Sweetique: Chocolate

Countdown to Easter

2010-04-01T07:44:00.013-04:00

It is Maundy Thursday. "Maundy" is a corruption of "mandatum," which means "command." That's where we get our word "mandate," and in this case it refers to the commandment of Jesus to "love one another as I have loved you," which is a pleasant thing to contemplate.

On this day, your local churches might have foot-washing ceremonies, dramas of the Last Supper, blessings of oils, or other rituals that call to mind the Last Supper.

It's a good day to clean house if you have guests coming for Easter.

Easter Countdown

2010-03-31T19:14:00.000-04:00

It's time to color your Easter Eggs. Even if you have lovely Sweetique eggs, you probably have to boil and color some of your own.

First, boil some eggs. We have some brown ones here, and they can give you fine subtle colors, but white ones present a blank canvas.

I'm told, by the way, that you can tell what color egg a hen will lay by examining her earlobes. I thought you'd want to know.

Boil the eggs in lots of cold, salted water with a bit of white vinegar in it. As soon as the water boils, cover the pan and turn off the heat. In about 10 minutes, you'll have hard-cooked eggs. Plunge them into cold water right away to give yourself the best chance of peeling them successfully when you get around to peeling them.

You can buy a kit to dye your Easter eggs, but you can also be more adventuresome:

Float a bit of oil and a bit of paste food color on top of 1/4 cup of water. Dip the egg in and bring it back out fairly quickly for a marbled appearance. If you like, you can dye the egg a solid color first for a base coat.
Wrap the eggs in cheesecloth with flowers and herbs between the egg and the cloth before you cook them. You never know what you might come up with this way, but they'll be subtle compared to food coloring. Throw some onion skins in if the eggs are white, for a warm cast.
Put stickers such as circular paper reinforcers and price tags onto eggs -- either natural or with a base coat -- and then dye them. Pull off the stickers for cool geometric shapes. Rubber bands will do a slightly less sharp version of the same thing.

Easter Countdown

2010-03-30T11:31:00.000-04:00

With less than a week to go till Easter, it's a great time to decorate and get your place ready for the holiday.

If you're an ambitious holiday decorator, you've already brought out your Easter tree and the large collection of mixed-media bunnies. We know. For the rest of us, there are some really easy ways to brighten up the house for the holiday:

Eggs are the quintessential Easter decoration. Bright eggs like ours look terrific in the Sweetique Egg centerpiece, but any clear or open container looks great when you fill it with colored eggs. Look around your house with an open mind -- do you have a brandy snifter, an old fish bowl, a low planter you haven't used lately?
Flowers are always a good choice, and they're particularly appropriate for spring. We've said it before, and it's still true: if you have limited talent with flowers, use lots. If you have the skills, use a few choice blooms and some twigs for an inexpensive and artful arrangement. It's a trade-off.
Animals -- not just the Easter bunny, but lambs and chicks and butterflies and ducklings, too -- are charming at Easter. Bring an air of whimsy to the table with a collection of toy baby animals in a basket, or use PDF files from The Toymaker or Martha Stewart to make old-fashioned paper decorations.
Spring colors can do the trick, too. Change towels, napkins, and table cloths to pastel shades or grab some paper party dishes and napkins in clear spring colors for a quick transformation.

Get the kids in on the fun, too.

Easter Countdown

2010-03-29T12:50:00.000-04:00

Have you done your shopping yet? Some things should not be bought until the last minute -- delicate fruits and vegetables, for example -- but you can go ahead and get sturdy vegetables like carrots and of course all nonperishables.

Here's a list:

Quick like a bunny, get your last-minute orders in for Sweetique Eggs. We're getting them sent out so fast that we can still fill your orders today.
Buy all nonperishable foods -- check your menu to make sure you aren't forgetting anything.
Frozen foods can be bought today, too. Get an extra loaf of bread for making sandwiches from leftovers and throw it in the freezer, too.
Are you expecting guests with special needs? If you know you'll need baby food, artificial sweeteners, or pet food for visitors and you don't usually keep them on hand, add them to the list.
Overnight guests? Check to make sure you have coffee and tea for those who can't start the day without caffeine.
Easter brunch may be the main meal you prepare. If not, consider planning something simple for family and overnight guests. Add granola, other cold cereals, and dried fruit to the shopping list for a simple, healthy start to the day.

Last Day to Order for Easter Delivery

2010-03-26T06:24:00.000-04:00

Order your Sweetique Eggs today!

How to Eat Sweetique Eggs

2010-03-25T09:57:00.001-04:00

Just crack, peel, and enjoy!

Remember to put your Sweetique eggs into the refrigerator for a few minutes before peeling them.

That's all there is to it!

Countdown to Easter: Easter Baskets

2010-03-24T10:04:00.001-04:00

If there will be children at your Easter celebration, there should be Easter baskets.

Here are some great things to put in the baskets:

boiled and colored eggs
Sweetique eggs
candy eggs
chocolate bunnies
stuffed rabbits
bubbles and bubble wands (make it yourself with dish soap -- add glycerin for long-lasting bubbles)
art supplies
toothbrushes
seeds to plant
sports gear (golf clubs will require huge baskets, so don't get carried away)
harmonica, kazoo, or other small musical instruments
small books

If your kids are too old for Easter baskets, they can still enjoy a Sweetique gift basket.

Easter Countdown

2010-03-23T08:56:00.000-04:00

So what are you doing for fun this Easter? We put silly marzipan carrots on our carrot cake to set the mood, but when you get friends and family together for the holiday, you might want to plan some entertainment.

Play games. Whether it's Rock Band or charades, games can be fun for all ages.
Take a hike. Or a short stroll, if that's more your speed. Either way, enjoy spring.
Hunt Easter eggs. If you're hiding Sweetique Eggs, remember to put them into the fridge for 15 minutes before peeling them, to make it easy to get to the luscious chocolate inside.
Dance. Do the Bunny Hop, even.
Play sports. Touch football or croquet? Up to you!
Try egg rolling. Set an end point, such as a tree, and push eggs across the lawn with spoons. Make it a race, or just give a prize to everyone who makes it.
Still feeling competitive? The traditional egg and spoon race has competitors hold an egg in a spoon and race to the finish line. If you have lots of competitors, make two teams and line up to make it a relay race. Each runner has to race to the finish line and then bring the egg back to the next runner and tip the egg into the next runner's spoon before the next runner can take off.

Easter Countdown: What's for Dessert?

2010-03-22T09:31:00.000-04:00

We usually have a dozen or two guests at Easter, so we can generally make several different desserts. This year, I'm having just a few, so we have to make the difficult decision: what's for dessert?

I always like to have something citrus and of course something chocolate. This year, I'm combining the two with a Chocolate Bonbon Cake. It's a firm butter cake, like a pound cake, and a good-quality orange marmalade will give a tart flavor and a lovely texture. It'll remind you of chocolates with orange centers.

I used a decorative Bundt pan. The chocolate glaze hardens over the design but lets it show through. However, you can also make this cake in a sheet pan for easy buffet service. Just watch the baking time -- it'll be closer to half an hour.

Chocolate Bonbon Cake

1 c butter
3/4 c sugar
3 eggs
1 T orange liqueur or vanilla
3 1/2 c. self-rising flour
1 1/3 c fresh orange juice
1/2 c orange marmalade
zest of 2 oranges
2 oz. dark chocolate
2 T butter
1 T cream

Cream butter with sugar till fluffy. Beat in eggs and orange liqueur or vanilla. Alternately add orange juice and flour, beating well after each addition. Stir in orange marmalade and orange zest. Bake in a Bundt pan at 350 degrees for about 50 minutes, or till a cake tester shows it's done.

Melt chocolate with butter and stir in cream. Pour over cooled cake. Garnish with candy orange slices.

Sweetique Chocolate Easter Eggs

2010-03-21T09:52:00.000-04:00

Sweetique's delectable chocolate Easter eggs are real eggshells filled with a special blend of milk and dark chocolate with hazelnut praline. You have time to order Sweetique Eggs for your Easter baskets if you're quick!

Chocolate Salon 2010

2010-03-19T09:32:00.000-04:00

San Francisco is host to the fourth annual Chocolate Salon at the Festival Pavilion, beginning tomorrow.

It's a chocolate competition, bringing together an international assortment of chocolatiers in a 50,000 square foot chocolate overload. You can watch a video from 2009 if you're curious about what people might do at a Chocolate Salon.

Oh, come on. You know what people will do at a Chocolate Salon. Tickets are still available if you're in the City. Not only will there be 70 chocolatiers offering samples, there will also be some special wine and chocolate events. TasteTV will be broadcasting, if you prefer to follow along from home.

Easter Countdown

2010-03-18T10:25:00.000-04:00

Continuing our Easter countdown, we've settled our guest list, most of our menu, and the time and place. Now, let's think about getting our space ready.

Spring cleaning makes everything fresh and welcoming. Clear out the winter stuffiness by opening up the house and scrubbing everything. Get the whole family to pitch in, and it won't take as long as you think it will.

Plan the Easter decorations. It's too early to buy cut flowers, but it's just the right time to bring branches in for forcing.

Forsythia, cherry, quince, laurel, redbud, and dogwoods are all good candidates for forcing, if you have some in your yard. Pussy willow and witch hazel are good, too, and they grow wild. Wherever you get your branches, be sure to choose some that have budded nicely.

Cut them and bring them into a warm room. Full a vase with warm water, submerge the cut ends of the branches, and cut them again under the water. Put the branches in the sun. You'll have blossoms for Easter.

If you'd rather go with cut flowers, this is a good time to order them from the florist. You can also do it yourself. If you have nothing in your garden that's ready to cut -- or you don't want to sacrifice the look of the garden for the sake of the indoor decorations -- scope out sources of cut flowers now.

Here's the secret of do-it-yourself floral arrangement: it takes skill to make a few blossoms look elegant and lovely. It takes hardly any skill to make dozens of blossoms look good. So if you have limited knowledge of flower arranging, scout around for the best prices and plan to buy a lot of flowers.

Mass them in pretty vases or jugs on your mantelpiece, coffee tables, or any other flat surface. If you have enough, it'll distract guests from any lack in your spring cleaning, too. For the table, order a Sweetique centerpiece now and you'll have it in plenty of time for Easter.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

2010-03-17T09:33:00.000-04:00

Best of Irish Luck to you all!

Irish Chocolate Coffee

2010-03-16T08:36:00.000-04:00

Continuing our preparations for St. Patrick's Day, we offer a chocolate variation on traditional Irish Coffee. Irish Coffee is brewed coffee with Irish whiskey and a good dollop of cream.

Start by brewing up some good hot coffee. For each cup of coffee, add 1/8 cup of ground chocolate and 1 tablespoon of whiskey. Whisk it all together, pour it into cups, and top it with whipped cream. With a steady hand and a stencil, you can decorate the cup with a shamrock for extra festiveness.

Irish Chocolate Cake

2010-03-15T11:02:00.000-04:00

St. Patrick's Day will soon be upon us, and you might want to celebrate in Irish style, whether you're of Irish heritage or not. Here's a very special chocolate cake with an Irish air:

Irish Chocolate Cake

3 large eggs
3/4 cup sugar
2 T cocoa powder
1/3 cup strong hot tea

1 tsp Irish whiskey
1 1/4 cup self-rising flour

Beat eggs till they're very light and foamy. Gradually beat in sugar. Blend in remaining ingredients and bake 30 minutes at 350 degrees, or till a cake tester shows it's done.

Meanwhile, prepare Chocolate Mousse:

4 large eggs
1/3 cup sugar
12 oz. dark chocolate, chopped
1-1/2 cups chilled whipping cream
1/4 cup Irish cream liqueur

Whisk eggs and sugar together in a double boiler over hot water, whisking constantly, till smooth and thick. Remove from heat and beat till cool. Melt chocolate . Whip cream to stiff peaks. Fold chocolate and cream into egg mixture along with liqueur.

Cut cake horizontally with a serrated knife to create two layers. Fill and frost cake with chocolate mousse. Decorate in traditional Irish style by wrapping ribbon around the outside of the cake.

Serve this with tea, or with whiskey. Possibly both.

The people of Ireland buy 5 million chocolate Easter eggs a year, making them one of the most serious consumers of the delicacy in the world.

