Hot Chocolate on the Ballot

Whenever a mixed bag of Hershey's candy bars was around, I was the lone strange child looking for the "Special" Dark Chocolate candy bars. I promise you each bag had only two of those "Special" Dark Chocolate mini candy bars which always irritated me.

With that in mind, I was wondering how many people prefer dark hot chocolate vs. the milk hot chocolate? Or other types of hot chocolates?

I posted a one question survey on my blog to get your thoughts. Click to complete the hot chocolate survey.

Thanks for your feedback!

White House Hot Chocolate

In honor of Independence Day, here is Laura Bush's White House Hot Chocolate recipe:

Ingredients:

• 6 tbls Unsweetened Cocoa
• 6 tbls Sugar
• 2 1/2 c Milk
• 2 1/2 c Light Cream
• 1/2 tsp Vanilla (or more)
• Pinch of Salt
• Pinch of Cinnamon Powder (optional)
• Whipped Cream
• Orange Zest

Preparation:

Mix cocoa, salt, and sugar. Add milk. Heat to dissolve. Add light cream, cinnamon and vanilla.

Heat to just under boiling.

Mix very well and pour into warm mug. Top with whipped cream, cocoa powder, and fine orange zest.

Happy 4th of July!!

Mix Up Another Please

Watch out Canada! Giles & Posners and Cadbury (the British chocolate company known in the USA for their chocolate egg Easter commercial and the cute little yellow chick) are teaming up to launch a chic new hot chocolate machine. The new machine referred to as The Hot Chocolate Drinks Maker is one of many new products the duo expects to launch this Fall in the Canadian market.

Personally, I am a little jealous right now. I love my Cocoa Latte Maker, but I can’t wait to see what this machine has to offer! It appears I will be browsing Canadian online stores this Fall for my own Hot Chocolate Drinks Maker.

P.S. Is it too late for a name change?

Australia enters the field

A group of scientists and food experts are working hard to carve a niche in the ever growing chocolate industry. Horizon Science, a subsidiary of Cocoa Australia, has a trial plantation of 1,200 4-year old cacao trees in Mossman, Australia. Mossman is approximately a 31 hour drive from Sydney and 34 hour from Melbourne

Since Australia has the perfect climate to grow and harvest cacao along with millions of dollars set aside to invest in this budding venture, Australia hopes to take a bite out of Africa’s cacao production stronghold. Horizon Science plans to produce chocolate for the “couture” chocolate market.

Cocoa 4 the Troops

Oh! Late breaking news…I just stumbled upon an announcement about a Cocoa and Card collection for our troops. An organization in northern California is collecting cards and cocoa for our military for the Fourth of July.

The group is collecting items until the middle of June (which is now). If you wish to donate to our troops, send items to:

Cards and Cocoa
c/o Yvette Cook
PO Box 1387
Freedom, CA 95019

Cocoa Clinical Trials

The United Kingdom’s University of East Anglia is starting a clinical trial with post menopausal women with type 2 diabetes for a study on cocoa and heart disease. Cocoa is rich with flavonoids. Unfortunately during the manufacturing process from cacao bean to bar, the benefits of flavonoids and their antioxidant characteristics are lost. Antioxidants may help us protect our cells from free radicals or molecules that are produced when our body breakdowns food or from the environment (such as smoke, radiation etc.).

Volunteers for the study will receive a specially formulated type of chocolate that has more flavonoids than a typical one found in stores today. The goal of the study is to determine the impact of cocoa’s flavonoids on heart disease.

This study, which most likely is currently underway, ties back to another article I read about how cocoa’s flavonoids are lost in Dutched processed cocoa. Dutch processing is when a cocoa is treated with an alkaline salt such as sodium or potassium carbonate to neutralize the bitter taste of the cocoa. Although the Dutch processed cocoa has a milder taste, the good health benefits decrease along the way.