Chocolate University Online Blog
You can probably guess what PB&J means. Peanut Butter and Jelly. PB&J is a classic American combination mostly reminiscent of childhood. Now that you are grown up, I suggest you switch to a more sophisticated flavor combination – Peanut Butter and Chocolate. Can we call it PB&C?
The most accepted theory of who put peanut butter and chocolate together is the story of H.B. Reese. Mr. Reese started out as a dairy employee for Hershey Chocolate Company in the 1920’s. He soon ventured out to start his own company and began to manufacture a single product called peanut butter cups, known today as REESE’S Peanut Butter Cups.
The variety and popularity of recipes that are made with the peanut butter and chocolate combination are numerous. You can find the pairing in granola, ice cream, cake, brownies, chocolate truffles, melt-a-ways, candy bars, cookies, pie, fudge, and mousse. Whew – I am certain I missed something.
Here is a great recipe recommended by many who enjoy the chocolate and peanut butter combination for breakfast…
Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Muffins
2/3 cup peanut butter, chunky or smooth
2 tablespoons butter, melted
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 cup milk
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 350°. In a large mixing bowl, combine peanut butter and melted butter; stir until well blended. Mix in sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Combine flour with baking powder and baking soda. Add to peanut butter mixture along with milk and chocolate chips. Stir just until combined.
Spoon batter into 12 paper-lined muffin tins. Bake 20 to 25 minutes, or until muffins spring back when lightly touched in center. Serve warm or at room temperature. |
Categories: chocolate recipes, fun chocolate facts
Tags: chocolate history, peanut butter
Chocolate and celebrations go back as early as the ancient Maya, maybe even earlier. The Maya served a frothy chocolate beverage made from crushed cacao beans. Perhaps it was used for the first toast by the best man!
Today, the tradition of serving chocolate at weddings continues. Receptions serve guests chocolate wedding cake, the bride and groom thank their guests with chocolate wedding favors and, the pièce de résistance, a chocolate fountain for dipping!
Let’s talk about the creative ways you can present chocolate at your wedding celebration.
At the head table, where the bride and groom and attendants usually sit, place a vase of chocolate roses and present them as gifts to those special people in your lives.
Instead of napkins with the name of the happy couple, make personalized chocolate candy bar wrappers. Wouldn’t you rather have your guests eat a memento of your special day and not wipe their mouth with one?
Chocolate covered strawberries, one dressed in a tuxedo and one in a wedding dress, would “wow” any crowd.
 Sometimes I imagine going back in time and adding more chocolate to my wedding day. For starters, I would switch out the overly sweet, fluffy white frosting on the wedding cake (much to the groom’s dismay) and wrap it in a rich, dark chocolate fondant. Then I would arrange for sharply dressed wait-staff to walk around with platters of chocolate hors d’oeuvres that include hand-rolled truffles and assorted chocolates.
Good thing my children like chocolate. Maybe I could help them with their chocolate wedding fantasies!
Categories: fun chocolate facts
Tags: chocolate cake, chocolate celebrations, chocolate party
The chocolate world divides cocoa beans into two general categories: Flavor Beans (varieties Criollo or Trinitario) and Bulk Beans (variety Forestero).
 There are some exceptions to this system, but general speaking this is how the cocoa market categorizes cocoa beans.
The percentage of flavor beans in the total world production of cocoa beans is only around 5% per year. Virtually all the cocoa harvested is classified as bulk cocoa.
A pure Criollo variety is rare these days but was the major variety in the 18th century.
Trinitario variety is considered to be a cross between Criollo and Forastero. Trinitario planting started in the country of Trinidad and then spread to Venezuela, Ecuador, Cameroon, Samoa, Sri Lanka, Java and Papua New Guinea.
Some companies are dedicated to restore more Criollo and Trinitario growing farms. Xoco Fine Cocoa Company of Nicaragua is one such entity.
Xoxo’s mission is produce a high quality flavor, consistent flavor bean, bringing back a genotype from superior Criollo/Trinitario varieties.
Categories: chocolate education, fun chocolate facts
Tags: cacao farms, cocoa beans
I was recently asked about the spread of Cocoa or Cacao trees around the world.
 Cacao is believed to have originated in South America. There is a lot of evidence suggesting that the ancient Maya in Central America were the first to domesticate Theobroma cacao as a crop.
The Aztecs ground cacao into Xocoatl, a chocolate drink used mostly for spiritual and ceremonial rituals.
Hernan Cortés is credited with bringing cacao to Spain where it spread throughout Europe in the 1500’s and 1600’s.
Spanish friars began to grow cacao in Ecuador around 1635. The French introduced cacao to Martinique and St Lucia, the Dominican Republic, and Brazil in the mid to late 1600’s. England started growing it in Jamaica and the Dutch in Curaçao. All of this effort just to meet the ever growing demand for the affluent in Europe.
When demand exploded again in the 1800’s even more had to be cultivated. Cacao from Brazil was taken to Principe and Sao Tomé, islands off the coast of West Africa around 1830. From there, it spread to Nigeria and Ghana.
