These Double Ginger Cocoa Cookies with White Chocolate came from Canada.com, and have made themselves a spot in the tins I’ll be giving to friends and neighbors this year.

Crystallized ginger can be found in the spice section of your baking aisle at the grocery store in jars similar to what the other spices are sold in. You can probably find it in larger quantities (and possibly cheaper) at a health foods store or similar, but we don’t have one of those close by yet, so the grocery store aisle it is!

Double Ginger Cocoa Cookies

1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
2 Tbsp cocoa powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
2 tsp ground ginger
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1/4 cup crystallized ginger, very finely chopped
3/4 cup white chocolate chips
1/3 cup butter, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp white vinegar
1/4 cup molasses

~ Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

~ Sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, ginger and cloves into a bowl. Mix in the crystallized ginger and white chocolate chips, set aside.

~ Place butter and sugar in the bowl of stand mixer. Beat sugar and butter until light and well combined. Beat in the egg, vinegar and molasses. Beat in the flour mixture until just combined.

~ Gather the dough in your hands and knead and press into a large ball. Roll dough into 1 1/2 inch balls and place on the baking sheets, spacing each cookie 2 to 3 inches apart.

~ Bake the cookies, one sheet at a time, for 15 minutes for chewy cookies, and 18 minutes for crispy cookies.

~ Cool to room temperature on a baking rack.

~ Makes 36-40 cookies.

[images: flickr; amazon]

Post from: Chocolate Bytes

Pylones USA has now introduced another fun chocolate (but not really) gadget just in time for the holidays. If someone on your list has an iPhone, this will make the perfect stocking stuffer: A protective iPhone case made to look just like a thick bar of milk chocolate.

The iPhone slips right into the silicone case, which keeps it protected in your purse or bag. Just don’t let anyone go snooping or they might think they’ve found their after lunch snack.

At only $15 a pop, it’ll fit perfectly, both size-wise and financially, into anyone’s stocking this Christmas!

[image: pylones usa]

Post from: Chocolate Bytes

~ Chunky Peanut Butter Blossom Cookies with Chocolate Drizzle from Kacey’s Kitchen

~ Egg-Free Double Chocolate Chip Cookies at Art of Dessert

~ Toffee S’mores Candy Cup from Timeless Gourmet

~ Cocoa Meringue Cookies at Inn Cuisine

~ Nanaimo Bars from Playing House

~ Just Fudge at Inside the Kaganoff Kitchen

~ Chocolate Peanut Butter Torte from Pennies on a Platter

~ Spicy Chocolate Bacon at Culinary Escapade

~ Tart Chocolat from Fresh New England

~ Chocolate and Candied Ginger Cake at Flagrante Delicia

~ Chili-Choco Sweets from Green Kitchen Stories

~ Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup Cheesecake at Mike Lesiuk

[image: flickr]

Post from: Chocolate Bytes

Participants were asked to tell us what their favorite part of the holidays were, and there were so many great responses, ranging from being together with family, to the music, gifts, and of course, the food!

I’ve drawn a random winner from the entries, and am happy to announce that the winner is:

Heidi Gail!

About her favorite part of the holidays, Heidi said: “My favorite part of the holidays is when family and friends get together to celebrate. I love seeing familiar faces as well as new ones in the crowd. It’s so surprising to see how much the kids have grown and how well the little ones are talking since the last time I saw them.”

Congrats, Heidi!

Thank you to everyone who participated in the giveaway. Don’t forget to check out See’s Candies, both online and locally, for some great Christmas and holiday candy ideas!

Winner has been notified as of 11:00 am PDT, November 28th and has 24 hours to respond before a new winner is chosen.

[image: see's candies]

Post from: Chocolate Bytes

I like the idea of making these for friends and family and arranging them on a platter in the shape of a Christmas tree or even a wreath. Dying the coconut red or green is also a nice touch! These would be great for Valentine’s Day, too, come to think of it!

Chocolate Cherry Christmas Creams

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/3 cup evaporated milk
1 1/2 cup sifted powdered sugar
1/3 cup chopped nuts
1/3 cup chopped maraschino cherries, well drained
1 1/4 cup coconut OR chopped nuts

~ Melt chocolate and milk over low heat. Remove from heat. (Can also be melted in the microwave – check every 15 to 25 seconds.)

~ Stir in powdered sugar, nuts and cherries, mix well.

~ Chill until cool enough to handle.

~ Shape into 1-inch balls and roll in nuts or coconut.

~ Chill at least 4 hours. Keep chilled.