Chocolate Easter Eggs

2010-03-12T10:41:00.000-05:00

Sweetique Chocolate Truffle Easter Eggs are natural eggshells, emptied and sterilized and filled with a delicious blend of milk and dark chocolate with hazelnuts. These amazing eggs are then colored with brilliant designs.

You need these in your Easter baskets.Your Secret Pal, your favorite teacher or secretary, and all your kids will love them and be astonished by them.

Order Sweetique Eggs now so you'll be sure to have them in time for Easter.

Easter Countdown

2010-03-11T10:24:00.001-05:00

Now is a good time to plan your menu for the big Easter meal. It's early enough to arrange for helpers and to watch for good prices on special ingredients. You also still have time to order your Sweetique Eggs, and what could be more special than that?

As with so many holiday meals, Easter often has a traditional set piece: a ham or lamb for the main dish. Your family might be disappointed if that were replaced with something else, but they might be fine with a different way of preparing it. If you usually stud your ham with cloves and glaze it with marmalade, you might find that your family would enjoy a pineapple and mustard glaze instead. If you usually serve a rack of lamb, you might try a leg of lamb instead. However, the main dish is often part of the tradition, and something people look forward to.

You can get creative with your side dishes, though -- especially vegetables. Here are some of our favorite spring vegetable dishes from around the web:

Grilled Asparagus
Roasted Vegetables
Grilled Leeks
Spanish Salad (I like to add chopped black olives)
Broccoli Salad

Have carrot sticks for children whose palates might not be ready for these more exciting tastes.

If you're doing all the cooking, it makes sense to have just one or two elaborate dishes and keep the other things simple, so choose simple rice or potatoes if you're doing a show-stopper of a green vegetable. If you're going with plain steamed broccoli or green beans, though, you might like a classic potato dish like these:

We'll be sharing bread and dessert recipes, but these are good choices either to buy or to ask guests to bring. Go ahead now and call that cousin who makes the famous babka or your brother with the perfect tsoureki and invite them to bring their specialties -- they'll be flattered that you asked.

Once you've decided on your menu, make up a list of all the ingredients and carry it in your purse or billfold. Pick up the nonperishables along with your regular grocery shopping, and get the perishables a few days before Easter. If you need to order something -- a special cut of meat at the butcher, for example -- it's time to do that now.

Chocolate-Powered Car

2010-03-10T15:19:00.000-05:00

Lola has a steering wheel made from root vegetables and she runs on the waste from chocolate manufacturing plants, so I guess we can say she's balanced.

The kids at the University of Warwick's Innovative Manufacturing Research Center came up with Lola, along with a nice fleet of other racing cars made from recycled materials. Unfortunately, race cars using biofuels are not allowed to compete (what's up with that?) in ordinary auto races, so we won't know how she stands up against the competition, but I bet she smells better than most.

Check out the Chocolate Car video.

Easter Countdown

2010-03-09T10:11:00.002-05:00

We're getting ready for Easter, one day at a time. Once you've got your general logistic planned -- family feast, private celebration, or something in between -- it's good to make yourself a timeline.The bunny here clearly isn't ready for the arriving guests, and we don't want to be in this position.

We've got just about four weeks to get ready, so we can divide the upcoming tasks up that way:

This week, decide on the place, time, and guest list. Talk with anyone else who should be involved in the decision. Go ahead and order your Sweetique Eggs, too. Make any travel arrangements now.
Next week, send out the invitations and plan the menu. If you need to shop for Easter baskets, outfits for the children, or supplies for houseguests, go ahead while the selection is good.
The following week, assign potluck duties, have family portraits made if that's part of your tradition, and clean and decorate the house.
The week before Easter, shop for food and do advance preparations for the meal. Confirm with your guests and arrange airport pickups and so forth.

When the big day arrives, you'll be calm and ready to enjoy it.

Easter Countdown

2010-03-08T13:02:00.000-05:00

Easter Sunday this year is on April 4th, just about four weeks away.That means it's time for the Easter Countdown.

Easter is second only to Thanksgiving for festive family dinners in the U.S., so right now is the time to start making your plans.The first thing to consider is the guest list:

Can you get the whole family together in one place, at one time? If so, consider the possible locations. If there are too many people for anyone's dining room, you have other options, from renting a pavilion in the park to setting up a buffet and having everyone balance plates on their laps. Just figure it out now, so you won't have last-minute problems that interfere with the pleasure of the occasion.
Do you have to divide up? Blended families, divorced families, unmarried couples whose families still expect them home for the holiday, and families with two sets of grandparents in distant cities all have to be prepared to compromise. Now, before anyone has baked anything, have those conversations. Maybe the kids can have breakfast and attend church with one family, and join the other for dinner. Maybe you can feast with one side of the family at 1:00 and the other at 6:00. Maybe brunch on Easter Saturday would work for one family just as well as Easter Sunday dinner. Planning ahead avoids hurt feelings.
No family? Plan a gathering with friends on the big day, so none of you has to feel like you're missing out. If you're the only singleton in your set, or all your friends are leaving town to be with their families, tell someone -- chances are, one of the families you know would love to add you to their guest list, but they won't ask you if they figure you're going to be with your parents.
And some people don't want to take part in a big family meal, either with their own families or with others. Make another plan right now, so you can tell all the well-meaning people inviting you that you can't join them, because you've made other plans. If those plans involve you, a Sweetique egg, and your cat, no one needs to know. It's the telltale deer in the headlights look and "Uhh.... I... uhh... I don't think I can..." response to invitations that gets you dragooned into social events you don't want to be part of.

Get On Our Email List!

2010-03-05T19:24:00.000-05:00

We send luscious emails, with special offers and information. You will imagine the scent of chocolate as you read, and the experience will just generally improve your day.

Head right over to our contact Sweetique page, and tell us you want a free subscription. That way, you won't miss a thing!

Bread and Chocolate

2010-03-04T10:39:00.002-05:00

When I was a little girl, we used to have bread and chocolate for a snack. This was in France, so it was a matter of begging the cook for a nice crusty roll, tearing it open, and tucking in a bit of good chocolate. On a special occasion, bread and chocolate might even be a croissant and chocolate, though this involved getting the croissants from a bakery.

In the U.S., we can't keep things this simple (though I think we might like it, if we make sure to have the same high quality of simple ingredients). Here are some American takes on bread and chocolate from around the web:

The pains au chocolat have French names, but they are the chocolate pastries we eat here in America, not the pain au chocolat of my French childhood. The last one reminds me both of French Toast and the infamous Scottish deep-fried chocolate sandwich, but all of them involve bread and chocolate in some way. Let us know which ones you prefer!

The World's Oldest Writing?

2010-03-03T15:52:00.000-05:00

Researchers in South Africa have found what they believe might be the oldest human writing, or at least the oldest attempt to convey information graphically. The writings, 60,000 year old ostrich eggs with regular patterns of scratches in geometric shapes, look very intentional and quite different from random markings.

Linguists, pointing to the fact that current residents of the area used to mark ostrich shells with geometric patterns to show ownership, suggest that the decorated eggs are in fact an extremely early evidence of human language. The speculations, reported in New Scientist, contrast with the traditional view that true language began about 50,000 years ago.

While some have always held that some sort of symbolic representation of communication must have been present among homo sapiens as part of the definition of the species, putting the origin of language at about two million years ago, writing has been thought to be a much later development.

Having seen the images, we think that they may be the forerunners of the "Picturesque" design of Sweetique Chocolate Easter Eggs, which you can see in the photo above, on the right.

Chocolate and Coffee

2010-03-02T09:58:00.002-05:00

Chocolate and coffee have a lot in common. Both come from tropical plants, both have undeserved bad reputations when it comes to health and growing bodies of evidence for their benefits, both have complex flavors that go well with many other foods, both inspire levels of dedication and fascination amounting to obsession.

No wonder they go so well together!

There are some obvious ways to enjoy coffee and chocolate together. First off, you can mix them up in a cup. One part espresso and two parts steamed milk give you cafe au lait to begin with. Put a tablespoon of sugar and two tablespoons of cocoa powder into the cup before the hot liquids for a cafe mocha. Gild the lily by topping it with whipped cream, a drizzle of honey, and chopped almonds, and you have something perfect for a party.

Chocolate coffees are an intriguing innovation. Godiva makes a Chocolate Truffle Coffee which brews up like ordinary coffee. It isn't sweet or chocolate flavored, but it does have a special luxurious finish which makes it very nice for after dinner.

You can also serve hot, strong black coffee with your favorite rich chocolate dessert. The two will balance each other perfectly. Better yet, make a Gateau Moka or Tiramisu to carry the coffee and chocolate flavors through the entire dessert experience.

Try a square of chocolate with a cup of your favorite coffee, slowly savoring both. This is a good way to get your daily dose of antioxidants.

Serious about the combination of chocolate and coffee? Don't miss chocolate-covered coffee beans. Not for the faint of heart or people who want to go to sleep soon -- perfect for decorating a mocha cake.

National Pig Day

2010-03-01T11:43:00.000-05:00

It is March 1st, National Pig Day.We're not quite sure what people usually do to observe National Pig Day, but it's clear that this is the perfect day to discuss the latest chocolate fad: chocolate bacon.

We've been ignoring this fad, because frankly it doesn't sound that appealing to us. We have to try stuff before we tell you about it, after all. We have to test those recipes and check out the chocolate we offer and look at the raw data for the studies.

We have not been able to persuade ourselves to try chocolate bacon.

You can buy bacon-flavored chocolate, in candy bars, made by everyone from Bella Mia to the haute chocolate Vosges. But you can also make your own chocolate-dipped bacon. Instructables has complete step-by-step instructions for homemade chocolate bacon. The authors tried a variety of chocolates and types of bacon and other pork products and reported fully and, it seems to me, fairly on their results.

We feel that we are off the hook. If you decide to make chocolate bacon, please tell us how it turns out. Shudder.

Oprah's Chocolate Stage Set

2010-02-26T17:53:00.000-05:00

Oprah replicated her stage set in chocolate.

We're not the first ones to tell you this, probably. There's been a lot of talk about it, as there always is a lot of talk about whatever Oprah Winfrey does. But we don't quite get why people are up in arms over this.

I mean, didn't we tell you earlier this month about the model of The Great Wall of China built in chocolate? It isn't as though this is the first use of chocolate for sculpture (or building, if you can't quite see this described as "scultpure"). We've also shown you chocolate fashions, and it seems likely that that chocolate wasn't even eaten after its artistic use.

Is this actually more wasteful than the butter sculptures that used to be a feature of county fairs? Do you think all that food in movies and magazine photo shoots actually gets eaten? Do we need to talk about your Hallowe'en Jack o' Lanterns?

We hope there are plans to make proper use of the chocolate and that it won't all be thrown away, but we also think that there are worse things being done in the world.

Cocoa Meringues

2010-02-25T11:40:00.000-05:00

Meringue is a wonderful confection of air and sugar -- no fat, few calories, and a wonderful melting texture. There are many different kinds of meringue, including Italian meringue made with hot sugar syrup, Swiss meringue which is cooked, and French meringue, which we're using here to make a light and airy treat.

Some people like to use cream of tartar or other tricks for meringue, but it isn't necessary if you do it right.
Meringue tips can help if you're a neophyte or if you've had trouble before. Mostly, you need a dry day and no oil on any of your utensils.

Classic Meringues with Cocoa

4 egg whites
2.5 c. sugar
1/4 c. cocoa powder

Preheat oven to 200 degrees.

Beat egg whites to stiff peaks. Continue beating while gradually sprinkling in sugar and then cocoa. Pipe or drop meringue by spoonsful onto parchment-paper lined cookie sheets. Bake at 200 degrees, 25 minutes for chewy meringues or an hour for crisp ones. Drizzle with melted chocolate, if you like.

When You Can't Have Chocolate

2010-02-24T14:17:00.000-05:00

The girls in the office have responded to the chocolate vs. vegetable smackdown with serious questions. Some have given up sweets for Lent, some are on diets, some have diabetic people in their households, and they don't want to hear that chocolate is better than brussels sprouts unless we can assure them that they can eat that chocolate without concern.

We are delving deep into this question for them.

First, we don't mean to suggest that cookies -- even our highly delicious and wholesome Sunflower Mix Cookies -- are more nutritious than brussels sprouts.Or even that chocolate is.

