Do you remember the old Whoopie Pies of your childhood? When I was growing up in the 40s and 50s, I loved them in Devil's Food with a creamy vanilla filling. I grew up next door to my elderly grandparents. They never had a driver's license or a car and frankly, they didn't need one. Although we lived in the country, their groceries were delivered once a month by 'The Peddler'. I would write out my grandparents grocery list and they mailed it to the Peddler. The next week he and his wife came by in what I believe was an old school bus painted blue and delivered the order. They always had extras on the bus and my sister and I would always run out to buy us each a whoopie pie. A once a month treat that was sooo good! Since chocolate and peanut butter are two of our favorite things, this recipe combines the two into Chocolate Chip-Peanut Butter Whoopie Pies. They are yummy although it is hard to compete with a childhood memory!
CHOCOLATE CHIP-PEANUT BUTTER WHOOPIE PIES
1 pkg (12-oz) chocolate chips
2 tbsp milk
1 1/2 sticks butter, softened
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 large eggs
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup baking cocoa powder
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup whole-wheat flour
Filling
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Measure out 1/4 cup of the chocolate chips and set aside.
In a microwave-safe bowl, combine 1 cup of the chocolate pieces and the 2 tablespoons of milk. Microwave on medium power for a minute or so until melted; stir once to blend and set aside.
In mixer bowl, beat the butter and peanut butter with electric mixer until combined. Add sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt; beat to combine. Add eggs, the half cup of milk, vanilla extract, and the melted chocolate. Beat mixture until combined. Beat in the cocoa and flours until combined. Stir in the rest of the chocolate chips.
Drop dough by rounded teaspoonfuls 2-inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets. Sprinkle the reserved chocolate chips over the cookies. Bake 9 minutes or until the tops are set; do not overbake. Allow to cool on the cookie sheets for 1 minute then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.
To assemble, spread filling on the flat side of half the cookies then top with the other half of cookies.
FILLING:
1 cup softened butter
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1 cup marshmallow cream
2 cups powdered sugar
Combine the ingredients in a bowl and beat with electric mixer until combined. Add up to 2 tablespoons milk to thin to spreading consistency, if needed. Use to fill the cookies above.
Enjoy!
For more of Linda's dessert recipes visit her blog at http://ladybugssweettreats.blogspot.com/ For her diabetic dessert recipes visit her at http://diabeticenjoyingfood.blogspot.com/
Who could ever resist the sweet temptation of chocolate candy? Or, the smell of butterscotch candies in a candy bowl? Candy is a sugary treat known throughout the world. It comes in many different varieties, shapes, and sizes. Candy canes, gum drops, bubble gum, and more are a favorite of many, from kids to adults. If you like to eat candy, and spend a lot of money on candy, consider buying bulk candy.
Why You Should Be Buying Bulk Candy
Buying bulk candy is cheaper than buying candy individually from the store. If you go to a convenience store or a wholesale store, you would notice that individual boxes and bags of candy would sell for over one dollar. With the economy being in such a poor condition, you have to save each penny that you earn. If you work with a candy wholesaler, you can save your hard earned money.
Working with wholesale candy suppliers is very easy. If you are with an organization that consumes a lot of candy, such as a church, a school, or a non-profit organization, you can receive a discount from the wholesaler for buying bulk candy. Discounts are great if you or your organization is on a tightly strapped budget. If you would have bought candy straight from the store, you would have had to sell double the cost in order to cover your expenses and to make a profit.
Various manufacturers carry certain brands of candy in bulk. Chocolate covered candy can contain nuts, caramel, coconut, and other types of flavors, and are a popular choice. Other popular types of candy are bubble gum, peppermints, sweet tarts, and butterscotch. You can even have candy personalized for an event, such as a sporting event or a wedding. This will have your customers or your guests to keep a momento of your event.
