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Chocolate Recipes

 
Chocolate Brownies Chocolate Cheesecake Chocolate Cake
Chocolate Brownies have a lovely deep chocolate flavor and dense fudge-like texture that are topped with a smooth and glossy Ganache frosting. more A Chocolate Cheesecake is a real showstopper that combines three delicious layers of chocolate. more This single layered chocolate cake has a moist and tender crumb with a rich and creamy chocolate Ganache frosting. more
Low Fat Brownies Chocolate Chip Cookies Chocolate Hazelnut Biscotti
Low-Fat Brownies have a wonderfully moist and chewy texture and a deep chocolate flavor. Serve them plain or topped with fresh berries and/or a scoop of low fat vanilla ice cream, frozen yogurt, or a fruit sorbet. more Chocolate Chip Cookies are made with butter and a combination of white and brown sugars which produces a rich and chewy cookie with caramelized edges. more This biscotti contains both ground semi-sweet chocolate and cocoa powder. Add to that toasted hazelnuts and you have a  delicious tasting biscotti. more
Turtle Brownies Brownies Cream Cheese Brownies
Turtle Brownies consist of a fudgy brownie that is topped with a layer of caramel mixed with toasted pecans, and finished with a drizzling of melted chocolate. more Brownies are America's favorite bar cookie and these brownies are rich and dense with chocolate. more Cream Cheese Brownies combine a dense and fudgy chocolate brownie with a cheesecake-like topping.  more
     
    More Recipes Below

This section is called "Chocolate Recipes" because it is where you can find all the chocolate recipes on the site. Chocolate comes from the Aztec word "xocolatl" which means "bitter water". The tropical tree from which cocoa and chocolate originate is called Theobroma which translates to "food of the gods". All chocolate begins with tropical cocoa beans. The flavor and quality of the chocolate depends on the type(s) of beans used, how they are harvested and fermented, the roasting procedures, quality and amounts of ingredients added, and the time of conching.

Cocoa beans grow in pods on the cocoa tree. The cocoa tree grows in countries within 600 miles of the equator. There are three types of cocoa trees: the Forastero, the Criollo, and the Trinitario. Each tree will yield between 1-2 pounds of dried beans a year. The Forastero tree produces over 80% of the world's production and comes from Africa, Brazil, West Indies, Central and South America. It is the main component of the cocoa blends and gives body to the finished chocolate. It is a good basic bean. The Criollo tree produces about 10% of the world's production and comes from Central and South America. A more fragile tree but it produces the best quality beans. The Trinitario tree produces about 10% of the world's harvest and is a cross between the Forastero and Criollo. Grown in Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Central and South America, with the highest quality coming from Trinidad........  Continued below

German Chocolate Cake

Fudgy Chocolate Brownies

Katharine Hepburn Brownies
This beautiful German Chocolate Cake has three moist layers of chocolate cake, with a sweet and gooey caramel frosting, laced with coconut and pecans. more These Fudgy Chocolate Brownies have a rich and deep chocolate flavor and dense fudge-like texture. more The story goes that gossip columnist Liz Smith got the recipe from the actress to publish in her column. That was about 25 years ago and since then these brownies have only grown in popularity. more

Molten Chocolate Cakes

Chocolate Peanut Squares

Black Bottom Cupcakes
Molten Chocolate Cakes have a rich chocolate flavor with a pudding-like center that is dense and moist. more Chocolate Peanut Squares are a delicious combination of peanut butter, cocoa powder, marshmallows, rice cereal, and peanuts. more Black Bottom Cupcakes are made with a Devil's Food Cake batter. The center of each cupcake is filled with a delicious cream cheese filling. more

Chocolate Biscotti with Cranberries

Rocky Road

Chocolate Fudge
This recipe gets its deep chocolate flavor from Dutch-processed cocoa powder. Dried cranberries and white chocolate chips have also been added to complement the chocolate flavor. more Rocky Road consists of white chunks of soft and spongy marshmallow together with crunchy peanuts, all enrobed in a silky smooth dark chocolate. more Fudge like toffee and caramel, begins with sugar. Other ingredients, depending on the candy, are added to the sugar and this mixture is boiled until enough of the water has evaporated so the sugar syrup has reached the desired concentration. more