That sprout, for example, contains 3 grams of fiber, 2 grams of sugar, and 3 grams of protein, while dark chocolate contains 2 grams each of fiber and protein and 10 grams of sugar. The sprouts are the winners there. The chocolate gives you 10% of the iron you need for the day, while the sprouts give only 7%, so the chocolate wins on that count -- but the sprouts beat the pants off the chocolate when it comes to vitamin A. Chocolate wins on flavanoids, antioxidants, and magnesium. The sprouts have no fat, though, and the chocolate has 11 grams.

So, yeah, when it comes to sugar and fat, the brussels sprouts are the better choice. People on diets should have lots of brussels sprouts and just some chocolate. Fortunately, you don't need a whole lot of chocolate to get the health benefits.

So here are our recommendations for those who are cutting back on chocolate because of fats and sugars:

Get the data. It's true that chocolate has more fat and sugar than green vegetables -- but often about the same amount as your favorite breakfast foods or snacks. You can swap an extra slice of pizza for an ounce of chocolate and save half the calories without taking in any more sugar or fat.
Have a small amount of the good stuff, instead of more of the less luxurious stuff. An ounce of fine chocolate is more satisfying and healthier than a drugstore candy bar.
Go with cocoa powder. Cocoa-dusted fruit and nuts, hot chocolate made from scratch with water, or meringues made with cocoa powder give chocolate flavor and flavanoids without fat.
For diabetics, chocolate can be a good surprise -- the sugar in dark chocolate is used more slowly by the body than that in white bread, for example. Choose a higher cacao content (our example is 65%, but you can go higher) and enjoy it with a meal to slow absorption. Check with your health professionals to be sure of the right amount for you.

Giving chocolate up for Lent? We can't help you there. But plan on having a Sweetique Egg for Easter.

Are You Too Rich to Appreciate Chocolate?

2010-02-23T09:18:00.002-05:00

A study from the University of British Columbia finds that wealthy people don't enjoy chocolate (or other simple pleasures) as much as the rest of us do.

Researchers conclude that a sense of entitlement -- the feeling that you can have whatever you want whenever you want it -- leads to lessened enjoyment of small happy moments in life.

Even those who aren't yet rich, but are plotting to become rich and spend much of their time and energy on this goal lose a measure of their ability to delight in the simple joys.

If you are rich, we suggest that you titillate your jaded palette with a Sweetique Egg, which might be new to you. Fortunately, you don't have to be rich to get one, so the rest of us can enjoy them, too, knowing that we'll get maximum pleasure from them.

Antioxidants in Chocolate

2010-02-22T15:24:00.001-05:00

We know that chocolate contains antioxidants, but this chart from the U.S. Department of Agriculture was an eye-opener! This is a comparison of the ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity) scores for a variety of foods.

Dark Chocolate: 13,120
Milk Chocolate: 6,740
Prunes: 5,770
Raisins: 2,830
Blueberries: 2,400
Blackberries: 2,036
Kale: 1,770
Strawberries: 1,540
Spinach: 1,260
Raspberries: 1,220
Brussel Sprouts: 980
Plums: 949
Alfalfa Sprouts: 930
Broccoli Florets: 890
Oranges: 750
Red Grapes: 739
Red Bell Pepper: 710
Cherries: 670
Onion: 450
Corn: 400
Eggplant: 390

We assure you, we're not trying to diss your favorite fruit and veg. You should continue to feed your kids broccoli and oranges -- but not till after they've eaten their chocolate.

Chocolate Filled Easter Eggs

2010-02-19T15:44:00.003-05:00

We're beginning to see instructions for how to make chocolate-filled eggshells at home.

It can be done. After all, it is a tradition in some parts of Europe to do this. Here's what you do.

You must blow the eggshells out and clean them, and then boil them in vinegar water to sterilize them. Blowing eggs involves poking a hole at each end with a pin and blowing through one of the holes to force the egg out at the other end. You'll then need to color the eggs, and arrange straight pins on foam to hold the eggshells (the ones you don't break while coloring them) without smudging the color.

Then you must temper some chocolate. Ours are a special blend of milk and dark chocolate with hazelnut praline, so you won't get quite the same effect, but you can try. Temper the chocolate, or when you crack the egg it won't look pretty at all. Each egg requires nearly two ounces of first-quality chocolate, so you'll spend as much to make quality chocolate-filled eggs at home as you would to buy them ready-made. Not counting the spilled and wasted chocolate, or what gets burnt or seizes while you're trying to temper it.

Never mind. Soldier on.

Fill the eggs with the melted chocolate through one of those pinholes. Close up the other one, or all the chocolate will run out.

Let the eggs set and then clean them up, since you will have gotten them very messy while filling them. You'll also have to do something with the egg you blew out of the shells.

Frankly, we think you probably would be wiser to buy Sweetique Eggs, Some things -- cookies, say -- are honestly better when you make them at home with love. Other things are better when they're made by experts.

Sweetique Egg Centerpieces

2010-02-18T06:51:00.001-05:00

Sweetique Centerpieces make a fun, edible decoration for Easter parties.

Chocolate, Pleasure, and Strokes

2010-02-17T06:15:00.001-05:00

A new study has examined and analyzed data from earlier studies which suggested that regular chocolate consumption may reduce the risk of strokes. Researchers have concluded that the evidence -- drawn from studies including up to 44,000 subjects -- supports this conclusion. People who eat the equivalent of a bar of chocolate a week are 22% less likely to have strokes that those who do not.

There are still some questions on the table, though. While it seems likely that the flavanoids in chocolate are the reason for this effect, the evidence is not that clear cut. No studies have isolated a chemical component and tested it in isolation. The evidence supports the conclusion that people who eat chocolate are less likely to have strokes -- but not that chocolate itself reduces strokes.

For example, researchers can't eliminate the possibility that people who enjoy life are both more likely to eat chocolate and less likely to have strokes. It could also be that eating chocolate makes people happier and more relaxed, and that being happier and more relaxed reduces the likelihood of strokes.

Until this question is resolved, it seems that the best advice is this: eat chocolate, be happy.

Mardi Gras!

2010-02-16T10:30:00.003-05:00

Today is Mardi Gras -- "Fat Tuesday," the day for using up all the luxurious foods in the house before Lent begins with its dietary restrictions. Mardi Gras isn't the only name for the day, though.

Shrove Tuesday is another name for this day, since people would be shriven, or given absolution following a confession, at the beginning of Lent. Its' also called Pancake Tuesday -- it used to be that eggs and cream and butter were forbidden during Lent, so careful housewives would make pancakes to use up what they had on hand. In communities in the United States and in the UK, Pancake Tuesday is celebrated with pancake races, in which racers flip pancakes in skillets as they run.

In many countries in Europe and South America, the entire season between Epiphany (January 6th) and Ash Wednesday (the first day of Lent) is Carnival., a season of celebration culminating in today's parties and parades.

In Germany, where Sweetique Eggs are made, today is Karneval or Fastnacht, the end of the season of Fasching. There are regional variations in the names and the customs, but generally Fasching is a time for dressing up and partying. It's reminiscent of the U.S. customs of both Halloween and Mardi Gras.

So go ahead and be a bit crazy today, wherever you are!

Chocolate Easter Eggs

2010-02-15T11:13:00.002-05:00

True, some of us still need to observe Mardi Gras and Lent before we celebrate Easter. But all of us can celebrate the fact that Sweetique Chocolate Easter Eggs are in stock and ready to ship!

Sweetique Eggs are natural eggshells filled with a special blend of milk and dark chocolates with hazelnuts. You crack the egg as you would a hardboiled egg, peel it, and there you have a delectable solid chocolate truffle egg. Sweetique Eggs come in a variety of bright colors and festive designs, so they make the perfect Easter basket fillers. They also make very nice gifts for Easter -- they're available in several different packaging options, for everything from gifts for children to corporate gifts.

Visit our catalog to make your selection of Sweetique eggs, and we'll ship them to you in our special padded mailing boxes, for safe arrival before Easter.

Valentine's Day Treats

2010-02-12T15:33:00.001-05:00

If you have a heart-shaped muffin tin, you can make these sweet little tarts for Valentine's Day.

First, mix up your favorite peanut butter cookie dough -- or use ours.

Peanut Butter Cookies

1 c. creamy peanut butter
1 c. sugar
1 egg

Combine these ingredients, and drop about a tablespoonful into each muffin tin. Bake at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, melt 4 oz. chocolate and stir in 2 T cream.

Take the tarts from the oven and use a spoon or a piping bag to fill the centers with chocolate.

No heart-shaped muffin tin? You can also use a regular muffin pan with this simple hack: put a paper muffin cup into each space, spoon in the dough, and set a marble at the base of the paper liner, at the edge. This will create a heart shape as the tart bakes.

Chinese New Year Chocolate

2010-02-11T08:44:00.003-05:00

This year, Valentine's Day also happens to be Chinese New Year. If you're celebrating with Chinese food, can you also serve chocolate for Valentine's Day?

Really, you can't let Valentine's Day pass without serving chocolate, can you? While the typical sweet ending for a Chinese meal is a collection of fruit such as the one shown here, there are chocolate desserts that blend well with Chinese food. This recipe is fast and easy, but sophisticated enough for party fare. You'll end up with a pale green cookie, half coated with chocolate. Serve it with fruit -- here, white peaches, honeydew melon, and blueberries -- for a lovely dessert that won't be out of place with your Kung Pao Chicken.

Green Tea Shortbread with Chocolate

2 c. butter
2 c. flour
2 T. Chinese powdered green tea
1/2 c. powdered sugar
3 oz. good-quality chocolate
1 T butter

Combine all the ingredients except the chocolate and butter with an electric mixer. Turn the mixture out onto a pastry sheet or a cutting board lined with parchment paper and roll out to a smooth sheet of shortbread. The mixture will be crumbly. Chill 30 minutes.
Use heart-shaped cookie cutters to cut shortbread and set carefully on a cookie sheet. Bake 10 minutes at 350 degrees.
Melt chocolate and butter together. Hold shortbread by a corner and dip half into chocolate. Lay cookies on parchment paper till shiny and set.

Chocolate Fundraisers

2010-02-10T11:05:00.001-05:00

Chocolate hearts abound at this time of year, but chocolate with a heart is great, too. Chocolate and fundraising go together perfectly: chocolate provides a sense of luxury far beyond the actual cost, it gives a festive feeling to otherwise ordinary gatherings, and it's almost universally liked and enjoyed.

Here are a few of the organizations doing good with chocolate this month:

Read about these events to get something fun and beneficial onto your calendar or to inspire your own organization's fundraising plans for this year.

And don't forget, for spring fundraising, Sweetique Eggs are a perfect choice -- customize them with your organization's message, or go with our brilliant Easter egg designs.

What's Your Chocolate Percentage?

2010-02-09T09:15:00.001-05:00

Many plain chocolate bars now come with announcements about their chocolate percentage. "60% cacao," they proudly announce, or 70%, or 85%, at which point you should probably save it for baking. There's a widespread belief that a higher percentage of cacao is healthier and also better quality.

While this certainly can be true -- we're not going to eat those 10% chocolates -- there are other factors involved.

First, the percentage refers to the combined totals of the two substances we use from cacao: cocoa solids, or cocoa liquor or powder, and cocoa butter.

Cocoa butter has no particular flavor. It's a fat, like dairy butter, but it has some special properties. Chief among these, from the point of view of eating chocolate, is the fact that it's solid at room temperature but melts at body heat. That's why chocolate melts in your mouth so nicely. It's also mostly oleic acid and stearic acid, so it doesn't have the negative health effects of dairy butter. It contains antioxidants, so it doesn't turn rancid. Nice stuff, as butters go.

Cocoa powder is the antioxidant power house. But the percentage on the package doesn't tell you how much of the chocolate is cocoa and how much is cocoa butter.

Beyond that, there are often other ingredients in chocolate confections. A bar of seemingly solid chocolate with a low percentage of cacao is likely to have a high proportion of sugar and cheaper, less healthy fats. But chocolate may contain milk, fruit, nuts, feuilletine, and other wholesome things as well. The percentage of cacao will be lower, but the quality needn't be.

Our Sweetique Chocolate Easter Eggs, for example, contain hazelnuts blended into a special mixture of premium chocolates. The percentage of cacao isn't relevant in cases like these. Taste and mouthfeel are the criteria to use when judging the quality of chocolate treats of this kind.