Another reason to buy bulk candy is that it is a good fundraising activity. Kids and adults love candy, especially chocolate bars. You can order packages of chocolate bars in bulk to give to your teachers at school. The teachers can give the children an order form for the children to keep track of the candy bars. The children can take the candy bars home and sell them to family, friends, neighbors and church members. As a fundraiser, you can have prizes for the children who sell the most boxes of candy in the entire school. Prizes, such as a pizza party for the person who sells the most candy would be exciting to younger children. For older children, a day at the amusement park would be exciting. The fundraiser could go to help to fund a school's band trip, specific club, or another type of expense.
Finding a candy wholesaler is not difficult. In fact, it is relatively easy. Search online. Many reputable ones exist around the world, specializing in many different types of sweet treats. If you search for a bulk candy company wholesaler, be sure to contact them through telephone or through e-mail for any special types of deals that they can offer. This will save you money in the long run.
RoyalCandyCompany, the leading online wholesale candy retailer, offers the top Bulk Candy and Bulk Chocolate at highly discounted prices. Their price guarantee keeps customers coming back as they will match and beat any competitor's price.
If you want to live longer then you should learn many things. Primarily, everything significant can be found in what you eat. That is why it is imperative that you research on what foods are good for you and what is bad for your health. You would be surprised to know the fact that one of the most wanted sweets in the entire planet can actually give you good health. Chocolate is a type of sweets that your dentists and nutritionists warn you about. However, the other variant called dark chocolate has a different story to tell.
Why is it good for you?
Dark chocolate is the type of chocolate that has no milk solids added to it. You can say that it is much purer than other chocolate variants and one bite could tell you that there is more chocolate taste to it than any other variant. The taste is quite dry and bitter but it is definitely delicious. The thing that makes it healthy is the flavonoid content. Cocoa has flavanols and this type of flavonoid is present in this type of chocolate because of the high proportion of cocoa in it. Flavonoids have the ability to protect us from toxins. A regular intake of this type of chocolate can provide us with the sufficient percentage of antioxidants in our body to make are body resistive to damage. We live in a naturally - toxic environment that all that we could do is to make sure that we have antioxidants in our bodies to resist it.
And since it is a good antioxidant, this means that it is good in relieving stress. Stress is a killer by welcoming all sorts of diseases in our body. When we are stressed, we have low immunity against these diseases. Eating dark chocolates on a regular and moderate basis helps us keep our immunity up by relieving stress. Imagine all of these benefits in your favorite sweets. That is definitely sweet! Just remember to eat in moderation. Too much of anything is bad for you.
So whenever you feel like eating chocolates, why not pick dark chocolates instead of milk or white chocolate. It is healthy and it is still has that chocolate goodness that everybody loves. You can enjoy it without feeling guilty and you do not have to worry about gaining weight because if you eat in moderation, it would help you stay fit.
Want to learn more about dark chocolate?
Visit us now at http://chocolate-addict.com/
Chocolate is believed to be an aphrodisiac since the time of the Aztecs. Scientists, reinforcing this belief, say that the presence of PEA and other chemicals, such as tryptophan and phenylethylamine, create an aphrodisiac like effect. The former chemical is released in the brain during sexual arousal, while the latter is released when a person falls in love. Therefore, chocolate party favors are ideal for bridal showers. These treats can be customized to complement a number of themes for the bridal shower that both the guests and the bride-to-be would love.
Bridal Shower Theme Ideas with Chocolate Party Favors
Here is a list of themes you can experiment with for the bridal shower with chocolate party favors that complement the theme well:
Stock the pantry
Inform the guests about the theme a few weeks before the events, so that they can come up with their classic recipes and some non-perishable convenience food, like frozen chicken, cocoa powder, etc. You can conclude the ceremony by giving away chocolate party favors, customized with kitchen-related clipart printed on the treats. You can also ask the bride-to-be for photographs of her while cooking or in the kitchen and imprint them on the favors.
Home Poker
Surprise the guests and the soon-to-be-married couple with a poker theme bridal shower. Ask the guests to do a little homework on a few simple poker games that you plan to include, such as the 5-card draw. Guests can bring in gifts like ash trays, alcoholic beverages and poker ties for the groom and hand fans for the bride, or even green felt as a common gift. You can give away chocolate party favors that are customized as colorful poker chips. You can even use the edible casino chips to play the games.