~ Makes 24 pieces.

Post from: Chocolate Bytes

The holiday is usually celebrated over two days, November 1st and 2nd, and it’s believed that over these two days it’s easier for the souls of the dead to communicate with those still living. A common symbol of the holiday is the skull, and celebrants use sugar and chocolate skulls to give as gifts to both the living and the dead, usually inscribed with the name of a deceased loved one on the forehead.

While searching around for more information on chocolate skulls, I came across a selection that Vosges chocolates has. Available in dark chocolate, milk chocolate and blanca (white), the 2.2 ounce chocolate skulls have black salt-coated eyes. The dark chocolate also contains ancho and chipotle chillies and Ceylon cinnamon, the milk chocolate has hickory smoked almonds and grey sea salt, and the blanca is a single-origin Venezuelan white chocolate.

All three skulls are available together for $21, or separately for $8 each.

To learn more about the Day of the Dead, check out Day of the Dead history, History & Origins, and Day of the Dead holiday guide.

[image: vosges]

Post from: Chocolate Bytes

I’ve actually found conflicting dates for National Chocolate Day — some say it’s today, October 28th, others claim it’s December 24th, and there are even random dates in September and July thrown into the mix. However, there seems to be more info for the October date, but I see nothing wrong with celebrating several times throughout the year anyway.

If you’re in a make-your-own chocolate kind of mood (which I always am at this time of year), you could celebrate by making your own truffles (they’re easy, I promise!), some holiday themed chocolate pops, or just some good, standard cookies.

~ 50 Easy Chocolate Snacks to Make
~ How to make Chocolate Truffles
~ Pumpkin Spice Chocolate Truffles
~ Almond Truffles
~ Halloween Chocolate Pops
~ Chewy Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip Cookies
~ Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

[image: flickr]

Post from: Chocolate Bytes

I just came across this idea for chocolate pretzel kisses, and since it requires easy to find ingredients and pretty much no other prep aside from assembly and warming up, they might just make it into this year’s gift! The “recipe” is easy to find pretty much anywhere, and I picked this one up from allrecipes.com.

Chocolate Pretzel Kisses

24 circular or square bite-size pretzels
24 milk chocolate Kisses and/or Hugs
1 (1.69 ounce) package candy-coated chocolates

~ Preheat oven to 350 degrees

~ Place pretzels on baking sheets

~ Unwrap Kisses and/or Hugs and place one in the center of each pretzel

~ Place in preheated oven 1 to 2 minutes, until kisses melt

~ Remove from oven and place one candy-coated chocolate in the center of each pretzel and press down gently

~ Chill in refrigerator until set

[image: flickr]

Post from: Chocolate Bytes

White chocolate, which is actually a recent “invention” by Nestle created to use up excess cocoa butter, is a good addition to many baked goods, though it was first introduced as a confection. It hit the U.S. in 1948 when Nestle unveiled its Alpine White Chocolate bar, which contained white chocolate and almonds. (Am I the only one who can’t get this jingle out of their head?)

Now, though I’ve mentioned in the past that I’m not a huge white chocolate fan, I do think it has its place. Personally, I like it best in cookies with macadamia nuts, or even with dried cranberries and pecans, though I don’t mind it in other treats if milk or dark chocolate are present as well.

What are your favorite white chocolate treats?

~ Crisp Salted Oatmeal White Chocolate Cookies
~ Macadamia Nut Chewies with White Chocolate
~ White Chocolate Fudge
~ Caramelized White Chocolate
~ Strawberry White Chocolate Mousse
~ White Chocolate Ice Cream
~ White Chocolate and Strawberry Cheesecake

[image: flickr]

Post from: Chocolate Bytes

Though the weather (in theory, anyway) is cooling down, that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy a nice cold chocolaty treat. Think of it as a farewell to summer!

The delicious drink couldn’t be easier to make. Simply put some chocolate ice cream, some milk and some chocolate syrup in a blender, give it a whirl, and voila — instant snack or dessert.

If you want to really get creative you can gently fold in some crumbled brownies or maybe a chocolate chip cookie, or add in some fresh fruit like strawberries and bananas during the blending process (Oreos would work well blended up, too!).

For a grownup version, you could even try an “Irish Violet Crumble.” I couldn’t actually find a recipe for this (it looks to be a specialty of a restaurant), though the source I got the picture above from says it involves whiskey, Baileys, ice cream, and dark chocolate. It certainly looks amazing!

[image: flickr]

Post from: Chocolate Bytes