Last Chance for Love Rocks!

2010-02-08T11:04:00.003-05:00

Order Love Rocks today to have them in time to give your sweetie for Valentine's Day! These red rocks are premium milk chocolate with a crunchy candy shell, and they make a great way to tell your valentine that love rocks.

Chocolate Camera

2010-02-05T08:03:00.001-05:00

You could follow the very charming instructions at Lomography to make a Chocolate Camera. However, Monday is the last day to order Love Rocks in time for Valentine's Day, so you should probably do that first.

French Macaroons with Chocolate

2010-02-04T09:30:00.001-05:00

With Valentine's Day right around the corner, people are buying lots of chocolate (you have just a few days to order your Love Rocks, by the way), but if you're thinking about some homemade expressions of affection, consider French Macaroons.

These delicate bites are getting seriously trendy, but they're not hard to make at home, and the fresh ones are much better than the packaged kind.This makes a soft, chewy cookie.

French Macaroons with Chocolate

3 egg whites
1/2 c sugar
2. c grated coconut
3/4 c. chopped pecans
3 oz grated chocolate
1 t vanilla

Beat the egg whites till stiff peaks form and gradually beat in sugar to form a meringue. Gently fold in remaining ingredients. Line cookie sheet with parchment paper and drop batter onto sheet by teaspoonful.
Bake 15 minutes at 350 degrees. Remove paper from cookie sheet and allow to cool.

Grate chocolate the easy way by breaking it up into pieces and pulsing in your blender.

Chocolate for Men

2010-02-03T11:07:00.001-05:00

Chocolate is the classic Valentine's Day gift for men to give to women. Women even give chocolate to one another in recognition of this sweet holiday. Women don't give chocolate to men in the same numbers -- but they should.

Turns out, chocolate is particularly good for men's health. A 15-year study of men's health found that men who ate chocolate were half as likely to die from cardiovascular disease as those who did not. The men who ate the most chocolate, in any form, had a lower death rate over the course of the study from all causes.

This was true even when researchers controlled for such variables as weight, alcohol use, smoking, and physical activity.

Does that chocolate gift seem too feminine? You can look for Yorkie bars -- "not for girls" is clearly emblazoned on the wrapper. These aren't sold in the U.S. We say a man should be secure enough in his masculinity to accept chocolate happily on Valentine's Day. After all, it staves off death. Can't beat that.

Valentine's Day Ideas

2010-02-02T10:01:00.000-05:00

You have less than a week to order Love Rocks for your valentine, so do that first. Then consider these fun ideas:

Singing valentines You'd be surprised how many organizations in your community do singing valentines as fund raisers. Start with local high schools and colleges -- the music program probably offers this service to help support choir trips.
A heart-y meal Make heart-shaped pizza with tomato sauce, heart-shaped breadsticks, and salad with tomatoes. Finish it off with chocolate for dessert.
Great Lovers in History party game For that Valentine's Day party, write the names of famous historical couples on post-it notes and stick them to the backs of your guests as they arrive. They must find their historical true love among the other guests by asking questions first to determine their secret identities and then tracking down their opposite number. By the time the guests are all paired off, the party will be underway!
A heart hike Use Google maps to find a heart-shaped route for a Valentine's Day hike.
Send -ecards Send a traditional, funny or sweet card at Care2, photo-personalized greetings from JibJab, or -- if you must -- snide and bitter anti V day cards.

Whether you celebrate Valentine's Day with your family, your sweetheart, your posse, or all alone with a cathartic movie, plan now to have a great holiday!

Chocolate Ousts Cocaine

2010-02-01T15:25:00.001-05:00

Cocaine's supply chain begins with those who grow coca for sale. It's a dangerous crop, embroiling growers in deadly shootouts and financing terrorism. Since the 1980s, a variety of organizations have tried to persuade coca farmers to switch to other crops, with little success. The high profits of coca compared with other crops made the dangers seem worthwhile to many farmers.

Marketing was the missing link. It's all very well to bring seeds and agricultural expertise to a region dependent on a crop like coca, but without buyers, farmers are understandably hesitant to make the change.

Now, a new initiative in Peru has taken a new alternative product all the way to market.

High end cocoa is the new product, and Peruvian farmers growing cacao on their former coca plantations are a success story. Especially with concerns about child labor in some traditional cocoa growing areas such as the Ivory Coast, Peruvian cocoa is in demand.

The effort took cooperation among chocolatiers, government entities, drug enforcement agencies, and agricultural cooperatives, but sales of cocoa from Peru are now ten times what they were in 2003, when the effort began.

It's a success story all around, with environmental and economic benefits as well as a reduction in violent crime.

Chalk up another benefit for chocolate.

Chocolate Football Cake

2010-01-29T19:20:00.000-05:00

You can make a chocolate football cake for game day with no special skills or tools!

Here's how:

Mix up your favorite chocolate cake recipe, or even use a mix. We'll never tell.
Bake it in an oven-safe mixing bowl. Use the timing for a Bundt cake, and an extra-long tester.
Cut your cooled cake in half. A serrated bread knife works best.
Turn the halves around and put them together to make a football shape. We used seedless black raspberry jam to help the halves stay together.
Frost your cake.
Mix up a little bit of cream cheese frosting. Just mix 1 TB each of cream cheese, butter, and powdered sugar till it's smooth.
Put the frosting into a Zip-lock bag, snip a corner, and pipe the stitching. You may be better at piping than we are.

All set for that Super Bowl party!

National Chocolate Cake Day

2010-01-28T09:23:00.003-05:00

Yesterday was National Chocolate Cake Day, and we missed it. Today will be spent mourning this fact. We have a really special chocolate cake to show you, too, though it isn't scheduled till tomorrow,

Actually, there are so many National [insert name of food here] Days that it's hard to keep up. Look at all the special days we've already missed this month:

January 5th, National Whipped Cream Day. We can do amazing things with chocolate and whipped cream.
January 6th, National Shortbread Day. We should have shared the recipe for chocolate-dipped Earl Grey Shortbread.
January 8th, English Toffee Day. We've got a great recipe for that, too.
January 10th, Bittersweet Chocolate Day. Can't believe we missed that!
January 16th, International Hot and Spicy Food Day. Chocolate and chilies are a venerable combination.

Fortunately, January is both National Candy Month and National Egg Month, so we're covered.

Chocolate and Yoga

2010-01-27T11:08:00.002-05:00

Do yoga and chocolate go together?

At yoga studios around the nation, they do.

Chocolatier Katrina Markoff has sponsored yoga/chocolate retreats in Oaxaca (the birthplace of chocolate), where participants focus on chakras with special chocolates. Markoff claims that the ritualistic nature of chocolate eating makes it a natural for spiritual practices. "You can give people a reason to slow down," she explained to interviewers at Beliefnet, "and have a ritual, intimate experience with their body through food -- making eating into something sensual."

Grabbing a piece of chocolate may not be ritualistic for everyone, but chocolate's chemical make up does cause it to have effects on the brain.

David Romanelli, creator of "Yoga for Foodies," serves chocolate and other delectable things at his yoga classes, and is preparing a Yoga + Chocolate retreat in Arizona for Valentine's Day. Romanelli, along with many other foodies, sees the quality and sustainability, and indeed the sensual perfection of food as an essential of mindful living.

These attitudes are in conflict with some of the traditional attitudes of American-style yoga. The New York Times reports that the U.S. yoga industry ($6 billion a year spent on instruction, books, retreats, and fancy gear which may or may not actually make it to yoga class) is divided on this point. Austerity and a vegan lifestyle have been basic principles of yoga since it began to be a popular practice in the U.S. during the 1960s. The yoga way of eating, in those days, eschewed meat, dairy products, caffeine, alcohol, and all exciting foods like spices and garlic. Low fat, calming, simple foods were the order of the day.

Conflicted? You can pick up low-fat fruit-sweetened vegan candy bars made with raw cocoa butter at the health food store, or hold out for chocolate truffles at your yoga studio.

Chocolate Holidays

2010-01-26T21:54:00.003-05:00

Chocolate always goes with holidays. The primary chocolate holiday is of course Valentine's Day, but don't overlook Mardi Gras.

Mardi Gras falls this year on Feb 16th. Mardi Gras, "Fat Tuesday," is also known as Shrove Tuesday. It is the last day before Ash Wednesday begins the season of Lent. Lent, the 40 days preceding Easter, is traditionally a time for Christians to give things up.

Catholics usually have a list of things to sacrifice, and traditionally the Lenten sacrifice included all luxurious foods. Naturally, there had to be a special day for consuming all the luxurious foods left in the house before Lent began: Fat Tuesday.

We figure this year's timing is perfect: chocolate gifts for Valentine's Day, and Mardi Gras two days later to finish them up!

Sweetique Eggs

2010-01-25T11:34:00.001-05:00

A Chocolate Urban Myth

2010-01-22T21:56:00.011-05:00

Girls in the office have been talking about the $7,500 chocolate cupcake. The thing that makes this cupcake so luxe is that it has diamonds on it.

We haven't found any evidence that such a cupcake exists, for sale or otherwise, but we think it would make an over-the-top Valentine's Day gift, or a charming way to propose.

Olympic Chocolate

2010-01-21T11:24:00.002-05:00

The Winter Olympics are in Vancouver this year. Whether you plan to attend, or just to get into the spirit in front of your TV, you might like to consider Canadian-style snacks for the occasion.

We in the U.S. don't always appreciate how different Canada is from our own country, but chocolate shows the delectable difference.

There's a general trend in Canadian candy bars toward light, crisp effects. Aerated chocolate is big in Canada, and you don't find it around much in the U.S. Aerated chocolate has air forced into it, resulting in a structure of chocolate bubbles. Canadian chocolates often use feuilletine, a crisp wafer sort of thing, or crisp rice. U.S. substitutes might include Kit-Kat or Crunch bars.

One of the most popular Canadian candy bars, though, is the Big Turk, a bar of pink Turkish Delight covered in chocolate. Turkish Delight may be familiar to you from the Narnia books or movies, but it's hard to come by in the U.S. You can make your own, if you're serious about this. Then just dip it in chocolate and you can feel all Canadian.

Canada claims to be the originator of the heart-shaped box of chocolates. Though those heart-shaped chocolate boxes are now a standard Valentine's Day gift, Canadian chocolatiers introduced them in the 1930s for Christmas. Simply buying one of these might be cheating.

If you're truly dedicated, brush up your skills with the metric system and bake up some Caramel Hazelnut Chocolate Bars.

Valentine's Day Chocolates

2010-01-20T12:01:00.001-05:00

Order your Love Rocks by February 8th to be sure to have them in time to surpise your sweetheart!

The Great Wall of Chocolate

2010-01-19T08:33:00.002-05:00

It may be the largest chocolate sculpture ever. A 33-foot replica of the Great Wall of China, complete with 560 chocolate warriors, will welcome visitors to Beijing's World Chocolate Wonderland trade show.

China's relationship with chocolate hasn't been smooth. Chocolate wasn't widely available in China until the end of the 20th century, and the average Chinese consumer eats a mere 100 grams a year of chocolate -- a couple of chocolate bars. Last fall, Chinese-made chocolate was involved in a recall connected with possible contamination of the product with melamine. Domestic brands of chocolate are known for poor quality and widespread use of substitute ingredients rather than real chocolate.

But that 100 grams is twice what the average Chinese person ate in 2004, when only about a third of urban residents had eaten any chocolate at all in the entire year. Chocolate now is seen as a fashionable, trendy item, and chocolatiers in Europe and America see China as a potentially important market.

The World Chocolate Wonderland is an important step in bringing chocolate to China. And perhaps China will bring its own special touch to chocolate -- beginning with the Great Wall.

Valentine Gifts

2010-01-18T10:52:00.003-05:00

Chocolate Love Rocks make a fun gift for Valentine's Day. They're premium quality milk chocolate enrobed in a crisp candy shell. Compare them with other brands of chocolate rocks and you'll find a serious quality difference. Plus, we have all red rocks that remind your sweetheart that love rocks!

Snack Mixes

2010-01-15T09:38:00.002-05:00

The sweet and savory mix is everybody's favorite now, so stir up some special snack mixes for game day, movie night, or watch party.