Wine tasting shower
For a peaceful evening or a leisurely afternoon, the guests and the bride can be delighted with an extravagant theme. Guests can simply bring in different kinds of cheese, chocolates, their favorite winery, etc. You may extend bottle openers, bottle stoppers and other wine themed favors. Get wine glasses, a wine bottle, or the famous quote by Jonny Depp, 'Wino Forever', etched on the chocolate treats.
Lingerie
If you do not want to stick to the classic girly theme parties, then a lingerie-theme bridal shower is can be great fun. Guests can bring in essentials like exotic lingerie, scented candles, chocolate treats, and you can give away red and pink chocolate coins customized with etched hearts, kissing-couples, in-love couples, or pictures of sexy lingerie items.
Other themes, such as a honeymoon shower, holiday extravaganza, garden party, etc, can also be made memorable with the customized chocolate party favors.
If you are planning a bridal shower, visit MyChocolateCoins.com to buy exotic chocolate party favors that are customized at attractive prices. They use state-of-the-art technology to customize the treats with colors, clip-art and photos.
Chocolate gold coins have been around since the times of Julius Caesar! These coins were engraved with the ruler's face and gifted to the courtesans. However, they were draped with gold sheet so that the countrymen also received something valuable along with the chocolates. Today, we have identical coins covered in golden foil which are highly popular as gifting items. You can also choose to personalize them in whichever way you please. In order to customize it, you can get the coins engraved with special dates, logos, photos or even religious symbols.
Chocolate gold coins can be gifted for a host of occasions and purposes. However, their value would be more appreciated when they are gifted on certain special occasions. Read up on the occasions when you can actually gift chocolate gold coins before you buy them.
Best Uses of Chocolate Gold Coins
Chocolate gold coins can be offered as gifts for one of the following occasions:
1. Hanukkah celebrations
Coins made from chocolate are substituted for "gelt" which is the Yiddish term for money, during the holidays of Hanukkah. Confections are distributed around this time instead of cash coins, for playing the game of Dreidel. These confections can also be stored in small organza pouches to make it presentable. However, make sure that you place your order for these coins well in advance so that you can receive them at the desired time.
2. Baptism
You could use chocolate gold coins souvenirs to commemorate the event of being baptized. You can have the coins distributed among women attendees. Alternatively, they can also be thrown along with real money, as a part of the ritual performed by the godfather of the baptized child.
3. Anniversary centerpieces
Chocolate gold coins can be suitably used to decorate the centerpiece of your anniversary party. They would be most suited for your silver or golden jubilee celebrations! You could also have them distributed among your guests with the anniversary year printed or engraved on it.
4. Birthday parties
These coins could also be used as confections for birthday parties. You can fill up balloons and toys with them and gift them to young children. Having your child's name or date of birth engraved on them would also be a suitable personal touch. You could simply hand out coins to your guests as a part of the return booty they would take back home as well.
You can buy chocolate gold coins from ChocolateFavorWorld.com. The range of options hosted by the shop is truly amazing and you can easily find ones that suit your gifting needs perfectly.
Science has confirmed with many studies and research that eating chocolate is indeed healthy. Researchers have found that dark chocolate in particular has both emotional and physical health benefits when consumed in healthy portions. Chocolate has properties that increase mental awareness as well as a multitude of health benefits for our body. Studies have also shown that people who eat two to three chocolate bars a month live longer than those that don't consume any chocolate.
Researchers have found that consuming chocolate increases the dopamine and serotonin levels in the brain indicating that this food has an antidepressant effect. Also, chocolate helps to decrease fat intake by curbing a person's appetite for fats. In addition, one of the properties of cocoa is that it has the overall effect of decreasing appetite.
The chocolate that is most beneficial to our health is dark chocolate. One of the main ingredients of dark chocolate is cacao that contains flavonoids, and these are an excellent source of antioxidants that protect our bodies from the effects of free radicals that can be very damaging.