Chocolate Truffles

Chocolate Marshmallow Fudge

Hazelnut Ganache Cups
Chocolate Truffles are delicious bite-sized  petit fours made from a mixture of dark or white chocolate and cream to which various flavorings can be added: butter, liqueurs, extracts, nuts, coffee, purees, spices, candied or dried fruits. more Chocolate Marshmallow Fudge is a smooth and creamy fudge that contains marshmallow cream. more Hazelnut Ganache Cups combine chocolate ganache with finely chopped hazelnuts. The mixture is then piped into miniature candy liners and garnished with a whole toasted nut. more

Peanut Butter Cups

No Bake Chocolate Cake

Panforte

Peanut Butter Cups have a shell of milk and semi sweet chocolates and a smooth and creamy peanut butter center. more This chocolate cake is like making your own chocolate bar. Besides its wonderful taste, this recipe is appealing because there is no baking involved and it contains only four ingredients; chocolate, butter, nuts, and digestive biscuits. more Bite into a slice of Panforte and you may be surprised to find how chewy it is. This chewy texture comes from mixing the fruit, nuts, spices, and flour with a boiled syrup made from sugar and honey. more

Chocolate Almond Torte

Chocolate Angel Food Cake

Chocolate Banana Cake
The popularity of the Chocolate Torte is easy to understand. Just a few excellent ingredients are needed to produce a dense and moist cake with an intense chocolate flavor. more This cake is also called an Angel Cake, so named as its airy lightness is said to be the "food of the angels." more Moist and flavorful with the sweetness of mashed bananas and chocolate. We frost the cake with a delicious Ganache made with cream and chopped semisweet chocolate. more

Chocolate Butter Cake

Lamingtons

Chocolate Cupcakes
This beautiful Chocolate Butter Cake has two layers of moist and tender chocolate butter cake sandwiched together and frosted with a delicious chocolate frosting. more Lamingtons are one of Australia national cakes and consist of a small square of white cake that is dipped in a sweet chocolate icing and then rolled in desiccated coconut. more These beautiful chocolate cupcakes have a wonderful chocolate flavor and are frosted with a chocolate fudge frosting. more

Chocolate Genoise

Chocolate Hazelnut Torte

Chocolate Meringue Cake
This is really a beautiful and delicious dessert that is perfect for any occasion. more After making one of these European style cakes I found it had a wonderfully intense chocolate flavor and moist texture that was very different from the butter cakes I grew up eating. more This Chocolate Meringue Cake is very impressive looking with its two layers of sponge cake and meringue sandwiched together with whipped cream and crushed raspberries. more

Chocolate Pavlova

Chocolate Sponge Cake

Chocolate Torte
A Chocolate Pavlova is similar to a regular Pavlova only it has cocoa powder and chunks of semi sweet chocolate. This gives it a wonderful chocolate flavor and color. Lovely served with whipped cream and fresh raspberries. more This is a deliciously moist chocolate sponge cake that melts in your mouth. Can be filled with plain, chocolate, or raspberry whipped cream. more Chocolate Torte is rich and chocolately cake with an almost pudding-like texture. more

Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies

Chocolate Coconut Macaroons
If you are in the mood for a crispy buttery chocolate chip cookie this recipe fits the bill. more Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies use cocoa powder, melted dark chocolate and chocolate chips for a cookie that is rich with chocolate flavor. more Chocolate Coconut Macaroons are bursting with flakes of sweetened coconut and have a wonderful deep chocolate flavor. more

Chocolate Cookies

Chocolate Fudge Cookies

Chocolate Sugar Cookies
Combining the subtle flavor of Dutch-processed cocoa powder with dark and white chocolate chips produces a chocolate filled cookie that is chewy yet has nice crisp edges. more This cookie is a chocolate lover's delight. Not only are they made with a whole pound of chocolate, but they also contain both white and dark chocolate chips. more Chocolate Sugar Cookies are a sweet and buttery cut-out cookie with a mild chocolate flavor that are frosted with royal icing. more

Chocolate Muffins

Chocolate Ricotta Muffins

Chocolate Pudding
Chocolate Muffins are delicious, tasting of chocolate which comes from adding cocoa powder and chocolate chips to the batter. more These muffins have the wonderful texture and flavor of a chocolate Italian cheesecake. more Homemade Chocolate Pudding is wonderfully rich and creamy with a deep chocolate flavor. more

Mocha Muffins

Chocolate Mousse

Mocha Shortbread
Mocha muffins are delicious, tasting of chocolate and coffee and we even add chocolate chips to make them extra chocolately. more Chocoholics Beware. One spoonful of this Chocolate Mousse and you will be hooked forever. more For this recipe we add Dutch processed cocoa powder to a basic shortbread dough to give it a smooth chocolate flavor and cornstarch has replaced some of the all purpose flour to produce a delicate melt-in-your-mouth texture. more