From left to right, here they are:

A sophisticated mix combines

Sweetique Chocolate Seashells
slivered almonds
raisins
golden raisins
dried cranberries

A bold mix has

Sweetique Sunflower Mix
cocoa-dusted whole almonds
Sweetique Chocolate Seashells
dark chocolate covered crystallized ginger

A playful mix uses

Sweetique Sunflower Mix
miniature marshmallows
Cheerios

A natural mix includes

Sweetique Chocolate Rocks
dried apricot bits
pecan halves

Game Snacks

2010-01-14T10:00:00.003-05:00

Chocolate snacks for the playoffs and the Super Bowl? Of course!

But this is not the time for ladylike candies or luscious cakes. This is the time for salty and sweet snacks that can be eaten by the bucket full while shouting and gesturing. The kind of chocolate that goes with soft drinks and beer, not wine or tea.

Chocolate Dipped Pretzels.

Melt chocolate slowly -- you can do it in a double boiler, of course, but for this you might prefer to use the microwave. Be sure to check it often -- chocolate pieces will hold their shape even when they're mostly melted, so the trick is to take it out of the microwave and stir it. If the chocolate won't stir to smoothness, give it a few more seconds.

We've used milk chocolate, but you can use any kind of chocolate, or a mixture of different kinds. Chili-infused chocolate is great for this snack.

Dip the pretzels in the chocolate and set them on parchment paper or waxed paper to dry. You can dip them into coconut or chopped nuts or sprinkle them with crystallized sugar if you want to dress them up a little.

To get a little more fancy, lay the pretzels in a ring shape, touching so that they keep the shape after the chocolate sets. Make two layers, placing the top layer of pretzels so that each one touches two of the bottom layer of pretzels.

Here, we've used miniature pretzels and pressed dried fruit into the chocolate while it was still warm.

Let your snacks set and cool completely, and store them in an air-tight container till the game starts.

Starbucks Study

2010-01-13T11:35:00.002-05:00

A study conducted using data from Starbucks has given insight into American eating habits.

At this blog, we like to bring you tasty chocolate recipes, but we figured that New Year's resolutions meant you'd rather we held off for a bit. We imagined you munching carrot sticks and limiting your chocolate consumption to that health-inspired ounce of practically sugar-free 85% cacao.

We were going to wait till closer to Valentine's Day to tempt you with anything.

In fact, the Starbucks study reveals that the feasting season in the U.S. now goes straight from Hallowe'en to the Super Bowl, dipping slightly in the first week of the new year and again briefly after the Super Bowl, and then picking right up for Valentine's Day.

Sensible eating doesn't really start till March.

Now that we've got the data, we'll be back tomorrow with some tasty ideas for game day.

Making the Most of Trade Shows

2010-01-12T07:47:00.004-05:00

Whether you're representing your company or your nonprofit organization, you might have a love-hate relationship with trade shows and similar events. The hotel or the early drive, the struggle to carry everything in and the rush to set everything up, hours on your feet having the same conversations over and over -- but the results can be worth the effort.

Here's how to make sure those results really are worth it:

Be prepared. Plan the space and layout ahead of time, and make that list and check it twice. That way, instead of frayed tempers and desperate last-minute scrounging for a pen or a calculator, you can have your vendor table set up early. That gives you time to scope out the competition, learn some things, and do some networking. Your calm friendliness can make things more pleasant for those frazzled reps on the other side of the room -- or make them worry, if that's the effect you're after.
Plan to sell. We used to look at trade shows as networking opportunities. We didn't bring much product, and it was simply a worthwhile investment. Then we read a piece of good advice: go planning to sell. It may be tickets to your charity gala or memberships at your gym or cutting-edge biotech machinery -- if you go with selling in mind, you'll sell. Trade shows end up paying for themselves immediately, and that makes them an even more worthwhile investment.
Give them something to remember you by. Here's where Sweetique comes in. When everyone else's business card or promotional pen has fallen to the bottom of the swag bag and been forgotten, our promotional chocolate specialities will still be talked about. With your logo or message on them, you'll be the one they're talking about. Add an interesting conversation, your great products or important cause, and your personal charm, and you can be the hit of the show.
Follow up. It's amazing how many people get a good long list of names and addresses at a trade show -- and then never follow up with them. Contact everyone within 48 hours, and you'll double the effectiveness of the show.

It may be a booth at the county fair or a seminar at a conference -- take these steps and you'll be glad you're there.

Egg Salad

2010-01-11T06:13:00.001-05:00

Sweetique Eggs are made of chocolate and hazelnuts, but there are natural chicken eggs involved, as well. The shells of eggs are sanitized by a special proprietary process that far exceeds both U.S. and the more stringent European standards. Then they are filled with the special chocolate truffle mixture, creating an egg that can be cracked and peeled like a hard-boiled egg.

Don't worry that the eggs go to waste. The manufacturers, Gut Springenheide, use eggs to make all sorts of delicious things, from omelets for airline meals to creme brulee.

Eggs are highly nutritious, and make a great light lunch with mixed spring greens and sunflower seeds.

Cute Eggs

2010-01-08T10:58:00.002-05:00

A reader sent us this picture of the fortune cookie-like slip she found in a carton of eggs. Apparently, her local egg farmers occasionally slip greetings from the chickens into the eggs. This one was from Christmas, so it shows the hens decorating with eggs.

Gut Springenheide, the German manufacturers of the Sweetique Eggs, started out as egg farmers. They don't have fortunes in their eggs, but they do have chocolate in them!

Too Early for Easter Eggs?

2010-01-07T09:38:00.003-05:00

British grocery chain Tesco has been catching heat for putting chocolate Easter eggs on their shelves this early. Shoppers apparently don't want to see chocolate eggs in the aisles when we've just ended the twelve days of Christmas.

We see their point. In fact, we're not shipping ours till February. But we see some good reasons for thinking about chocolate eggs this early, too.

Maybe you're interested in custom logo chocolates for your company or organization. Visit Sweetique's private label chocolates page to arrange it now.
Maybe you want to use Sweetique eggs as a fundraising tool. Call us at (888) 4LOGO-EGG to work out the details.
Maybe you're just a plan-ahead kind of person. You can order Sweetique eggs now online and relax, knowing that you'll have them in plenty of time for your Easter celebrations.

Order a few extra for yourself, too. We'll never tell.

Giving Up Chocolate?

2010-01-06T09:10:00.002-05:00

Several supermodels have announced that their New Year's Resolution is to give up chocolate.

We're not going to do that. Given the health benefits of chocolate, it makes more sense to increase your exercise. European researchers have found that the optimum daily dose of chocolate is about 200 calories worth.

Here are some fun things to do with 200 calories of energy:

20 minutes of snowboarding
1.5 mile bike ride
1 hour of playing music
25 minutes of skiing
a 3 mile hike
a rousing game of ping-pong
17 minutes of soccer
1.5 hours of video games (30 minutes if it's a Wii game)

Go on and have fun!

Medicinal Chocolate?

2010-01-05T08:31:00.003-05:00

Do you have favorite home remedies? Are you impressed when you hear that people for generations used some combination of plants to cure some illness? Do you, on hearing of a traditional medical treatment, assume that it was years of careful observation that led people to believe in its efficacy?

I was cured of this by reading an anthropologist's careful collection of Cherokee health secrets. Boil onions in water, I read, and soak your feet in it to cure smallpox. I'm pretty sure that doesn't work. Then there's the list of herbs that cure colds. There are dozens of concoctions rumored to achieve this end, and all of them will -- because a cold will last seven days if you don't treat it, and a week if you do.

So we may not be impressed by the news that, from the 15th to the 20th centuries, chocolate was widely used for medicinal purposes.

Chocolate was believed, by Europeans and by Americans, to have health-giving properties. While it has been prescribed for everything from asthma to whooping cough, chocolate was particularly treasured for its ability to strengthen people. It was supposed to create alertness and a sense of well-being, and to help people think clearly.

The Aztecs recommended it to give courage to the faint of heart. Renaissance scholars considered it a cure for fevers and weakness, those of the Enlightenment suggested that it was ideal for people engaged in mental work, doctors of the Victorian era carried it in their satchels to treat fainting and malaise. Red Cross nurses gave cocoa to malnourished children during the Depression, and that may have been its last medicinal use before people forgot entirely that it was a cure and began to think of it strictly as a treat.

Recent research confirms that chocolate increases cerebral blood flow -- that is, the flow of blood to the brain. It improves performance in math, improves memory, and (in studies of rats, as well as of humans) shows promise as a treatment for dementia. It has anti-inflammatory properties which researchers in geriatrics credit for observed associations between chocolate consumption and increased well-being in the elderly. It appears to cure depression in rats (though I'm not quite sure how researchers can tell how cheerful rats are).

No one has yet suggested that it is useful for smallpox. However, as we move on into the second decade of the century, many of us are feeling a bit faint of heart and could use some general strengthening.

And chocolate is bound to be more pleasant than a boiled onion foot bath.

Economics of Chocolate

2010-01-04T08:39:00.003-05:00

Final figures for 2009 are still being calculated, but early reports show that people around the world spent about the same as usual for chocolate last year.

The Swiss are by far the top spenders, shelling out the equivalent of $206 per person in 2009.

Brits are next, at $106 per person, with the Belgians a fairly close third at $90.

Americans spent a mere $55 apiece. However, chocolate eaters in the U.S. are now evenly divided in spending between milk chocolate and dark chocolate, so that number may rise as Americans gravitate more toward fine chocolate and move away from the old stand-by inexpensive milk chocolate bars of the past. Sweetique offers both dark and milk chocolates, as well as the signature egg, which has a truffle filling that combines dark and milk chocolates with hazelnut.

The surprise was in China, where chocolate hasn't been a traditional favorite. Young chocolate fans contributed to an 18% increase in chocolate sales last year.

Analysts have no trouble explaining the continued strength of chocolate. It's an affordable luxury, they say. Economic worries may keep people from buying cars, but everyone can enjoy a little chocolate luxury.

500 Gallons of Hot Chocolate

2009-12-31T09:58:00.002-05:00

In one last grand gesture for 2009, New York City is offering hot chocolate to the huddled masses -- or whoever wants it.

The Dairy Council has created a 700 foot in diameter mug containing 500 gallons of hot cocoa, They expect to give away 6,000 cups of hot chocolate today. The object of the exercise is to draw attention to the growing problem of vitamin D deficiency among Americans.

Vitamin D deficiency used to be a serious problem, with rickets -- a crippling bone disorder caused by a lack of vitamin D -- among the most severe public health issues. Fortified milk and cereals, along with an end to child labor and tenement living, had solved the problem. The two main sources of vitamin D for people in the U.S. are sunshine (which allows the body to make its own vitamin D) and fortified milk. American children played out in the sun and drank milk, and rickets retreated into history.

Now, the threat is back. But it isn't malnourished kids in dark sweat shops who are turning up with vitamin D deficiencies. It's both kids and adults who drink sodas for breakfast and spend their days indoors working at computers and playing with video games. We're more careful about sun, schools have shortened or eliminated recess as part of NCLB, fewer children go outside to play at home, and many Americans avoid dairy products for the sake of weight control.

The result is a growing problem of insufficient vitamin D.

We could go back to doses of cod liver oil, but it's more pleasant to drink cocoa.

Don't use instant mixes; it's just as fast to make your own, fresh, and you won't be drinking odd things like corn syrup solids and guar gum. Here's the recipe:

2 T cocoa powder
1 T sugar
4 cups milk (skim is fine)

Just stir the cocoa and sugar together. Scald the milk (that is, heat it till bubbles form around the edges, but don't let it boil) and stir in the cocoa and sugar. There you have it!

Get outside in the sun, too. A tramp through the snowy landscape, a little skiing or snowboarding, and you'll get vitamin D from the sun, too.

Sin Tax on Chocolate?

2009-12-30T10:07:00.004-05:00

As the new year approaches, several states contemplate adding "sin taxes" on chocolate.

Taxes on cigarettes have helped to cut smoking in recent years, and perhaps also to defray the public costs of health care for smokers. Can a tax on sweets do the same thing?

Washington State legislators estimate that their proposed tax on candy and gum could raise $28 million next year for this cash-strapped state. Illinois got in early with a late 2009 candy tax: an extra 8% for candy -- but nothing extra for sweets containing flour. Arkansas's Joe Carter made headlines by lobbying for special taxes on vending machines and fast food.

