Chocolate Recipes, Covered Strawberries, Dessert, History

Learn About History and Science While Making Your Favorite Chocolate Dessert Recipes

White, Milk and Dark Chocolate Make Wonderful Desserts

Chocolate.  The word conjures up visions of all sorts of delectable treats; from the tiny, but tasty Hershey's Kiss, to the decadent creation Death by Chocolate. 

Whether you enjoy chocolate as a beverage or a dessert, don't gulp it down or chew it up quickly.  Let it melt slowly on your tongue, because chocolate is meant to be sipped and savored. 

Anyone who is a "chocoholic" knows there are literally hundreds of thousands of chocolate dessert recipes.   Browse your local library or bookstore and you will see many cookbooks dedicated solely to chocolate.  The Internet has websites that feature recipes, as well as cooking tips, using chocolate.  You can also learn many fascinating tidbits about the history of chocolate and its recipes. 

Have you ever wondered who invented the chocolate bar?  Joseph Fry is credited with this accomplishment in 1847.  He made a paste by mixing melted cacao butter into defatted or "Dutched" cocoa powder and sugar.  The paste was then put into molds to form bars.  Milton S. Hershey didn't create the Hershey's Milk Chocolate Bar until 1900. 

Today the town of Hershey, Pennsylvania is a popular tourist destination.  Visitors can tour the Hershey factory to see how Hershey's chocolate is made and enjoy the rides and attractions at neighboring Hershey Park.     

Do you know who first made the chocolate chip cookie and how it got the name "Toll House"?  Back in 1930, Kenneth and Ruth Wakefield bought a Cape Cod-style Toll House in Massachusetts that dated back to 1709. 

They opened the Toll House Inn where Ruth became well known for her cooking and baking using traditional Colonial recipes.  One day she cut small pieces from a Nestle Semi-Sweet Chocolate bar and added them to her Butter Drop Do cookies. 

To her surprise the chocolate pieces did not melt, but became soft and creamy while holding their shape.  They were called Toll House Cookies and became so popular with guests at the inn that Ruth approached the Nestle Company with her recipe. 

In return for a free supply of Nestle's Chocolate for the rest of her life, Ruth Wakefield gave the Nestle Company the rights to her cookie recipe.  That is how the Nestle Toll House Cookie recipe came to be printed on the back of the Nestle Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips bag and became one of the most popular chocolate dessert recipes of all time. 

What about the health benefits of chocolate?  Yes, it has been found that eating dark chocolate, in moderation, is beneficial to your health.  It contains flavonoids that are full of antioxidants which protect the body from free radicals that contribute to heart disease. 

Eating dark chocolate can lower blood pressure and cholesterol as well as balance certain hormones.  Chocolate is also an antidepressant, a stimulant, and a source of pleasure.  Now you know why eating chocolate makes you feel so good, plus any chocolate dessert recipes containing dark chocolate are good for you. 

Another delicious use for chocolate is as a fondue dipping sauce.  The melting point of chocolate is approximately 96.8 degrees.  It is not so high that it is difficult to melt on the stove, in the microwave, or in a fondue pot. 

Pieces of fruit, sponge cake, and pretzel rods make great dippers for melted chocolate.  If you like fruit dipped in the rich confection, then try a chocolate covered strawberry recipe.  This is one of the recipes that looks as good as it tastes.  A platter of plump, juicy, chocolate covered strawberries makes an attractive addition to any hostess's table for any social situation, especially the holidays.   

Chocolate is a very interesting subject.  Much work has gone into developing it into the form we enjoy today.  What once was considered a delicacy is now readily available.  Just a little something to think about the next time you prepare your favorite chocolate dessert recipes.