stand mixer until the mixture has cooled.

Combining
1. When the sabayon has cooled, fold it into the chocolate mixture until well blended.
2. Whip the cream in your stand mixer until it holds its shape, then fold it into the chocolate mixture.
3. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until set.

Notes
* For an even more intense chocolate flavor, reduce the heavy cream by half, to 1½ cups.  


This recipe was borrowed from:
http://www.askchefdennis.com/2011/12/the-best-chocolate-mousse-youll-ever-have/

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5. S'more Brownies

Makes 12 Brownies 


Ingredients
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate (preferably   Valrhona Caraibe 66%), chopped
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 6 pieces
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1/3 cup sour cream, at room temperature
2 tsp. vanilla bean paste or pure vanilla extract
1 cup graham cracker pieces
8 large marshmallows
1/2 cup semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips 

Directions
1. Position a rack in the center of the oven, and preheat the oven to                            350°F (325°F if using a convection oven). Line an 8-inch square                                              baking dish with parchment or foil and grease it (preferably with Pam). 

2. In a small heatproof bowl, melt the chocolate and butter over                                       simmering water. Whisk until smooth, and set aside to cool slightly. 

3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the sugar, flour, baking powder,                                       and salt. 

4. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, sour cream, and vanilla. 

5. Add the flour mixture and whisk well. 

6. Add the melted chocolate and stir until blended. 

7. Add the graham crackers, marshmallows, and chocolate chips                                           and stir gently until well blended. 

8. Scrape the batter into the prepared baking dish and spread it as                                        evenly as you can (the graham pieces, marshmallows, and chocolate                                            chips will make the top look lumpy).

9. Bake for 24 to 26 minutes (18 to 19 minutes if using a convection                                             oven), until puffed and the center still jiggles when the pan is gently                                                shaken. (Brownies are at their best when slightly underbaked.) 

10. Transfer the baking dish to a wire rack and let cool completely                                             before refrigerating for 2 hours, or until cold and firm. Cut the cold                                            brownie into 12 pieces and store in an airtight container in the                                                 refrigerator for up to 5 days. 

This recipe was borrowed from:

http://www.oprah.com/food/Smore-Brownies-Recipe

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More recipes to come soon....

Dark Chocolate is Healthy Chocolate

It's the best medical news in ages. Studies in two prestigious scientific journals say dark chocolate -- but not white chocolate or milk chocolate -- is good for you.

Dark Chocolate Lowers Blood Pressure
Dark chocolate -- not white chocolate -- lowers high blood pressure, say Dirk Taubert, MD, PhD, and colleagues at the University of Cologne, Germany. Their report appears in the Aug. 27 issue of The Journal of the American Medical Association.

But that's no license to go on a chocolate binge. Eating more dark chocolate can help lower blood pressure -- if you've reached a certain age and have mild high blood pressure, say the researchers. But you have to balance the extra calories by eating less of other things.

Antioxidants in Dark Chocolate
Dark chocolate -- but not milk chocolate or dark chocolate eaten with milk -- is a potent antioxidant, report Mauro Serafini, PhD, of Italy's National Institute for Food and Nutrition Research in Rome, and colleagues. Their report appears in the Aug. 28 issue of Nature. Antioxidants gobble up free radicals, destructive molecules that are implicated in heart disease and other ailments.

"Our findings indicate that milk may interfere with the absorption of antioxidants from chocolate ... and may therefore negate the potential health benefits that can be derived from eating moderate amounts of dark chocolate."

Translation: Say "Dark, please," when ordering at the chocolate counter. Don't even think of washing it down with milk. And if health is your excuse for eating chocolate, remember the word "moderate" as you nibble.

The Studies
Taubert's team signed up six men and seven women aged 55-64. All had just been diagnosed with mild high blood pressure -- on average, systolic blood pressure (the top number) of 153 and diastolic blood pressure (the bottom number) of 84.

Every day for two weeks, they ate a 100-gram candy bar and were asked to balance its 480 calories by not eating other foods similar in nutrients and calories. Half the patients got dark chocolate and half got white chocolate.

Those who ate dark chocolate had a significant drop in blood pressure (by an average of 5 points for systolic and an average of 2 points for diastolic blood pressure). Those who ate white chocolate did not.

In the second study, Serafini's team signed up seven healthy women and five healthy men aged 25-35. On different days they each ate 100 grams of dark chocolate by itself, 100 grams of dark chocolate with a small glass of whole milk, or 200 grams of milk chocolate.

An hour later, those who ate dark chocolate alone had the most total antioxidants in their blood. And they had higher levels of epicatechin, a particularly healthy compound found in chocolate. The milk chocolate eaters had the lowest epicatechin levels of all.
Chocolate for Blood Pressure: Darker Is Better
What is it about dark chocolate? The answer is plant phenols -- cocoa phenols, to be exact. These compounds are known to lower blood pressure.

Chocolates made in Europe are generally richer in cocoa phenols than those made in the U.S. So if you're going to try this at home, remember: Darker is better.

Just remember to balance the calories. A 100-gram serving of Hershey's Special Dark Chocolate Bar has 531 calories, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. If you ate that much raw apple you'd only take in 52 calories. But then, you'd miss out on the delicious blood pressure benefit.

A hint: Don't replace healthy foods with chocolate. Most people's diets have plenty of sweets. Switch those for some chocolate if you're going to try the truffle treatment.

By Daniel J. DeNoon

WebMD Health News, Aug. 27, 2003

See also:
Why you should have a little dark chocolate every day

Top health benefits of dark chocolate

My Favorite Chocolate

Now, that's a hard choice.

There are so many delicious and delectable varieties.  I love SO many of them.  Especially when they are dark, very dark, but not too bitter.  And with a somewhat creamy texture, but not too rich.

But, I suppose my favorite chocolate would have to be something easily accessible in small portions and not too expensive, with a satisfying taste. 

So, for now that makes my choice Dove Dark Chocolate Promises. It meets all my criteria, and I can limit my portions while satisfying my craving.  Dove chocolates are labeled “silky smooth” and come with a nice little message inside the foil wrapper. Who doesn’t love that?

Yup. It's my favorite.