"We have a culture that is fat, sedentary, and depressed," he says. "Our attitude is, 'I wannna eat what I want, do what I want, and get a pill to take care of it.' If we're going to reform health care, and not just argue about who writes the checks, we need to make changes." One of those changes, Carter says, ought to be taxes on junk food.

Carter also confided that he likes to make s'mores with his sons, so even he is a chocolate fan.

And that is the question: should a sin tax on empty-calorie foods include chocolate? Consider these facts:

Dark chocolate contains ten times the antioxidants of dark fruits and vegetables.
Chocolate is the best natural source of magnesium (highest levels), and an excellent source of many other minerals, including iron, phosphorus, potassium, and calcium.
Cocoa butter has no negative effects on cholesterol levels, and has positive effects on dental health.
Chocolate has a higher rate of flavonoids than red wine.
Recent studies show beneifts for both heart and brain health in chocolate.

Chocolate has been classified, in the wake of new research, as a "functional food" and not as junk food. Sin taxes ought to focus on the sinful foods -- maybe things with "chocolatey coatings."

Sweetique Eggs for Fundraising

2009-12-29T10:27:00.003-05:00

As you get ready for the new year, you're probably thinking about fundraising goals for your school, community organization, or cause.

Sweetique Eggs make great promotional items. It's easy to arrange for Sweetique Eggs with your organization's logo or message, too.

Here's all you need to do:

Decide on the image you want: your logo, your organization’s message, the catchphrase for your marketing campaign – the possibilities are endless.

Email your digital artwork to us in Adobe Illustrator EPS vector format. Size matters: your image needs to be no more than 1 7/16"tall and 1 3/16"wide. If you need assistance with this step, in either technical or artistic aspects, Sweetique can help.

Estimate your quantities and costs using the pricing charts. There is a one-time set-up fee, the price of the chocolate specialties themselves, and the imprint fee. Since Sweetique Eggs have a shelf life of six months, you can save by planning for more than one fundraising campaign. Sweetique can help you with the calculations -- just call 888 4LOGO EGG (888 456 4634).

Call to place your order. This is also a good time to discuss any special packaging needs.

Whether you're planning Easter fundraisers, or would like to take advantage of the perfect shape and novelty of the Sweetique Egg, this item makes a unique, memorable choice for your organization.

How Much Chocolate Do You Really Need?

2009-12-28T10:29:00.002-05:00

We know that chocolate is good for our health, but it's possible that over the holidays we've been overdoing it on sweets in general. So what's the recommended daily allowance for chocolate?

Italian researchers have set it at an ounce and a half. A delicious Sweetique egg contains 1.75 ounces of chocolate, so your best plan will be to share one with a friend.

So, how can you get a Sweetique egg? We won't be shipping till February, but that gives you plenty of time to order Sweetique eggs for your Easter baskets. You can pre-order now, if you like. You can also order special custom logo eggs for your business or organization.

Chocolate Eggnog

2009-12-23T07:55:00.004-05:00

Pull out all the stops and celebrate with this decadent drink!

5 eggs
2 c milk
1 c half and half
8 oz chocolate, grated
1/4 c creme de cacao

Beat the eggs. Scald the milk and add the chocolate to the milk, stirring to melt. Pour one cup of the hot milk into the eggs and beat briskly. Pour the egg mixture back into the hot milk and heat through, stirring, till the mixture is thick and smooth.

Remove the eggnog from the heat and stir in creme de cacao. Serve hot or cold.

Drizzle chocolate syrup down the inside of a glass and garnish with whipped cream and grated chocolate for

Storing Chocolate

2009-12-22T08:36:00.000-05:00

If you're celebrating Christmas, your kitchen probably doesn't look like this. It probably has stacks of goodies, an overflow of ingredients, and maybe a dusting of flour.

How can you store your chocolate so it'll be at its best for holiday entertaining?

Keep it cool. Chocolate melts if it gets warm, so that box of chocolates on the hearth is going to be a disappointment. A pantry or a cool cupboard is fine for chocolate storage.
Don't get it too cold. If you keep your chocolate in the refrigerator, then you might end up with bloom, a whitish deposit on the surface of the chocolate. It doesn't affect the taste or the nutritional content of your chocolate, but it doesn't look pretty. Baking chocolate is okay, but chocolates that will end up on your buffet should stay out of the extreme cold.
If you do get it cold... Maybe you keep your house at subtropical temperatures, or you bought those chocolates way ahead of time. You can freeze chocolate or refrigerate it. Just do so in an air-tight container and -- this is very important -- let it come to room temperature before you open the container. This will lessen condensation and limit bloom.

Investing in Chocolate

2009-12-21T11:03:00.003-05:00

The InvestorCentric blog just announced that chocolate is a better investment than gold.

They're talking about buying stock in chocolate companies, which have performed well regardless of economic ups and downs. Buying chocolate itself as an investment isn't such a great plan.

For one thing, the price of chocolate hasn't risen steadily. Until the beginning of the 20th century, chocolate was a luxury item beyond the reach of most people. During the world wars and the depression in between, chocolate was -- per calorie -- the cheapest of the filling and reasonably nutritious foods available. The rise of the chocolate bar made it a portable food as well, and working people often chose a chocolate bar for lunch as modern workers might grab a fast food burger.

After World War II, the price of chocolate dropped sharply. While it rose again to record highs in the first years of the 21st century, chocolate has not returned to its status as a luxury available only to the wealthy.

While the more affluent European consumer chooses chocolate praline (such as the filling of the Sweetique Egg) and upscale American consumers choose higher cocoa contents, chocolate of one kind or another is available at all price points, and people of all socioeconomic levels eat about the same amounts.

Nor does the value of the chocolate you've bought increase if it's hoarded. Fine chocolate like that available from Sweetique will maintain its high quality for about 6 months if stored properly. With the volatility of chocolate prices, the replacement cost might be either higher or lower at the end of that time.

The conclusion: eat that chocolate.

Gingerbread Cottage

2009-12-18T06:01:00.000-05:00

Get the kids together to build a gingerbread cottage. We made a rock house with Sweetique Sweet Shapes of Nature chocolate rocks. Chocolate chips on the roof and a candy doorknob complete the effect.

It's a fun party decoration and looks great on the buffet table -- or just have fun making it and then let the kids have fun eating it.

Wine and Chocolate for the Holidays

2009-12-17T07:15:00.003-05:00

A wine and chocolate tasting is a wonderful, unusual party for Christmas, Hannukah, or Kwanzaa. Check out our basic How to Plan a Wine and Chocolate Party and Wine and Chocolate Party Shopping Tips, and add these holiday touches:

At this hectic time of year, people often rush from work to errands to parties, and may even be fitting in more than one party in an evening. Put a pot of soup on for guests who haven't had time to eat.
Mark wine glasses, especially if there are more guests at the party than you usually squeeze into your home. Pick up a grab bag of ribbon remnants at the craft store and tie bows on the stems of the glasses, slip seasonal charms onto old-fashioned keychains, or just write names right onto the bowls of the glasses with washable markers.
Add to the festive feeling by asking people to bring a wrapped white elephant from home for a White Elephant Exchange. Whether you know this game as Yankee Swap, Dirty Santa, or Rob Your Neighbor, it makes a fun end to the evening. Set all the wrapped gifts in a central place. The first player chooses one and opens it. The next player can take the open gift, or a new, unopened one. Continue around the group in this way. Remember, once a gift has been chosen three times by any player, it is "retired" and can't be stolen again. The sillier the gifts, the more fun the game.
Have something non-alcoholic to offer guests -- sparkling water and juices are perfect.
Do you stress out about holiday entertaining, worrying that your decorations won't measure up to the magazine pictures? Give that up right now! When you have fun, your guests will have fun, too.

National Chocolate Covered Anything Day

2009-12-16T14:39:00.002-05:00

December 16th is National Chocolate Covered Anything Day.

There are probably limits. Fruit, marshmallows, nuts, caramel -- anything along those lines is a safe bet. Pretzels and crackers and even potato chips have their fans.

Non-edible things like cell phones and wrenches? We'd say not.

However we have told you before how to cover things in chocolate and also the details of chocolate fondue.

You're probably set now and can observe this all-important holiday with panache.

DNA Damage Reversed by Chocolate

2009-12-15T09:09:00.000-05:00

Chocolate continues to rack up points in the Miracle Food category. The latest news: Italian researchers have announced that chocolate reverses oxidative stress damage in DNA.

Oxidative stress is what happens when cells can't repair themselves fast enough to keep up with the damage taking place in the cell. Various parts of cells can be damaged, including the DNA, which is the place where information is stored. Without good information from the DNA about how the cell is supposed to be, repairs can't be done correctly.

Much of human aging is thought to be the result of this phenomenon. Alzheimer's disease, heart failure, Parkinson's disease, and atherosclerosis are just a few of the diseases attributed to oxidative stress.

Healthy subjects with a balanced diet were fed 45 grams of dark chocolate, and two hours later showed a reversal of damage to the DNA in their blood cells. A control group fed white chocolate showed no such result. The results lasted for about 22 hours, so researchers think a daily dose would do the trick.

Fundraising 101: the End of the Year Wrap Up

2009-12-14T12:07:00.006-05:00

Many organizations at this time of year are reviewing their holiday fundraisers. The silent auctions are over, the open house and the gala have been completed, the cookie dough and wrapping paper have been distributed and their calculations made.

It's tempting to forget all about it now -- but it's a good idea to resist that temptation. Taking a little time now to reflect on this year's efforts and get your ducks in a row for next year can be time very well spent.

What worked and what needs work?

Right now, when everyone clearly remembers how much trouble this year's fundraising was, is the time to decide what went well and what really needs to be changed for next year. Some of the most common pitfalls:

Not starting soon enough. A fresh new committee can easily underestimate the amount of time needed to get together volunteers, research options, make decisions, and then actually do the work. Now, while the battle-scarred veterans are still around, work out what the timetable should have been and get some dates on next year's calendar.
Choosing the wrong target audience. It's surprising how many non-profits consistently go only to their own members for fundraising. Your members will support you, assuming you're doing a good job of supporting the cause, so fundraisers are a great time to step outside the membership. Reaching new people with your message will not only provide new sources of revenue for the fundraising campaign, but can also lead to new members and supporters over the long term. Look now while someone still knows where the files are and see how many new people your campaign reached.
Underestimating the costs. We've heard a lot of fundraising horror stories this season, and most of them had this theme. The meeting where someone says, "It shouldn't cost very much..." and the decision was made without firm figures or the group of volunteers who punked out at the last minute and had to be replaced by paid staff are particularly common complaints. Get a complete accounting of all the costs right now before people forget.

What were the side effects?

A good fundraiser reaches its financial goals without excessive costs. A great fundraiser does more than that:

Increase community awareness of your organization and its work. A fundraising item with no tie-in to your organization and no place to add a message can bring in funds without making people more aware of the cause you support. In the current economy, a lavish event can actually make for negative press if people question whether the money could have better spent. Check press and online media (including social media like Twitter) to see community response. By decision-making time next year, it'll be too late.
Bring volunteers together. A well-run fundraising event can be a boost for the members of your organization. Keeping it fun, dividing work well enough to avoid burnout among key workers, and communicating the success of the campaign can all serve to increase commitment.
Bring ongoing benefits. Look for opportunities to partner with other organizations in the community, offer ongoing sales of the fundraiser items, or build on previous successes with advance sales or subscriptions.

Write down the answers to your questions. Having done this, you can end the fundraising season with a quiet conscience and enjoy the holidays.

You Want Chocolate-Filled Eggs?

2009-12-11T11:48:00.002-05:00

Today is the last day for wholesale orders of Sweetique's natural eggshells filled with delicious chocolate truffle. If you're a retailer wanting these for Easter, put down that Santa hat right now and call (888) 4LOGO-EGG to get your order in.

Private label chocolate eggs are custom orders and are available all year round -- call (888) 4LOGO-EGG to arrange custom Easter eggs for your company or organization.

Retail customers can relax. Get back to your winter holiday preparations, secure in the knowledge that we'll have those wonderful eggs for you in the spring when you want them.

