chocolate Posts

10Feb
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Baking for Your Keep

When you stay at a friend’s, you want to make sure that you are great guest so that you will be invited back for another visit. Generally, even if you stay on someone’s couch, that person still feels an understandable obligation to feed and entertain you. As such, you should be sure that you are a grateful, unobtrusive house guest. desserts

There are certain staples, such chocolate chip cookies and brownies, that are easy to make and nearly universally appealing.  You should avoid making anything with nuts, since it is such a common allergen. If baking is generally not your forte, you do not need to overtax yourself. The recipe for chocolate chip cookies may be found on the back of Tollhouse bags of chocolate chips. And, brownie mix includes instructions on the back of its packaging, as well.

Although both desserts are easy to make and do not take that much time to bake, brownies involves the least amount of effort. Despite this, brownies are generally appreciated by any food audience. If you are in a rush, you should make brownies, since they will be ready sooner. Try to leave enough time for them to cool before you cut them, otherwise they will crumble; if you run out of time, you may try to carry them in the cake pan and cut them when you reach your destination.

As the guest at someone’s home, you should still in your own way contribute to your friend’s hospitality; baking is the perfect way to show your appreciation.

Posted by tarae in chocolate, cookies and tagged with , , ,
27Jan
0

Things You Can Dunk In Chocolate

Recently I made a trip to Max Brenner’s in New York City. It’s a really crowded place right below Union Square that smells exactly like the chocolate river in Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory must have. You walk in and you are almost knocked off your feet by the smell of glorious, untouched, amazing chocolate.

If you’ve never been here, I ask, WHY NOT!? It’s an amazing centralized holy ground for chocoholics in the tri-state area. If you can dream it, the chocolate man can do it. Max Brenner is so proud of his chocolate he actually puts a drawing of himself on the napkins. You’d have to be really confident and really love your product to have it wiped on you from other people’s faces. But he is rightly proud. This is some of the best chocolate I’ve ever had.

Just typing this makes me want to go there and see the chocolate flowing through the pipes (yes, I said pipes) from one end of the store to the other and order the most amazing fondue.

They bring it to you in huge vats of either milk, white, or dark (or all three if you’re feeling up to it!) with a plethora of things to dunk in it, shove in your mouth, and wipe on those Max Brenner napkins.

Posted by kristing in chocolate and tagged with , , , ,
25Jan
0

Anti-Valentine’s Candy & Bittersweet Junk You Can Eat Or Gift

Okay, so Valentine’s Day is on its way. While there are plenty of people out there that love the holiday and relish in romance, love, and kissy-kissy-ness there are also plenty of people out there that would rather rage against the commercialism and artificial sweetness of it.

There is plenty of candy out there that feels just as neglected as you, and is probably just as sour. Sometimes what you need is a good old moment to soak in your feelings. Let that misery subside and enjoy some junk food. It’ll make you feel better than that box of chocolates he sent before the tacky break-up text message.

You know what’s just as good as the hearts that say “I love you?” The hearts that say, “Call a 900#.” Yep, they exist. They’re called Bittersweets. Pretty much any aggression you need to let out can now be said with a tart candy heart.  They’re an easy way to express how disappointed you are without having to waste air.

Another fun way to celebrate anti-Valentine’s is to give your ex some trick candy. It’s an opportunity to seek revenge for breaking your heart. try candy that changes the color of their tongue or has a sour flavor. It’s harmless fun (for you, anyway). Who could blame you?

Enjoy this anti-Vaentine’s Day!

Posted by MattC in candy, chocolate, Creative Ideas, Holidays and tagged with , ,
19Jan
0

Valentine’s Day Candy

There is an art to choosing the write Valentine’s Day candy,  whether you are getting it for yourself or someone else.  If you are doing the former, obviously, you need to treat yourself to the candy that you like best, but if you are doing the latter, you need to first assess the recipient’s personal preferences. candy

For example, I recently discovered that some people find boxes of assorted chocolates to a stressful, aggravating gift; they apparently do not appreciate the element of surprise associated with these samplers and they find studying the accompanying chocolate chart to be a tedious activity.