Today, the largest cacao producing country is Ivory Coast, Africa.
Categories: chocolate education, fun chocolate facts
Tags: cacao tree, chocolate history, cocoa beans, world chocolate
I love the smell of my flower bed after it rains. Ahhhh, it smells so chocolatey!
Yep, that’s right, an aroma like brownies baking in an oven. I use cocoa bean shells for mulch and it is true that when it gets wet, it smells delightfully like chocolate.
As the name indicates, cocoa shell mulch is made from the shell of the cocoa bean. These shells come off the bean either during or just prior to the roasting process. The shells are cleaned and packaged for sale as mulch.
Cocoa mulch retains moisture very well and is an excellent protector and insulator for the root systems of plants and shrubs. It lasts longer than regular mulch, smells great and darkens with age.
When shell mulch breaks down, it becomes nutrient rich humus. It is particularly suited for acid-loving plants. My beautiful lavender-pink Rhododendron thanks me every year.
Possibly the only down side is that its not dog-friendly. I don’t own a dog, so I don’t have any direct experience with this, but I have read that dogs are attracted to the chocolate smell and may try to eat the cocoa shells.
Chocolate is dangerous to dogs if they eat it, but there is not enough of the chemical (theobromine) in the shell to cause as serious an injury as a piece of chocolate. If the shells are eaten, the dog may get an upset stomach or an increase in the heart rate. Still, something to think about if you have dog-owning neighbors you want to keep happy!
If there are no dog concerns then pour on the cocoa bean shells. You’ll have the best smelling landscape in your neighborhood.
Categories: fun chocolate facts
Tags: chocolate smell, cocoa beans
 No one knows for sure how St. Valentines Day became synonymous with romantic love. There are a number of theories, but that is not really important. Once the tradition got started, all kinds of things naturally presented themselves as part of the language of love…
Like chocolate, for instance.
Chocolate and romance go together.
Throughout history, people have believed chocolate to be an aphrodisiac. It is said that Montezuma drank chocolate to increase his amorous energy and stamina. From ancient Mexico to Europe and then to America, this legend spread across the globe and survived the centuries as a powerful love potion.
Chocolate is a complex food and scientists try to unlock its secrets. When eaten, it changes human behavior, especially in women. Chocolate contains two substances called Phenylethylamine and Seratonin. These are responsible for lifting one’s mood and making us experience feelings of well being, love and happiness.
When Phenylethylamine and Seratonin are released into the body, they can produce arousing effects and give us instant energy. No wonder chocolate has gained a reputation as an aphrodisiac. Women are more susceptible to the effects of Phenylethylamine and Seratonin than men.
Still, the debate continues as to whether or not there is scientific evidence proving chocolate as an aphrodisiac. Sure, there are chemicals in chocolate that makes us “feel good” but so does the act of eating the chocolate because it TASTES good. And I, for one, feel good when I receive chocolate as a gift. It gives me feelings of being loved.
There is no doubt about one thing – chocolate and romance do go together.
Enjoy some chocolate this Valentines Day!
Categories: chocolate education, fun chocolate facts
Tags: chocolate facts, chocolate history, holidays
 Back in 1909 Walter Baker & Co., Ltd. published a little book called Chocolate and Cocoa Recipes By Miss Parloa and Home Made Candy Recipes By Mrs. Janet McKenzie Hill.
The staff here at Chocolate University Online have created a special 100th anniversary edition of this book and released it in a PDF download format.
In addition to the original text and 138 recipes, the book contains an all new introduction by CUO staff. We also took each of the pictures and moved them to the same page as their corresponding recipes. It’s much more convenient to see the picture right there rather than looking at various photo pages to get an idea of the finished product.
Furthermore, we added a great new alphabetical index. Now if you know the name of the recipe you’ll be able to find it quickly. That makes the book much friendlier than the original which, quite uselessly, listed all recipes in page number order.
The new version is for sale and immediate download at our Chocolate Store page. Enjoy!
Categories: chocolate recipes, fun chocolate facts, shameless self promotion
Tags: chocolate cake, chocolate candy, chocolate dessert, chocolate history, hot chocolate, nostalgia
I recently taught a chocolate and wine tasting seminar. We tasted delicious, hand-made chocolates from local chocolate shops. Afterward, one of the attendees took me aside and made a confession…
She said I did a great job pointing out the reasons to fall in love with gourmet chocolate, but that sometimes she just wants a big handful of M&Ms. She wondered if something was wrong with her.
Perhaps there are many things wrong with her, but I don’t think craving M&M’s is one of them!  A large part of enjoying chocolate involves memories of our early chocolate experiences. Children as young as age 9-11 start to prefer chocolate over other candy.
(Some of my early chocolate memories don’t involve Hershey bars or M&M’s so maybe that is why I don’t reach for them when I have a chocolate craving. My Dad introduced me to Marshall Field’s Frango™ Mints and Dark Chocolate Covered Orange Peel at an early age. Thank you, Dad!)