The Chocolate Carol

2009-12-10T09:20:00.000-05:00

Chocolate Recipes

2009-12-09T12:45:00.002-05:00

Another reader has said that it is hard to find the recipes here. We know it's getting on toward the major holiday baking season, so I'll fix that by gathering them all right here:

Easy Chocolate Candy
Tiny Chocolate Cakes
Chocolate Gateau
Hot Chocolate for Grownups
Chocolate Meringue Pie
Chocolate Pecan Pie
Chocolate Possum Pie
Sweetique Sunflower Mix Butter Cookies
Sweetique Sunflower Mix Chocolate Cookies
Chocolate Fudge
Chocolate Decadence
Chocolate Waffles
Chocolate Fondue

Now you're ready.

Easy Chocolate Recipes

2009-12-08T10:39:00.003-05:00

A reader wrote to complain about our chocolate recipes. "They all look great," she said, "but I know I'm not going to make them."

She disagreed with our position that whipping up some little cakes and tucking them in the freezer would help. She doesn't think that fixing up some ganache and piping it is easy. She wants some easier recipes.

I see her point. There are people who don't cook or bake much, but still want to make treats at Christmas. Often with children.

So here's the secret:

melt chocolate
dip things in it
put them on waxed paper to dry

Now, it isn't absolutely that easy. If you want to dip things properly, you have to temper your chocolate, and store it correctly, and things like that. This is why many people resort to "candy coating" instead of real chocolate. So here's the real secret:

eat the dipped things immediately

The whole complex tempering bit keeps your chocolates from getting white spots of bloom on them after a few days. So just don't let there be a few days. Make these charming confections and serve them right away.

Chocolate Strawberries

Wash and dry the strawberries. Dip them into the melted chocolate. Set them on waxed paper to dry.

Chocolate Pretzels

Dip tiny pretzels into the chocolate. You can then dip them into colored suger or sprinkles. Put them on waxed paper. If you feel very ambitious, you can set them into circles to make wreaths, which you can then hang on the Christmas tree.

Fancy Cookies

Make cookies, or buy shortbread shapes, and dip them into the chocolate.

Chocolate Clusters

Stir nuts, raisins, marshmallows, and things into the melted chocolate and drop by spoonsful onto the waxed paper.

You can do this right before the office holiday party and impress everybody, or do it at home just to impress yourself.

Chocolate, Women, and Hormones

2009-12-07T13:51:00.003-05:00

A reader has asked about chocolate, women, and hormones.

There's a lot of folk wisdom on the subject. Many women say that they crave chocolate before their periods. Many men feel that women have a special connection to chocolate that men can't fully share. Both men and women sometimes have to ask, what is it about women and chocolate?

We turn to science for the answer.

Women who have a drop in estrogen, such as is commonly experienced before a period, also experience a drop in serotonin levels -- something that chocolate can fix. An ounce of chocolate gets the pleasure centers of the brain back to normal and makes the victim of PMS feel happy with life once again. After having experienced this a few times, she'll naturally begin to crave chocolate when her serotonin levels drop.
In addition to serotonin, chocolate also increases theobromin and phenylethalamine in the brain. The combination of the three creates a sensation like being in love. Women may be more susceptible to the feeling than men. Chocolate also reduces stress hormones, in men and women both. Since research has shown that the average American, male or female, has three days a month of feeling stressed or blue, women may just associate those hormonal effects with menstruation in a way that men naturally do not.
Men who experience food cravings tend to crave salty, high-protein foods like pizza, while women tend to crave sweet foods, like chocolate. However, both men and women can experience stress-related food cravings. A recent study suggests that increased stress is what leads to food cravings, and that marketing is the key to the male/female split on cravings. That is, ads for pizza and burgers are more likely to be directed toward men, while ads for chocolate are more likely to be directed toward women. A woman may feel free to express a craving for chocolate, while a man may consider it effeminate to do so.

So do women's hormones cause them to crave chocolate? The scientific answer seems to be that hormones play a part in chocolate cravings, just as chocolate has effects on hormones -- but it isn't women's hormones in particular that are in play.

'Tis the Season for Overindulgence -- Chocolate Solutions

2009-12-04T17:07:00.003-05:00

Christmas is coming, and in break rooms and staff lounges and even in homes across the country, there are plates of goodies.

At a rehearsal I attended last night, there were cheese balls, cold meats, crackers, chips, and cheesecake. And that was rehearsal, not a party. Most of us have at least one party every week from now till New Year's, with our workplaces, community groups, families, places of worship, and kids' activities all offering celebrations. Add the samples of holiday goodies at shopping centers, the gifts of cookies and candy, and the general air of festivity, and it's easy to overdo.

How can you get through the holidays without falling prey to unhealthy or excessive eating?

One surprising way is to have a bit of chocolate. Recent research has found that dark chocolate has a high satiety factor. In ordinary terms, that means it's filling.

Combine it with the fiber of fruit or whole grains and you can limit your self-indulgence to a reasonable level without feeling deprived.

Hanukkah Gelt

2009-12-03T09:50:00.004-05:00

While chocolate may be a general mark of celebration, Hanukkah has one very special connection with chocolate: Hanukkah gelt.

Hanukkah gelt began with small monetary gifts at Hanukkah from parents to children, but it became customary by the 18th century to give tips to Hebrew school teachers at the holiday, and this little gift of money was commonly called "Hanukkah gelt."

When Hanukkah began, in the 20th century, to change from a minor holiday in the Jewish calendar to a winter festival with a materialistic element matching the gift-focussed Christmas celebrations arising at the same time, candy companies began making gold-wrapped chocolate Hanukkah gelt. Loft's was one of these companies, producing Hanukkah gelt in the 1920s. They were later bought by PepsiCo.

Now, chocolate coins are used to play the traditional dreidl game, as gifts, and as snacks. Most used in the U.S. are made in Israel.

Be Prepared -- for Holiday Parties

2009-12-02T12:09:00.003-05:00

For the purposes of holiday planning, there are really only two kinds of parties: the kind where you need to bring something, and the kind where you don't.

For the kind where you don't have to bring anything, "be prepared" mostly means having an outfit that can be dressed up by chandelier earrings and smoky eyes (or, if you're male, a snazzier tie), and remembering to put said earrings, tie, and/or eye makeup in your briefcase when you go to work.

For the kind where you have to bring something, you can sometimes get away with a bottle of wine or a bag of salad. When you can't, let chocolate come to the rescue.

You need two things: a bunch of tiny cakes in the freezer, and some ganache. Melt chocolate and cream together in fairly equal parts to make the ganache (experiment a little -- different kinds of chocolate will give you different textures of ganache.

Use this recipe to make the cakes:

Tiny Chocolate Cakes

2/3 c. chocolate chips or chopped chocolate
2 T butter
1/2 c sugar
1 egg
2/3 c flour

Melt the chocolate. Stir in the butter, sugar, and then the egg and the flour. Drop spoonsful into miniature muffin tins or tart shells. Bake at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes.

Put these in the freezer.

When the party comes up, you can use the ganache in three ways, in ascending order of fanciness and time consumption:

Liquid: while the ganache is still liquid, dip the tops of the little cakes into it, and let them dry to a shiny finish. You can easily take these to work with you, in a box clearly labeled "Receipts 2003-2005" so no one eats them.
Soft: chill the ganache to the consistency of icing and pipe a puff onto each little cake.
Firm: chill the ganache till it's solid (depending on the chocolate you use, this could be overnight -- you can reduce the amount of cream to half if you like) and use a melon baller or a pair of spoons to make truffles from the ganache. Set one on top of each cake -- moisten the bottom with a bit of water to encourage it to stay on.

For real fanciness, you can do all three of these things -- a shiny chocolate coat on the tiny cake, a puff of semi-firm ganache, and then set a tiny truffle into that ganache.

Sweet Shapes of Nature Special Labels

2009-12-01T09:26:00.002-05:00

Sweetique's Sweet Shapes of Nature are realistic-looking rocks, pebbles, and seashells. We think they're great for Christmas stockings and for Hanukkah gifts, and they are also available with special geographic labels for those distant friends.

Visit the gallery to see the designs in all their glory, and the store to order for holiday gifts.

The Chocolate Dance

2009-11-30T12:43:00.003-05:00

The Chocolate Dance, also known as the Spanish Dance, is one of the divertissements in Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker Suite.

Divertissements used to be very common in ballets. You'd have some serious story going on -- in the case of Nutcracker, a fairly epic battle between the forces of good and evil, or at least between rats and toys -- and all of a sudden the action would stop while some pretty dancing with lots of costume changes went on.

The major characters would be sitting around watching, or lying in fetching poses showing that whole thing was a dream sequence, or sometimes they were off the stage entirely, making no pretense that the intrusion of random dances with unrelated music made sense in the story. Often, the names of the dances printed in the program were the only clue.

In the Nutcracker, Clara visits the Kingdom of Sweets in a dream, and there are various dances symbolizing a variety of sweets, including chocolate. Chocolate, being historically connected with Spain, provides an opportunity to have a nominally Spanish dance, with some cool percussion reminiscent of castanets and a hint of flamenco in the arm movements.

The Chocolate Dance is part of a trio of divertissements. The others are Tea and Coffee, which may not be sweets, but are... ummm... things a person might drink while eating sweets.

One of the main rules of divertissements was that they didn't have to make much sense.

Black Friday Chocolate

2009-11-27T09:37:00.005-05:00

Thanksgiving was great, right?

It is possible that you need some guidance on how best to include chocolate in your day today. Depending on how you spent Thanksgiving and how you intend to spend today, choose one of the following plans.

You feasted excessively yesterday and are going back to work today, slightly hungover and vowing never to eat rich foods again:

Cocoa Roast Almonds (Emerald makes them) or chocolate coffee (Gevalia and Godiva both make it -- take it black) give you the scent and flavor of chocolate without the fat and calories. The little hit of chocolate goodness will help you resist the break room, which will be full of leftovers people have brought in to share.

You are shopping, beginning at about 4:00 a.m.

Plan to stop and have a cup of good hot chocolate mid-morning. This will encourage you and give you the strength to make good choices at lunch or dinner, instead of taking in more calories today than you did yesterday.

You are still on vacation and nibbling on leftovers.

Enjoy it. However, consider making yourself a plate with good amounts of vegetables, lean meats, and whole grains, and treat yourself to just a sliver of that chocolate pie. One day of indulgence is not a problem. Our problem in the U.S. is not that we have feasts, but that we feast all the time. Instead of letting Thanksgiving be the start of a self-indulgent spell that lasts till Mardi Gras, let it be just one day, and you'll be thankful you did when you get to your annual checkup.

You had a sensible Thanksgiving dinner yesterday, and today is a normal day for you.

While Thanksgiving is often a mad blow-out of saturated fats and simple carbohydrates, it doesn't have to be. If your Thanksgiving dinner was turkey breast, roasted root vegetables, salad, and a sliver of fruit cobbler topped with granola, then you can have a couple of ounces of dark chocolate today, for the sake of your health, the same as every other day.

Happy Thanksgiving

2009-11-26T10:27:00.000-05:00

Old-fashioned Chocolate Meringue Pie

2009-11-25T09:09:00.004-05:00

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving, so you're probably cleaning house, baking bread, finishing up those pies, and dealing with the turkey, which at this point is often causing anxiety.

No? In that case, you are probably on the other side of the feast: the invited guest, who gets to drive over the river and through the woods to the feast which someone else is preparing and cleaning up for right this minute.

You have the leisure to dazzle people with this wonderful old-fashioned pie. Follow the directions precisely.

Chocolate Meringue Pie

1 baked 9" pie shell
1/2 c. sugar, divided
3 T cornstarch
5 oz. good quality chocolate
2 1/2 c. milk
3 eggs, separated
1 t. vanilla
6 T sugar

Whisk 1/4 c. sugar, cornstarch, chocolate, and milk together in the top of a double boiler over boiling water, stirring constantly till mixture is thickened. Cover and cook a5 mins, stirring occasionally. Beat egg yolks and remaining sugar together. Stir a little of the hot chocolate mixture into the egg mixture, and then stir the egg mixture into the chocolate mixture in the double boiler (this keeps the heat from cooking the eggs and making stringy bits in your custard). Stir for two more minutes and then remove from heat. Cool slightly, stir in vanilla, and pour into pie shell.
Beat egg whites to stiff peaks and then very gradually beat in 6 T sugar. Spread some meringue all the way to the edge of the pie, and then mound remaining meringue onto pie and create swirls. Bake at 300 degrees for 15 minutes or until peaks of swirls are nicely browned.