So, your purchase needs to complement the recipient’s personality traits. If he normally does not like surprises, he is probably not going to enjoy a chocolate sampler.  Instead, such a person will appreciate receiving his favorite candy. Giving him this item shows that you pay attention to what he likes and means that he will actually enjoy the sweet treat that you get him for Valentine’s Day.

Frequently, choosing a simple, beloved candy to give as a Valentine’s Day gift will generally be an appreciated delight on Valentine’s Day. However, for a more adventurous individual, giving a sampler box of chocolate will offer its own special pleasure.

Posted by tarae in candy, chocolate and tagged with ,
12Jan
0

Cupcakes and…Beer?

A friend of mine recently sent out the ole general facebook message/birthday party invitation which seems to be the new way to do things. (Call me old fashioned but I still enjoy looking at the Garfield party invites in stores.) It said that the party would be held at this “new and cool place” called Sweet Revenge. This is a place that focuses on cupcakes and alcohol. Sure they have a brunch menu and so on but really, the reason to go is for the menu entirely comprised of beer and cupcake pairings.

No, I’m not kidding. It’s like an adult Willy Wonka Factory. They also have a menu section that pairs wine with their signature and artisan cupcakes. You know, for the more discerning palate. Me? Give me a great Mayan chocolate cupcake and bottle of Young’s Double Chocolate Stout and I’m a happy camper. This whole idea, this whole dessert and alcohol idea should be taking off far more than it is, to be honest. I mean who doesn’t love a good brew and a bunch of frosting? But it seems that if you want the best of these few and far between dessert bars and bars, you need to head to Sweet Revenge.

Posted by kristing in chocolate, Cocktails, Cupcakes and tagged with , , , ,
05Jan
0

Viniero’s Bakery

I have always loved history and dessert foods, so it makes sense that my all-time favorite bakery has existed since 1894 and has the widest variety of tasty desserts of any bakery I visited (and I make it a point to visit many). bakery

Viniero’s is located at 342 East 11th Street and 1st Avenue and has existed within the same building since it was established by Antionio Veniero. The bakery maintains many of its original features, including hand-stamped metal ceilings, specially designed etched glass doors, highly polished wood mirrors. The lavish marble floors have only been restored once in the past 117 years.

As you enter Viniero’s, your eyes are immediately drawn to the huge display case that contains every Italian confectionary of which can conceive, and then some. If you are getting an order to go, you grab a number from the dispenser and wait on the line. No matter what hour of day or night, I have never seen a line that did not reach the door (do not let this intimidate you; the line moves quickly and the pastries are well worth any wait).

If you walk past the display case, you come to the cafe area where you may sit and peruse the dessert menu, which is several pages long. Regardless of the actual sweetness of your sweet tooth, you will be able to find something positively scrumptious to eat (and drink!) at Viniero’s Bakery.

Posted by tarae in Cakes, chocolate, Cocktails, Cold Desserts, cookies, Healthy Desserts, Italian, Recipes and tagged with , , ,
17Nov
0

Would Nutella Taste Good on That?

Just thinking about what to write for today’s post about Nutella is already making me salivate. Nutella newbies are always wondering what they can do with this dreamy chocolate hazelnut spread. Well for starters, anything that you typically put chocolate on will taste a billion times better with Nutella. If you’ve ever seen their commercial, the company tries to sell it as an additive to breakfast. I don’t think Nutella is a very healthy way to start the morning, but it will taste phenomenal on bread, bagels, waffles, pancakes, French toast, crepes, muffins, etc.

But we all know that sweet and salty go together better than  Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries. Nutella and pretzels? Match made in heaven. Potato chips? Absolutely. Just don’t choose BBQ. That’s just weird. Stick with plain. Another favorite combination of mine is to make a sandwich out of Nutella and raspberry preserve. It’s like dessert for lunch. Probably isn’t very healthy at all now that I think about.