Unfortunately, we are always being threatened by free radicals from the air that we breathe and the different foods that we consume. Eating foods that have plenty of flavonoids also helps our immune system and helps the body fight diseases such as cancer, asthma, allergies, and type2 diabetes.
The flavonoids that are found in Cocoa prevent harmful clots from forming that may cause damage to the heart and other areas of the body. These flavonoids also allow increased blood flow by aiding the blood vessels to dilate with ease. In addition, cocoa has properties that aid in the stopping the inflammatory process that can be very damaging to the body.
Dark chocolate also helps your heart by helping your vessels retain their flexibility. And, it helps with your body's blood circulation therefore improving your blood pressure levels. Also, epicatechin, a nutrient found in chocolate, helps to avoid heart attacks and strokes by relaxing and widening our blood vessels.
Cocoa is known to reduce cardiovascular problems by increasing the amount of good cholesterol (HDL) in the body. HDL is responsible for cleaning and removing the harmful fats from the body's blood vessels.
In fact, several years ago a study was conducted in Germany with over nine thousand participants, and it revealed that people who ate on an average more than seven grams of chocolate daily had lower risks of stokes and heart attacks, and they also experienced lower blood pressure levels.
Cocoa and dark chocolate are also a good source for the fiber needs of our diet. And, believe it or not chocolate hardly contains cholesterol, and if it does it is because of the milk ingredients that are added. Chocolate is a food that is derived from a plant and plants do not produce cholesterol.
Source of Vitamins and Minerals
Dark chocolate is a great source of vitamins and minerals. It is full of magnesium and iron, and it also contains vitamin B that helps to boost your energy levels. It also contains copper and potassium that are important for maintaining good health.
The magnesium levels that are found in a dark chocolate bar typically contain over 12% of the body's daily requirement. This is important preventing chronic diseases like hypertension, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular health problems.
History
Chocolate first appeared in the Mayan and Aztec cultures approximately 4000 years ago. The cacao plant is thought to have originated in the Amazon region and is the main ingredient in chocolate. According to Aztec legend their god Quetzalcoatl gave the cacao tree to the Aztec people. He taught them how to prepare the seeds by roasting and grinding them to form a paste that could be mixed with water. This mixture became known to the Aztec's as chocotatl and they believed that it provided a person with knowledge and wisdom when consumed.
Chocolate was introduced to Spain by the Spanish conquistadores in the 1500s. The Spaniards added different condiments and sweeteners to enhance its flavor. Chocolate was considered a delicacy among the wealthy and became the favorite drink in Europe until it was replaced by coffee and tea in the 19th century.
In the twentieth century solid chocolate bars were introduced in Europe. At about this time the cocoa bean was discovered to have beneficial health properties, and that's when the popularity for chocolate began to surge.
Chocolate as Part of Your Diet
If you are going to include chocolate as part of your diet, then what is recommended is dark chocolate. Eat the amount that is healthy for your daily nutritional needs. Whether you like your dark chocolate with nuts or just plain, dark chocolate is the best choice. Always try to avoid any fillings in chocolate, such as nougat or caramel, these fillings just add extra calories.
The whole purpose of eating pure dark chocolate is for its health benefits aside from its delicious taste. A person should not consume more than three and a half ounces of chocolate per day. This is the recommended amount of chocolate to eat to be on the healthy side.
And, just because you are eating chocolate does not mean that you are receiving its healthy benefits. Avoid consuming dark chocolate while drinking milk because this prevents the antioxidants from being absorbed by your body. There are also several types of chocolates that are not healthy for you because they're loaded with fats and sugar.
Here is a list of top quality dark chocolate bars:
Dagoba Eclipse - 87% Cacao
Green and Black's Dark - 85% Cacao
Valrhona Noir Extra Amer - 85% Cacao
Scharffen Berger Extra Dark - 82% Cacao
Chocolove XOXOX Extra Strong Dark - 77% Cacao
Chocolate is great to eat because of its health benefits and nutritional value, but like everything else if we consume too much of a good thing it can also be bad. So, the next time that you are eating a delicious dark chocolate bar think of all of the health benefits that you are receiving, but just remember to eat with moderation.
