Charley’s Chocolates Revisited
April 4, 2011
Last week I reviewed a delicious hand-rolled cinnamon truffle from Charley’s Chocolates of Madison, Wisconsin. I thought I had found a new favorite, until I had one of their White Chocolate covered ganache truffles.
Oh yes! - velvety smooth melt-in-your-mouth dark chocolate ganache center enrobed in a creamy, white chocolate coating. Pardon me while I wipe away the drool.
The chocolate ganache was nutty, a little earthy, and intensely chocolate. There’s a l-o-n-g finish with a bit of spice at the very end.
Nothing beats a freshly made truffle. Really.
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Chocolate Tempering: Crystal Sizes
April 1, 2011
Once people understand that chocolate tempering is the secret to getting great results for their own chocolate creations, I get a lot of related questions.
Here's a conversation with a student at a live, in-person session where I was talking about the crystal sizes, within the cocoa butter, for proper tempering.
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Chocolate Delight Bars
March 30, 2011
Here's a recipe for Chocolate Delight Bars. This bar is in three layers; a nice flour crust on the bottom, then a layer of chocolate from melted chocolate chips, and then a nutty layer on top.
I've heard good comments about this dessert and hope that you do too.
Charley’s Chocolate Cinnamon Truffle
March 28, 2011
Madison, Wisconsin is home to many great chocolate shops. I recently had the pleasure of eating a delicious hand rolled Chocolate Cinnamon Truffle from Charley’s Chocolates.
This downtown Madison shop is full of hand made chocolates from truffles to fudge.
The cinnamon truffle was not just good, it was melt in your mouth and walk away smiling good. The ganache was smooth and intensely chocolatey. The cinnamon coating blended perfectly without covering the nuances of the chocolate.
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Cocoa Powder for Dipping
March 25, 2011
I received an interesting question the other day from someone on my mailing list.
(If you're reading this, but not on my list, go ahead and get my free ebook, then I will also send you more chocolate information and you'll have a chance to ask me a question too.)
Anyway, here is the question posed:
Chocolate Raspberry Mousse
March 23, 2011
You know how you get a favorite recipe and then over time you seem to forget about it as new things come along? Well this is one of those.
This chocolate raspberry mousse is easy to make and quite delicious, but it's probably been a couple years since I last made it.
Dark Chocolate; Want Coffee With That?
March 21, 2011
Chocolate Crafters of Yuma, Arizona makes wonderful chocolate. I have recently reviewed their candied orange peel and “Sea Turtle.”
They also make a wonderful dark chocolate coffee bean bark. The roasted espresso beans add crunch and real coffee flavor without bitterness or the aftertaste that some of the flavored syrups can leave behind.
Starbucks New Petite Cake Pops
March 18, 2011
Starbucks coffee is celebrating 40 years, having started in 1971.
As part of that celebration, some new products were launch recently on Mar. 8, 2011.
Introducing, Starbucks Petites, eight small sized sweets perfect for those afternoon cravings. Wait a minute, afternoon cravings? For me, that would be all day cravings!
Three of the Petites are something rather interesting, Cake Pops...
Almost Fat–Free Chocolate Cupcakes
March 16, 2011
Some things get “lighter” in spring. My mood gets lighter, my appetite gets lighter, and as I shed my heavy winter sweaters, my clothes get lighter!
Here is a recipe for something lighter in fat calories...
Honest CocoaNova
March 15, 2011
I enjoy chocolate and tea. I don’t mean hot tea with a chocolate pastry (which I’m not opposed to) but today I mean chocolate covered tea flavored chocolates like dark chocolate Early Grey truffles or Chai milk chocolate bars.
But this new product by Honest Tea company is innovative and well, a bit strange sounding. Introducing Honest CocoaNova, a product line of brewed cocoa infusion beverages.