And while we’re on the topic of sandwiches, spread some peanut butter on one side with banana slices and you have pure delight for lunch. Add it to mixtures that call for chocolate, such as brownies and cakes. It will make a wonderful substitute. Everything tastes good with a little Nutella love, except meat and fish…

Posted by KristenM in chocolate, Creative Ideas and tagged with , , ,
04Aug
0

Hello Panda Biscuits Are a Taste of Something Different

Recently, I’ve discovered that a nearby deli sells Hello Panda biscuits, a Japanese brand with adorable pandas imprinted on these flavor-filled biscuits, doing random cute things like playing tennis. I’d call them more a cookie, with their various fillings of three different flavors; chocolate, vanilla or strawberry. Each is just as delicious as the next.

Finding these kind of treats is always a delight. Not everyone sells them and most certainly not if you live in a small town. But in a big city where there’s lots of imported goods, Hello Panda biscuits/cookies/whatever delicious word you want to call them, can be found in delis and bodegas here and there if you know where to look.

That’s the joy of imported candy and cookies. The foods from both China and Japan are always so different, yet delicious. They have fun packaging whose contents are not always easily discernible, but it’s never turned me away from trying something new.

They really are a delicious concoction of a cookie filled with sweet icing, almost like a pastry version of Gushers. And in my searches online for more, I came across someone who had a brilliant idea of eating them as cereal by pouring them in a bowl with milk. I think I know what I’m doing for breakfast tomorrow.

Posted by KristenM in chocolate, cookies and tagged with , , , , , , , ,
15Jul
0

Keebler Mint Creme Middles Are Good Girl Scout Cookie Holdovers

We all await patiently for the girl scouts to parade the neighborhood and sell us their cookies. I don’t know about anybody else but the day the orders finally get delivered I am in absolute Nirvana. It’s the happiest time of year, well, aside from Halloween and its mouth-watering candy.

If you’re anything like me and you wait impatiently for these cookies to arrive, you should try the Keebler Mint Creme Middles. They’re a sort of Thin mint knockoffs. They don’t look anything like the girl scout cookies but I have their taste to be just as delightful. It may not be as completely satisfying but they do the job as the temp worker quite well.

They’re chocolate graham cookies with a mint center filling. They’re then drizzled with some extra chocolate just in case you didn’t get enough. This is what I call drool-worthy happiness. And, obviously, if you’re not so die-hard into the whole mint-flavor thing, you can look at Keebler’s other cookies.

So, thank you, Keebler Elves, you have saved the world from mass panic.

 

 

Posted by KristenM in chocolate, Dessert Ideas and tagged with , ,
23Jun
0

Peanut Butter In/On/Over Everything

I enjoy sweets just fine. Honestly Oreos or a great thick piece of chocolate cake, maybe a delicious bowl of ice cream. All of these things are wonderful snack all on their own. Nobody could complain much about getting a taste of any of them. But if you are going to offer me a sweet or a piece of candy, no matter what it is, I may just inquire about the presence of peanut butter on the premises. This is because to be honest everything tastes better when it is smothered end to end in gooey peanut butter.

The deliciousness of peanut butter is virtually incontestable. (Save for those with devestating and life threatening peanut allergies, who obviously have never been lucky enough to appreciate the delightful treat.) It’s versatility is also often noted, it can meld beautifully with creamy chocolaty flavor or fruity flavors in equal measure. I once dunked a curly french fry in some peanut butter and was strangely pleased with the results!

During college I would often utilize the protein boost provided by peanut butter as a rationalization that chocolate bar or cake, or ice cream, could be a dinner. It was a glorious time to be sure, and when I dump a bag of M & M’s into a jar o Jif I realize, you can go home again.

Posted by TimD in Cakes, candy, chocolate, Cold Desserts, Dessert Articles, Dessert Ideas, Dessert News and tagged with ,
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