The addition of dark chocolate in these cookies, as well as egg whites and very little sugar make for a cookie that’s tasty, chocolaty, and satisfying, with only 52 calories per cookie.

Dark Chocolate Christmas Cookies
from suite101

6 oz dark chocolate (preferably 60% or greater)
2 large egg whites, at room temperature
1/8 tsp. cream of tartar
1/4 cup granulated white sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
3/4 cup finely ground almonds

~ Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray two large cookie sheets with nonstick spray.

~ Melt dark chocolate in microwave at 30-second intervals on 70% power until smooth. Set aside to cool slightly.

~ Using an electric mixer, beat egg whites and cream of tartar until soft peaks form. Continue beating, adding in sugar and vanilla slowly, until mixture forms stiff peaks.

~ Gently fold in chocolate and almonds until fully incorporated. Drop teaspoons of batter onto the prepared cookie sheets, leaving one inch between cookies.

~ Bake 10-12 minutes, switching racks (put bottom cookie sheet on top rack and top cookie sheet on bottom rack) halfway through baking to ensure even browning.

~ Cookies are done when there is a light crust on the outside, but they are soft on the inside. Makes 36 cookies.

[image: flickr]

Post from: Chocolate Bytes

Recent studies in Milan, Italy have found that DNA may become resistant to oxidative stress due to the flavonoid content in dark chocolate, which acts as an antioxidant.

The study followed 20 healthy subjects who ate a balanced diet for four weeks. At two weeks in they were each then given 45 grams of white or dark chocolate.

At the end of the study, detectable levels of epicatechin (flavonoids) had increased two hours after subjects ate the dark chocolate and DNA damage in mononuclear blood cells decreased 20 percent. While both effects were no longer evident 22 hours after eating the dark chocolate, no effect was observed in the white chocolate group.

[image: flickr]

Post from: Chocolate Bytes

This past week I was sent a bar of Lindt Excellence A Touch of Sea Salt. Though it’s not new, I haven’t seen this on shelves yet and I was instantly intrigued. It’s no secret that I’m a big fan of chocolate and salt together, and it had never occurred to me that a chocolatier might actually combine just the two (without, say, peanut butter or something else with it).

The label says A Touch of Sea Salt is made dark chocolate, though at 47% it’s not too dark, and 3% Fleur de Sel, a premium French sea salt. When I tried the bar I let it sit in my mouth for just a minute and the salt doesn’t come through at first.

After melting just a bit the salt flavor is unmistakeable, but it’s not at all overpowering. It’s really an excellent combination, and I wanted more after the first square, which doesn’t happen terribly often after having some dark chocolate (a little goes a long way!).

My daughters loved it as well and we had to be careful not to devour the whole thing before my husband could try some too! Overall, this was a hit.

Have you tried Lindt’s A Touch of Sea Salt? What did you think?

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The 5.5 ounce pie chart is divided up into three different sections: a 70% milk chocolate, 20% dark chocolate, and 10% white chocolate. I’m not sure what the significance of each section means — maybe the percentage of people who prefer the dark, milk and white? It’s also packaged up in a cute, simple white box that doesn’t make you guess what’s inside!

This would make a great gift for a statistics nut heading to college or high school. It ships directly from their office in Brooklyn, New York. I wonder if they use cool packs for the summer? Unfortunately, they’re currently out of stock though the site does indicate that they’re restocking, so hopefully it’s not an indefinitely status.

[image: mary and matt.net]

Post from: Chocolate Bytes

I need to find or take the time to make some lemon curd because these really sound amazing! Phyllo dough can be found in your freezer section at the grocery store.

Lemon Meringue Tarts with Dark Chocolate

12 sheets (one package) phyllo or strudel dough
3 tablespoons melted butter
12 pieces Dove Dark Chocolate Promises
3 large egg whites
Pinch cream of tartar
1/2 cup sugar
3 cups prepared lemon curd

~ Preheat oven to 350°F.