For more helpful articles like this, visit our blog and our livejournal blog, your best resource for healthy tips and cooking tips. We provide the most important info that you need to know about kitchen appliances and cooking in general.
Everyone loves chocolates. Who can say no to them? They're different from other candies because they're brown, black or white! They're sweet, they're bitter or they're both! They're smooth or textured, and they can even can say your name, or show someone a special message! You can even personalize them, so why not try chocolate making at home!
Homemade chocolates are excellent for parties and they can help make your ordinary days quite special. It's easy and really fun to do! With just a few ingredients and five simple and exciting steps, you can make homemade chocolates to be proud of.
We need bulk chocolate that you can buy in any grocery store. You don't need a particular brand. Just choose any chocolate bars you or your kids love. We also need small cake cases, some candy and nuts, fruits, chocolate wafers or anything you want to mix or add to your chocolates, inside or out.
So now, let's get on our aprons and begin this enjoyable experience.
Prepare the ingredients. You can buy them or you can use your kids' chocolate bars left in the fridge. Grab some sprinkles from your kitchen and have everything set on a clean table.
Melt the chocolate. Hmm. Smells good. Sounds tempting. But please, do not be tempted! Resist putting your fingers in the mixture and licking them off! Remember, we are making homemade chocolates. Once melted, you can add some candy and nuts, chopped strawberries or blueberries or anything else to add more texture, flavor and individuality.
Pour the chocolate into a candy mold or small cases like an ice case or a small Tupperware. You can shape the chocolate by using chocolate molds, just remember to be quick to pour the chocolate mixture into the mold before it starts to set. You can now add sprinkles on top of the chocolate, like marshmallows, small stars or anything your imagination can come up with.
Place the chocolate in the fridge. Cool it there for about an hour.
Take the chocolates out of the cases or molds, and wrap them in chocolate wrappers or you can put them altogether in a bowl. Wow! Now it's chocolate-eating time!
Chocolates made at home make amazing treats for your friends and kids. It's a special feeling to eat anything that has been especially made for you, and chocolates are perhaps one of the most delicious of all tastes!
There are various reasons why people make chocolate at home and making your loved ones happy is just one of them. Another reason is maybe you want to start a chocolate-making business at home. Making chocolates is fun but it can also be very profitable.
But, why do some mothers, who are not into the business aspect, prefer making chocolates rather than buying them? Homemade chocolates taste far better than the commercial ones. This may be because with the commercial brands, something is lost in the mechanization of the process, or maybe it's the ingredients which are added to aid production, or just the lack of love, which you are able to put into your own homemade chocolates.
People whose kids or parents have special conditions or dietary challenges can also be catered for. Eating commercially made chocolates are not recommended for them. It might cause some health problems, so to still enjoy eating chocolates without having to worry about possible health issues, making homemade chocolates is the sensible option.
If you have any diabetics in your family who can't resist chocolates, you can maintain their health by making chocolates for them that are not going to harm them. Chocolates can cause chaos with their blood sugar levels. There are already chocolates available for diabetics but they're quite expensive and generally don't taste as good. So if you are a mother or teenager who wants to surprise your diabetic loved ones, make homemade chocolates that can help control their sugar levels and taste as good as normal chocolates.
Chocolate making at home is fun and exciting! It's a pastime or business you can do on your own or with help from friends and family. You can have a good time with your kids while showering your chocolates with different toppings. You can give these chocolates as gifts for every occasion that you can think of, and a gift of homemade chocolates given with love is one that will be hard to beat.
Janine Rose Lumanag lives in the Philippines. Janine has a unique talent for research and physical investigation, which results in articles that offer her readers a very honest, entertaining and personal view of the subject. Her love of candy and how to make it has always been a passion of hers, and she is currently writing a series of articles on this topic. If you want to learn more about chocolate making at home, visit our website at http://www.bestcandymakingsecrets.com/ for helpful tips and information about all aspects of candy making.