Cool this pie away from drafts, and then pack it up (if you don't have a pie basket, put it into a box with newspapers around it) and set it very carefully on the floor of the car. If the car will be full of people, assign the most reliable person to hold the pie, guarding it with his or her life.

If you are single -- male or female -- you can expect marriage proposals once people taste this pie.

Chocolate for Thanksgiving

2009-11-24T09:06:00.004-05:00

A friend of mine once served smoked salmon for Thanksgiving dinner, "just for a change."

This could never happen at my house. Turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes, corn, and cranberry sauce are de rigeur. Changes are not allowed. Points are not awarded for creativity. We're talking about tradition here, so no one can mess with it.

Creativity is allowed in three areas, though. First, breads may be changed around at will. Cranberry-orange bread, fantans, corn muffins with jalapenos and cheese -- all of these and more have graced our Thanksgiving table.

Vegetables, too, as long as potatoes and corn are offered, may be varied. The kids can ignore the existence of steamed green beans bundled and tied with herbs just as well as they can ignore squash casserole or roasted carrots.

Desserts are supposed to be varied. We've had gingerbread turkeys with pumpkin dip, Pineapple Upside Down Cake, and cherry cheesecake. Lemon meringue pie, spice cake with bourbon-spiked whipped cream, and Apple-Plum Crisp.

We also like chocolate for Thanksgiving. I'm going to offer you two pie recipes today: one for purists, and one for those of you who still haven't gotten a turkey and are in no mood for serious baking.

First, the quick one made with convenience foods:

Possum Pie
1 c. flour
1/2 c butter
1/2 c. chopped pecans
8 oz. cream cheese
1 c. powdered sugar
1 c. Cool Whip
2 pkg. instant chocolate pudding, mixed with 3 c.milk
Combine flour, butter, and pecans. Form crust in pie pan. Bake 10 minutes at 350 degrees. Cool. Mix the cream cheese and powdered sugar and spread over the cooled crust. Pour the pudding over the cream cheese mixture. Top with Cool Whip and chopped nuts.

This recipe came from Kathy Simmons, and I have no idea what it has to do with possums, but people love it. You could substitute a nice homemade chocolate mousse and real whipped cream for the processed foods here, but you could also substitute a ready-made graham cracker crust. It all depends how busy you are.

Now, for the serious:

Chocolate Pecan Pie

1 1/2 cups pecans
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 unbaked 9-inch pie shell
4 eggs, beaten
1/2 c butter, melted
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Mix everything else together, pour into the pie shell, and bake at 350 degrees till it's set -- about an hour.

You can add a splash of bourbon to this, too, for a marvelously rich flavor. And, actually, this is probably just as quick as the Possum Pie, when you get down to it, so you might as well make both.

Make them today or tomorrow and keep them in the refrigerator, and you won't have to fuss on the big day.

Advice from Santa Claus

2009-11-23T15:20:00.002-05:00

We don't like to get our holidays out of order. Thanksgiving is still ahead, and it's important to observe and enjoy that holiday before you start looking ahead to Christmas.

On the other hand, we want you to have all the goodies you need on hand for Christmas. So we want to encourage you to visit our catalog and get some of your Christmas shopping done before life gets too hectic.

Order chocolate rocks and seashells, pebbles and Sunflower Mix right now and relax -- they make great gifts for colleagues, neighbors, Secret Santa, teachers, delivery people, sweethearts, and people you forgot to buy a gift for.

They also tuck neatly into stockings. Shipping is free on qualifying orders, so get that order done, cross a bunch of things off your list, and you can relax and enjoy your turkey.

Candyfreak

2009-11-20T16:47:00.002-05:00

Steve Almond wrote a book called Candyfreak which is, on the surface, a story about obssession. Right under the surface, it's a catalog of chocolate trivia, letting you know precisely how Valomilks are made (it involves shaking) and just what proportion of feuilletine is required for the optimal mouthfeel in a candy bar containing feuilletine (15-18% by weight).

But the center of the book is about economics. The city of Boston used to have 150 candy companies. At one time, there were as many as 40,000 different candy bars -- every town had its own special variety. Then a few companies grew to monstrous proportions, and the amazing variety shrank to only a few different basic items.

Now, we're seeing a renaissance of artisanal chocolates, with special things like Sweetique eggs reappearing. We're happy to be part of the trend.

Festival of Chocolate

2009-11-19T09:11:00.002-05:00

Wisconsin's Festival of Chocolate kicks off this weekend at the Lettie W. Jensen Community Center in Amherst. This festival includes both chocolate -- tastings, cooking classes, and more -- and fitness. So you can listen to a lecture on the health benefits of chocolate, join a Pilates class, and then go learn how to make molded chocolates for Christmas gifts. A balanced approach.

Next weekend, Delaware hosts their Chocolate Festival at Dover Downs, with a Christmas theme featuring Santa claus and gingerbread, as well as an ice carving contest. The Syracuse Wine and Chocolate Festival is also slated for the weekend following Thanksgiving, as is Jackson Village's horse-drawn sleigh chocolate tour in New Hampshire.

St. Lucia's Chocolate Festival on the first weekend in December is the only one offering a tour of a cacao plantation.

December 12th is the Rochester Wine and Chocolate Festival. Both Rochester and Syracuse give half-price tickets to designated drivers who are ready to skip the wine and just enjoy the chocolate.

If none of these festivals is in your neighborhood, don't despair. There's pretty well always a chocolate festival coming up somewhere.

Thanksgiving Preparation Checklist

2009-11-18T13:33:00.002-05:00

One week from today you'll be baking chocolate cakes, pies, and tortes in preparation for the great Thanksgiving feast (okay, maybe a pumpkin pie, too). Here's a checklist to make it easier on the Big Day:

Check with guests to make sure you know who's coming, what they plan to bring, and any special needs.
If there'll be infants or pets coming along, now's the time to rent or borrow a crib, playpen, or other items to keep them safe in a household that isn't always prepared for pets or babies.
Check table linens to make sure they're all clean and ready.
Write the names of the dishes you'll serve and tuck them into the appropriate serving dishes. This keeps you from having a pan of mashed potatoes and nowhere to put it.
If you fall short in linens or serving pieces, ask around and see if you can borrow or swap items.
Clean out the coat closet -- it's easy to forget that until guests arrive and ask where to put their coats!
Set up music, or make it easy on yourself by planning a custom radio station for your party at Pandora.com.
Hunt down simple board games to supplement conversation. Sports equipment, too, for those after-the-feast football and Frisbee games. It's frustrating to have a spontaneous plan to play turn into a long search for the equipment.
Appetizers may be over the top for Thanksgiving, but you may also have teens or others who find it hard to wait for the holiday's typical late lunchtime. Set out chocolates or mixed nuts for guests who arrive hungry so you won't have to rush serving the meal. If they're not eaten, they can simply be put away for the next party.
Gather plastic storage containers so you can send leftovers home with your guests.

Chocolate Milk Controversy

2009-11-17T12:45:00.004-05:00

As classroom controversies go, this doesn't seem that tough. We've survived debates on the teaching of evolution and global warming, on uniforms and gun detectors, on no Child left behind and Cultural Literacy, so we can probably survive the debate on chocolate milk as well.

Chocolate milk -- really? Is that the most important thing we have to fight about?

The anti chocolate milk forces are concerned about the added sugar in chocolate milk compared with plain milk. We understand this concern: it's easy for kids to get too much sugar. For example, the amount of sugar in chocolate milk (6 teaspoons) is the same as that in two slices of white bread or a hamburger bun. You'll also find added sugar in spaghetti sauce, barbecue sauce, canned fruits, and of course in all dessert foods served in school cafeterias.

The pro chocolate milk camp points out that many children who won't drink milk straight will drink chocolate milk, thus taking in all the nutrition of milk -- instead of soda or "juice drinks" which typically contain much more sugar and little nutritional value. Chocolate milk has just 56 more calories than plain milk -- an extra amount of energy that ought to be burnt up at recess.

Read all the details of chocolate milk's nutritional value in a PDF file on the subject. We say kids should ask their parents' permission -- and schools should get back to more important controversies.

Chocolate Reduces Ill Effects of Stress

2009-11-15T08:42:00.003-05:00

Chocolate's connection with stress may not be news, but just how it's connected certainly is. Many people feel that they are more likely to eat chocolate when they feel stressed, for example, and perceive that as a problem. Others think of theobromine, one of the active chemical compounds of chocolate, as a euphoria-producing drug that can counteract stress. Others point to the flavanoids in chocolate, and their role in reducing blood pressure. The physically calming effect, they figure, could show up as a psychologically calming effect as well.

But new research examines the effects of eating dark chocolate on the entire metabolism of healthy men and women. A group of volunteers was asked to maintain a diet free of chocolate for 8 days, and then provided fluid samples which were tested for hormones indicating stress and anxiety. The subjects were then given 40 grams each day of 74% chocolate, and otherwise did not make any changes in their lifestyles. After 14 days of consuming just about an ounce of dark chocolate each day, volunteers again provided fluids for study.

Their results showed that the metabolic effects of stress had lessened in those subjects who were showing physical signs of stress at the beginning of the study. Researchers didn't observe significant changes in those who weren't suffering from stress initially; that is, the changes weren't simply a reduction in the chemicals measured, but a normalization in the metabolic pattern. Likewise, the study didn't measure self-reported feelings of stress, but rather the physical and chemical signature of stress in the body.

In a high-stress situation, then, you'd be wise to add a bit of dark chocolate to your day.

Chocolate: the Exhibition at Union Station

2009-11-12T18:05:00.000-05:00

Union Station's Chocolate Exhibit runs through January 3rd at Kansas City's Union Station. There's a wonderful multimedia exhibit on the history of chocolate from Chicago's Field Museum, and if you click that link you can experience some of it online. Share the interactive online activities with your kids.

Science City at Union Station is a great place for kids, too, and they're having chocolate science demonstrations every Saturday at the Periodic Table. Do a little chemistry and practice the scientific method and science process skills. Download the PDF Educator's Guide and check out our post on Chocolate as a Classroom Theme for more ideas.

No kids? There are wine and chocolate tastings, chocolate and vodka tastings for the hardcore, and just plain chocolate too.

Drinking Chocolate

2009-11-11T09:39:00.000-05:00

A cup of hot chocolate is a wonderful way to start the day. Don't be limited by instant hot cocoa mixes, though. Their ingredients, which include not only sugar and cocoa, but also corn syrup, partially hydrogenated palm or soybean oil, powdered milk, flavorings, carrageenan or guar gum, salt, and chemicals like sodium aluminosilicate and dipotassium phosphate, aren't necessarily the most conducive to a good, healthy cup of hot chocolate.

It's not hard to make it yourself from good quality cocoa powder.

Just mix together 2 T cocoa, and 1 T sugar. Stir in 4 cups of water or milk which has been heated just till bubbles begin to form at the edges of the pan.

Turn it into delicious Café Louvois by mixing the resulting hot chocolate with equal parts of coffee. Gently stir a tablespoon of whipped cream into each cup.

As fall nears and there's a bit of a nip in the air, you can mix up hot chocolate with water as described above and add a spoonful of whiskey for a special addition to an afternoon tea party.

Or get fancy with this Spanish drink:

Beat 3 tablespoons honey with 9 egg yolks. Beat in a shotglass of rum and 1 t each allspice, ginger powder and grated lemon peel.

Whisk the egg mixture into the hot chocolate and heat it till it's hot but not boiling.

In the evening, consider this bold Guatemalan take on hot chocolate:

Heat 2 vanilla pods in 4 cups of milk for 5-10 minutes. Stir 2 heaping T of cocoa into 1 / 2 cup of water, and stir it into the hot milk along with 2 tablespoons honey, 4 tablespoons sugar, and a dash of cayenne pepper or 1 / 2 teaspoon Tabasco sauce.

Add tequila or rum, if desired.

The versatility of chocolate shows up even in simple cocoa.

Sweetique Products Now Available by Mail!

2009-11-10T06:21:00.002-05:00

We've been showing you our delicious chocolates now and then, but we haven't told you before how you can get some for yourself.

Now you can order them at our catalog. We're offering free shipping with your $50 order, which makes today a great day to do some holiday shopping.