Is Chocolate a Mood Food?
November 11, 2010
You've heard things about chocolate: chocolate makes you feel good, in love, amorous, calm, not depressed. Fact or fiction?
There is no doubt chocolate brings about chemical reactions in the body, in fact, all food stimulates endorphins in the brain when eaten. But even with all that going on, scientists have yet to find sufficient evidence that proves chocolate and other “mood foods” can cause enough bodily changes to be noticeable.
Scientists know that neurotransmitters affect the brain. High levels of serotonin are associated with feelings of being calm, happy, and relaxed; and dopamine and norepinephrine cause feelings of pleasure and reward. The physiological connection between food and brain chemicals has been documented but the effects are usually not enough to make a real difference in our moods.
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Black Bottom Cupcakes
November 10, 2010
Black Bottom cupcakes are chocolate cupcakes with a cream cheese center. This cupcake is super dense, rich, and moist.
I like this recipe because of the added chocolate chips, only I prefer the mini-chocolate chip size. The texture is great, too. I could eat these everyday – yikes!
| Black Bottom Cupcakes • 12 ounces cream cheese • 2 eggs • 1 2/3 cups sugar • 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips (can use mini-size) • 1 1/2 cups flour, sifted • 1/4 cup cocoa powder • 1 teaspoon baking soda • 1 teaspoon salt • 1 cup water • 1/3 cup cooking oil • 1 tablespoon vinegar • 1 teaspoon vanilla Read more |
Chocolate Delivers Vitamins
November 9, 2010
I knew it wouldn’t be long before vitamins are delivered in the proper manner; as a premium dark chocolate bar!
I have never wanted my chocolate bar to be turned into a vitamin, but I can certainly swallow the idea that my vitamins could taste like chocolate!
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Mint Chocolate and Chocolate Mint
November 8, 2010
You say tah-may-toe, I say tah-mah-toe. Some say mint chocolate, and some say chocolate mint. Although often used interchangeably, there is a difference, technically speaking.
Mint chocolate is a variety of flavored chocolate, in this case, infused with mint flavoring. It can be used as a coating or as a stand alone chocolate bar. Since mint is added to dark, milk, and white chocolate, mint chocolate does not denote just one type of coating. Mint can be peppermint or spearmint or crème de menthe.
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Adult Chocolate Milk
November 7, 2010
Looking around and pondering what I could write about for my Sunday post this week, I found an interesting website...
Adult Beverage Co. has an adults-only chocolate milk.
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Chocolate, Spice, and Everything Nice
November 6, 2010
It’s an established fact; chocolate pairs well with many foods. Chocolate and nuts, chocolate and caramel, chocolate and fruit; these are all tried and true.
However, many chefs and cooks will quickly point out that chocolate and spice is also a winning combination.
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Terrific Tannins, Terrible Tannins
November 4, 2010
Tannins are astringent, bitter compounds found in plants. Tannins cause your mouth to feel dry and pucker up. The manipulation of tannin concentration plays an important role in aging of wine and ripening fruit.
Tannins are also important to the flavor development and health benefits in chocolate...
Chocolate liquor contains about 6% tannins, significantly contributing to the bitterness of chocolate. “Bitter” as a flavor descriptor is not always a bad thing. It is true that sometimes bitter can refer to negative characteristic coming from improper fermenting or roasting. But normal amounts of tannins intensify chocolate flavor, especially at the finish.
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Irish Chocolate Cake
November 3, 2010
This cake is neither green nor lucky, it is simply enhanced with Irish Cream Liqueur.
| Irish Chocolate Cake • 1 3/4 cups flour • 1 cup white sugar • 1 cup brown sugar (don't pack it down when measuring) • 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder • 1 1/2 tsp. baking soda • 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder • 1/2 tsp. salt • 1 1/4 cups buttermilk • 2 large eggs • 1/4 cup vegetable oil • 2 tsp. vanilla • 1/2 cup Irish Cream liqueur • 1/2 cup water Read more |
It’s All About the Crystals
November 2, 2010
As many of you chocolate lovers already know, the fat in chocolate is called cocoa butter. What you might not know is that cocoa butter has special characteristics that make chocolate a very unique food.
One of those characteristics is that cocoa butter can crystallize in six different forms.
I've written before about tempering chocolate. What tempering does for chocolate is ensure that the cocoa butter solidifies into the best form of crystal.
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