~ Place 1 sheet of phyllo dough on counter (cover rest in damp cloth and plastic wrap). Very lightly brush sheet with butter. Cut sheet into quarters and stack on top of one another. Transfer stack to muffin tin, pressing dough into sides and bottom of cup. Repeat process with remaining dough. Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes. Remove from oven.

~ Place one Dove chocolate on bottom of each tart shell, return to oven, and bake for 5 more minutes. Remove from oven and cool tart shells in pan.

~ Prepare meringue by beating egg whites and cream of tartar in a clean bowl until frothy. Begin adding sugar 1 tablespoon at a time until egg whites are opaque and shiny. Reheat oven to 400°F.

~ Spoon equal amounts of lemon curd into tart shells. Divide meringue among tarts, covering filling completely. Bake in a preheated oven at 400°F for 5 minutes. Hold at room temperature until ready to serve.

[image used with permission from dove chocolate]

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They come in 9 ounce bags of minis for a limited time for about $3.29. I haven’t been able to find them yet, have you?

[image used with permission]

Post from: Chocolate Bytes

Dark chocolate has gotten a pretty good rap over the last couple of years. It’s touted as a good treat (in moderation) to go to for fighting coronary disease, high blood pressure and even insulin resistance.

And now a recent article on MSN says it’s good for your bones! Because it contains large amounts of magnesium, chocolate can actually help boost bone density and they suggest nibbling one ounce of dark chocolate every day. I think I can do that!

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After last week’s Ferrero giveaway and the discovery that they’re now making a dark chocolate treat, I’ve kept my eyes open for them!

I finally found the Ferrero Rondnoir yesterday at Wal-Mart. They were part a large display of Ferrero chocolates near the holiday items and were a pretty reasonable $2.97 for a 12-pack.

I should have stocked up because I’m not sure these things are going to stay on the shelves for very long once people realize how amazing they are!

The wafer shell of the chocolate looks familiar for a Ferrero – chocolate coated with bumpy bits. You really can’t mistake these for anything else!

The inside is a very creamy dark chocolate with a dark chocolate “pearl” in the middle — you can kind of see it peeking through in the picture there. It’s a slightly firmer little piece of chocolate inside the cream and a very nice little surprise.

The whole thing is very satisfying, from the crunch of the wafer shell to the creamy center to the chocolate pearl. A very delicious chocolate craving pleaser!

Post from: Chocolate Bytes

Oh my. It’s really too bad this amazing pastry is created in Mumbai because I could really got for a slice right now!

The description says it’s a layer of dark chocolate followed by Tiramisu and then chocolate mousse.

[image: flickr]

Post from: Chocolate Bytes

[image: lindor product photo]

Lindt considers their 60% truffles “extra” dark and ok, more power to them! (They’re definitely dark but not necessarily extra!) The Extra Dark truffles are a limited edition addition to their truffle line, which already includes milk, dark, peanut butter and a few seasonal versions.

I’ve had the milk and dark Lindor Truffles before and enjoyed them, so I’m thinking I must have picked up a package of Extra Dark that was near the end of its shelf life or sat in the delivery truck too long. Each truffle had already bloomed, and most were just flat-out deformed – not one looked like this!

At room temperature they were a gooey, melted mess and after I put them in the fridge for a bit I felt like I was going to break a tooth when I tried them. It’s become a balancing act between fridge and counter!

The smooth center stayed pretty solid (unless it was fully at room temperature, then the whole thing was smooth!) and after cutting into it a bit more it was obvious that it had probably been affected by the heat:

So, overall and despite the appearance of the truffles, which was pretty bad, they were really tasty. Lindt makes some smooth chocolate and the 60% truffles had a hint of bitterness, which I like. There was no waxy mouth feel and they have a light, almost fruity aftertaste.

I found the 8.5oz bag at Cost Plus World Market for about $5.

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