Brownie Cupcakes

Chocolate Wafers

Hot Chocolate
Brownies Cupcakes are wonderfully moist and chocolately and are iced with a chocolate fudge frosting. more Although there are many chocolate cookies to choose from, I love to snack on these Chocolate Wafers. Their texture is wonderfully crisp and crunchy and their chocolate flavor is rich. more James Beard once said that, "A steaming cup of hot chocolate with buttered toast is surely one of the most heart warming, body-warming, and taste-satisfying combinations known to man." more

Hot White Chocolate

Hot Cocoa

Simple Chocolate Fudge
Hot White Chocolate combines sweet and creamy white chocolate with milk, espresso powder, and pure vanilla extract. more Hot cocoa is a deliciously warm and comforting drink that is usually served with lots of little white marshmallows floating on top. Unlike hot chocolate that combines milk with semisweet chocolate, hot cocoa starts with good unsweetened cocoa powder. more Simple chocolate fudge is just that. Simple to make. It is creamy and smooth with a nice chocolate flavor. more

Whoopie Pies

Chocolate Crinkles

Chocolate Scones
Whoopie Pies take two round domed shaped chocolate cookies and sandwich them together with a soft and creamy vanilla filling. more These are known as Chocolate Crinkles or Black and Whites. Both are perfect names for this deliciously soft, fudge-like chocolate cookie that is encased in a coating of confectioners sugar. more These scones are a nice treat for the chocolate lover. Their chocolate color and flavor comes from adding Dutch-processed cocoa powder to the scone dough with white and dark chocolate chunks filling the dough with even more chocolate. more

Chocolate Pie

Raspberry Truffle Tart

Brownie Tart
Chocolate pie starts with a graham cracker crumb crust that is topped with a smooth and creamy chocolate filling. It is garnished with softly whipped cream. more What could be more enticing than a giant raspberry-flavored truffle set in a biscotti crust. This beautiful raspberry-flavored truffle tart is set in a delicious biscotti crust. more This recipe takes brownies out of the realm of casual food and makes them an elegant dessert. more

Checkerboard Cake

Chocolate Pecan Pie

Chocolate Zucchini Bread
The striking black and white squares of this melt-in-your-mouth butter cake will make it a favorite when you are looking to bake something a little different. more Chocolate Pecan Pie is a rich combination of toasted pecans, sugar, corn syrup, butter, and eggs which gives this pie a soft and gooey texture. more Chocolate Zucchini Bread has a moist texture and the deep chocolate flavor comes from adding unsweetened cocoa powder and crunchy chocolate chips. more

Chocolate Banana Bread

Chocolate Marble Bread

Chocolate Ice Cream
Chocolate Banana Bread combines the sweet flavor of ripe bananas with chocolate. more Chocolate Marble Bread features lovely swirls of chocolate and vanilla scented batters that everyone will love. more If you are a chocolate lover, then you definitely need to have a recipe for chocolate ice cream. more

Pumpkin Ice Cream Sandwiches

Cranberry Christmas Cake

Buche de Noel (Yule Log)
Pumpkin Ice Cream Sandwiches combine delicious chocolate cookies filled with white chocolate chips and pumpkin ice cream. more This Cranberry Christmas Cake consists of a chocolate genoise that is split in half, filled with chocolate cream and candied cranberries, and covered with a snowy white whipped cream frosting. more This is a deliciously moist chocolate sponge cake that melts in your mouth. Can be filled with plain, chocolate, or raspberry whipped cream. more