If you crave mass-produced candy bars you are not alone. The top ten most popular chocolate bars in the U.S. (based on sales in US Dollars) are:
1. Snickers
2. Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup
3. Kit Kat
4. Butterfinger
5. Milky Way
6. 3 Musketeers
7. Baby Ruth
8. M&Ms Plain Chocolate Candies
9. Oh Henry
10. Hershey Milk Chocolate Bar
Snickers tops the list with over 2 BILLION dollars in global annual sales!
Sometimes our past favorites are not made anymore. Do you remember any of these candy bars?
- Bar None
- Caravelle Bar
- Chocolate Babies
- Chocolate Cow
- Chocolite
- Forever Yours
- Rally Bar
- Marathon
- Mars Bar
- Milkshake Candy Bar
- Nestle Alpine White Bar
- PBMax Candy Bar
- Peanut Butter No Jelly Bar
- Seven-Up Bar
- Willie Wonka Oompas
I will always recommend you choose fine premium chocolate over the vending machine candy bar. But, if you need a trip down memory lane, I say go for it. And after you have satisfied that urge, promise me you’ll take a moment and enjoy a fresh chocolate truffle or a rich butter cream.
Categories: fun chocolate facts
Tags: candy bars, chocolate bars, favorite chocolate, grocery product, nostalgia
In my opinion, everyone involved in the early evolution of cacao plant into an edible substance we call chocolate should receive a “get into heaven free” card regardless of their religious beliefs!
While there is no one particular person who invented chocolate, most experts believe the ancient Maya discovered the delicious secrets of chocolate between 250-900 A.D.
They learned how to harvest cacao (the fruit/pod of the Cacao tree), then ferment, roast, and grind the seeds found within. The Maya used liquid chocolate in their religious and social lives. The seeds (cocoa beans) were considered to be very valuable and were often used as currency.
Ancient chocolate was very different from the chocolate we know today. The ground cacao seeds were mixed with water, chili peppers, cornmeal, and spices to form a paste. Then they used the paste to make a frothy, spicy chocolate drink. The drink was unsweetened.
Chocolate was first brought to Europe by Christopher Columbus and Hernan Cortez.
Christopher Columbus is believed to be the first to bring cacao seeds to Europe when he returned from his fourth voyage to the new world (landed on the island of Guanaja off the coast of Honduras) in 1502.
In 1519 Cortéz reached Mexico City and was received by Montezuma, the Aztec emperor. Cortéz recognized the value of the cacao bean, he drank the chocolate, and learned its formula.
When he returned to Spain he presented the beans as a gift to King Charles V. He also brought back the knowledge of how to make the chocolate beverage. Later, monasteries were designated as storehouses of the beans, and monks were charged with making the chocolate drink.
It is believed that the Aztecs drank their chocolate cold. In Spain in the 1500’s, purveyors of the drink served it hot.
Around 1830, a solid form of chocolate was developed by a British chocolate maker named Joseph Fry. He called it “eating chocolate.” In 1847, the Fry’s chocolate factory molded the first ever chocolate bar that was suitable for widespread consumption.
Thus it was the Fry family who first brought chocolate to the masses in a form most recognizable today (though having had today’s chocolates you probably wouldn’t like their earlier version). Others have since refined their processes and formulas to give us the variety of wonderful options we have now.
Categories: chocolate education, fun chocolate facts
Tags: cacao pods, chocolate bars, chocolate facts, chocolate history
Every year around Christmas time I attend at least one holiday cookie exchange party or dessert buffet event. Among the many traditional cookies there is always fudge.
 Fudge is a treat anytime of year, but for me, it is especially meaningful during the holidays.
As a child, I remember my mother and grandmother walking around the house stirring, and stirring, and stirring that bowl of fudge. Sometime they would pause to watch TV, I suppose to prevent boredom, stirring all the while.
Fudge is an American invention. There are several stories about how fudge first came to exist. Most food historians agree that fudge was invented in the late 1800’s. At least one story claims that fudge was the result of a batch of caramels gone wrong and the name came from the exclamation, “Oh fudge!” Before becoming “fudge”, it first may have been called “Divinity” because it tasted “divine.”
Crystal formation is the key to making great fudge. It is the super small crystals of sugar in fudge that give fudge a firm but smooth texture. Forming crystals at just the right time and in just the right size is the secret to successful fudge. When the crystals are small enough, they won’t feel grainy in your mouth.
Making non-grainy fudge is all in the cooling and stirring. A typical recipe will require you to heat the ingredients and then cool undisturbed until a certain temperature is reached. If you disturb the fudge during this time you risk the formation of large crystals of sugar and thus a grainy fudge.
When the fudge has cooled, you must begin proper crystal formation. Here is where the stirring comes in. You start to stir, and keep stirring, until the fudge becomes thick. The more you stir, the more crystals you get; lots and lots of tiny crystals. You should end up with a firm, smooth fudge.
When your finished stirring, your arm feels like it’s about to fall off. Yeah, but s-o-o-o worth the sacrifice!
Categories: fun chocolate facts
Tags: favorite chocolate, holidays, working with chocolate
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