Banana Chocolate Cupcakes

 Black Forest Trifles Chocolate Hearts
Banana Chocolate Cupcakes have a lovely chocolate banana flavor with a texture that is soft and moist. Each cupcake is frosted with a creamy smooth whipped Chocolate Ganache. more A Black Forest Trifle has the same components as a Black Forest Cake that is, chocolate, cherries, kirsch liqueur, and whipped cream. more I don't know who likes these better; kids or adults. All you need to make these delicious treats is your favorite milk, dark, or white chocolate and Rice Krispies more
Chocolate Heart Cake Peppermint Patties Chocolate Fondue
Chocolate is about pleasure and what could be more pleasurable than a chocolate chiffon cake that is filled with chocolate whipped cream and then covered with a layer of shiny chocolate ganache. more Peppermint Patties have a shiny dark chocolate coating and inside is a smooth and creamy mint flavored filling. more A Chocolate Fondue consists of a delicious chocolate sauce, made with semi sweet chocolate, cream, Nutella, and Frangelico that is placed in a fondue pot and then chunks of fresh fruit, cake, and/or cookies are dipped into the sauce. more
Rocky Road Brownies Easter Nests Chocolate Ganache
Rocky Road Brownies are amazing, with their deep chocolate flavor and dense fudge-like texture topped with gooey melted marshmallows jumbled together with chocolate chips and nuts. more Melted semi sweet or milk chocolate and crunchy chow mein noodles are the only two ingredients that you need to make these cute chocolate Easter nests. more Ganache is a French term referring to a smooth mixture of chocolate and cream. The origins of ganache are debatable but it is believed to have been invented around 1850. more
Chocolate Sauce

Chocolate Sauce is a pourable liquid of melted chocolate, cream and sometimes butter that is usually sweetened with sugar and flavored with extracts, liquors or liqueurs. more

 

Continued from above.

Chocolate is made from a blend of different types of cocoa beans. Cocoa beans are very bitter when raw, and just like coffee beans, are totally inedible. The chocolate flavor and aroma develops after the beans are fermented, roasted and aged. After roasting, the beans are shelled (a process called winnowing) leaving the inner nib or kernel containing 50-55% cocoa butter. This is the point where different types of beans are blended together. The quality and type of bean will help determine the quality of the finished chocolate. Every manufacturer has their own special formula. Once the nibs are removed from the shell they are ground releasing the beans natural fat, called cocoa butter or cocoa fat. What remains is a thick dark brown paste called chocolate liquor (unsweetened chocolate). This paste contains all the aroma and flavor of the chocolate.

Chocolate liquor is used to make all kinds of chocolate. The type of chocolate desired will determine what other ingredients (sweetener, vanilla (or vanillin) and lecithin (an emulsifier that keeps the chocolate from separating) and sometimes extra cocoa butter) are added to the chocolate liquor before it is refined. (Milk chocolate has milk solids added to it.) This refining process is called conching and removes any residual moisture and volatile acids and also breaks down any remaining solid pieces of cocoa butter. The time of conching varies from several hours to several days and plays a big part in the quality of the finished product.

The final steps in chocolate making are to temper, mold, cool, and package the chocolate. The tempering process is very important as it makes the chocolate stable and gives it that shiny and firm texture that is dry to the touch, with a hard and brittle surface which "snaps" when you break it.

Chocolate Glossary:

Cocoa Nibs - Cocoa nibs are the roasted and hulled cocoa beans that have been broken into small pieces. They are crunchy and bitter tasting and are often added to baked goods for added texture.

Cocoa Butter - Cocoa butter is an ivory-colored fat with a very mellow flavor that melts easily on the tongue. The quality of the cocoa butter depends on the quality of the bean it came from and the process of separating it from the chocolate liquor. Cocoa butter is very expensive and while it is found in fine chocolates it is also used in the making of cosmetics. Because it is so expensive some cheaper brands of chocolate use vegetable oil substitutes instead of cocoa butter. more

Unsweetened Chocolate - Unsweetened chocolate is also called baking, plain or bitter chocolate. This is chocolate in its rawest form.  Chocolate liquor that has been refined and contains 50-55% cocoa butter. Since no sugar has been added to the chocolate it has a strong, bitter taste that is used in cooking and baking but is never eaten out of hand.  more

Cocoa Powder - Cocoa powder is made when chocolate liquor is pressed to remove three quarters of its cocoa butter. The remaining cocoa solids are processed to make fine unsweetened cocoa powder.   There are two types of unsweetened cocoa powder: natural and Dutch-processed. more

Bittersweet and Semi-sweet Chocolate - Semi-sweet and bittersweet chocolates contain cocoa liquor, a sweetener, cocoa butter, vanilla, and sometimes lecithin (acts as an emulsifier). Bittersweet and semi-sweet chocolates contain at least 35% chocolate liquor in North America and 43% in Britain. The best chocolates can contain 65-70% chocolate liquor. The higher the content of chocolate liquor, the more rich and flavorful the chocolate. Bittersweet chocolate generally has a stronger chocolate flavor. Semi-sweet chocolate generally contains more sugar than bittersweet.  more

Couverture Chocolate - Couverture Chocolate is a high quality chocolate that contains extra cocoa butter (32-39%).  The higher percentage of cocoa butter, combined with the processing, gives the chocolate more sheen, firmer "snap" when broken, and a creamy mellow flavor. Couverture is used by professionals for dipping, coating, molding and garnishing. more

Sweet Chocolate - German's®  Sweet Chocolate is a dark baking chocolate created by the Walter Baker & Company employee, Samuel German (hence the name), who developed the chocolate in 1852. He thought this type of chocolate would be convenient for bakers as the sugar is already added to it. It is sweeter than semi-sweet chocolate and contains a blend of chocolate liquor, sugar, cocoa butter, flavorings, and lecithin. more

Milk Chocolate - Milk chocolate contains chocolate liquor, cocoa butter, vanilla, milk solids, and lecithin. Milk chocolate must contain 10% chocolate liquor, 3.7% milk fats, and 12% milk solids. It contains less chocolate liquor than dark chocolate and therefore does not have as pronounced a chocolate flavor. more

White Chocolate - Officially white chocolate cannot be called "chocolate" because it does not contain chocolate liquor. Good white chocolate contains cocoa butter, sugar, milk solids, vanilla, and lecithin. Make sure when buying white chocolate that it contains cocoa butter as some inferior brands contain vegetable fat. more

Chocolate Chips - Chocolate chips are small rounds of semi-sweet, milk or white chocolate that contain less cocoa butter than other chocolates. They are made to withstand moderate oven heat so they retain their texture and shape in cookies, muffins, and other baked desserts without appearing to melt (even though the cocoa butter has melted). more

There are excellent foreign and domestic brands of chocolate on the market today. Each manufacturer produces a chocolate with its own unique texture and flavor using a special formula involving a certain type and/or mix of beans, processing technique, and ingredients. What chocolate you buy and use should be dependent on flavor but also on what you are making. For example, in making an American style layer cake where there are so many other competing flavors, cheaper brands are often adequate. The more expensive American brands (for example Scharffen Berger) or European brands (like Lindt, Callebaut, Valrhona, Cacao Barry) have such depth and nuances of flavor that are better showcased in desserts where there are less ingredients that won't diminish or mask their fine flavor. The best way to choose the brand of chocolate to use in both your baking and eating is to buy a few brands and taste them using the following factors to rate the different chocolates. (Remember that the flavor of the chocolate does not change when its melted, so make sure you like the taste of the chocolate when eaten out-of-hand.)

Appearance - the chocolate should have a smooth, even, and glossy unblemished appearance.  The surface should not be dull or have grayish-white streaks and dots (called chocolate bloom or fat bloom).  Bloom is when the cocoa butter has separated causing it to rise to the surface of the chocolate. This happens when the chocolate is stored in too humid or too warm a temperature. The chocolate can still be used as it only minimally affects the taste and texture.

Aroma - the chocolate should have a rich chocolately smell with no chemical or musty scent. Smell the chocolate as it has a tendency to pick up odors of other foods if it is not wrapped and stored properly.

Snap - the chocolate should break with a 'snap', that is, firmly and cleanly. It should not crumble, bend, or splinter.

Texture - the chocolate should have a smooth and velvety texture, not grainy or overly greasy on the palate. It should melt almost immediately in your mouth.

Flavor - the main flavor should be the chocolate, not the other ingredients (vanilla, nuts, spices) and it should have a rich, well-balanced, pleasing flavor. It should not be too sweet or too bitter. 

Aftertaste - the chocolate should leave a pleasant chocolate flavor (not burnt) in your mouth.

STORING:  Chocolate should be stored in a cool (60 - 70 degrees F) (15 - 21 degrees C), dry (less than 50% humidity), and odor-free environment away from direct heat and sunlight. If stored properly, dark chocolate and cocoa will last for at least a year. White and milk chocolate can only be stored for up to about 10 months because of the milk solids they contain.

Sources:

Daley, Regan. In The Sweet Kitchen. Random House Canada. Toronto: 2000.

Green, Aliza. Starting With Ingredients Baking. Running Press Book Publishers. Philadelphia: 2008.

Medrich, Alice. Bittersweet. Artisan. New York: 2003.

Scharffenberger, John & Steinberg, Robert. The Essence of Chocolate. Hyperion. New York: 2006.

Tyler Herbst, Sharon & Herbst, Ron. The Deluxe Food Lover's Companion. Barron's Educational Services, Inc. New York: 2009.

Yockelson, Lisa. Chocolate. John Wiley and Sons, Inc. New York: 2005.

 

 
   

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