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

It’s more or less common knowledge that Valentine’s Day is one of the biggest chocolate holidays of the year, its only other real competition for the top spot being Easter!

This year I’ve got some very tasty, affordable ideas for a Valentine’s treat for your loved ones — and yourself, too!

At the top of my list is always See’s Candies. You really just can’t go wrong, for the mere fact that they have such a huge selection of chocolate and chocolate-covered goodies that everyone can find something they like, and if you don’t have a shop close by you can order online!

I wrote about Sucré last spring and recently got another little package of heart-shaped chocolates to try out. They come in three different flavors: Red Raspberry (dark chocolate heart filled with raspberry ganache), Heart of Rose (white chocolate heart filled with rose water and island vanilla scented white chocolate ganache) and Grand Coeur (milk chocolate ganache infused with orange and triple sec coated in a dark chocolate).

Patric Chocolate had renowned chocolatier Christopher Elbow lend his talents for a special Valentine’s bonbon. The elegant four-pack of decadent chocolates are ganache-enrobed squares of Patric Chocolate available only from their site, and only until February 13th or until they run out! They’re also currently offering free shipping on orders over $50.

I love the idea behind the All-Green M&M’s, which are said to, well, enhance libido! (Not really, it’s just “one of those things,”) I think it’s cute that M&M’s is running with it!

What treats are you giving away this year?

[images: flickr; sees.com; shopsucre.com; patric-chocolate.com; mms.com]

Post from: Chocolate Bytes

M&M’s are once again releasing its limited-edition M&M’S All-Green Milk Chocolate Candies for Valentine’s Day!

What’s with the green ones? Legend has it all-green M&M’S are an aphrodisiac; rumors of their special powers have been circulating since the ‘70s. For this reason, M&M’S has made green the true color of love for Valentine’s Day. (You can also enter at the M&M’s site for a chance to win a romantic getaway for two to Paris!)

I’ve got five bags of All-Green Milk Chocolate M&M’s Candies to give away to two lucky winners!

To Enter:

Leave a comment here telling me what your favorite kind of M&M’s is (plain, peanut, etc). That’s it!

* Contest closes at 5:00pm PST on Thursday, January 29. Winner will be notified by email and will have 24 hours to respond with mailing information before a new winner is chosen.

* Open to U.S. residents only.

* One entry per household. Multiple entries will all be discarded.

* Two winners will win five bags each.

* All current Bloggy Giveaways at Chocolate Bytes may be entered one time each. Good luck!

Post from: Chocolate Bytes

Happy Valentine’s Day from Chocolate Bytes! I hope your day is filled with loved ones and chocolate!

[image: angelbake]

Post from: Chocolate Bytes

This is ingenious! A long-time blog read of mine recently posted instructions on how she turned an empty Valentine’s chocolate box into a picture frame in just a few minutes. I love this, especially because you can keep it out year-round or seasonally!

Post from: Chocolate Bytes

Tiramisu is an Italian cake made with mascarpone, custard, and lady finger biscuits dipped in espresso and topped with cocoa.

Tiramisu is said to have originated in Treviso at “Le Beccherie” restaurant by confectioner Roberto Linguanotto. The original cake contained no alcohol as children were expected to consume it, but that’s changed over the years with the addition of rum and Marsala wine in most recipes.

The cake is believed to be a recent invention as there is no record of it before 1983, though other layered cake recipes have been around for decades and the belief that the cake was created in Treviso dates to 1971.

Classic Tiramisu

6 egg yolks
3/4 cups white sugar
1 1/4 cups mascarpone cheese
1 3/4 cups heavy whipping cream
2 (12 ounce) packages ladyfingers
1/2 cup coffee flavored liqueur

1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder, for dusting
1 (1 ounce) square semisweet chocolate

Combine egg yolks and sugar in the top of a double boiler, over boiling water. Reduce heat to low, and cook for about 13-15 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and whip yolks until thick and lemon colored.

Add mascarpone to whipped yolks. Beat until combined. In a separate bowl, whip cream to stiff peaks. Gently fold into yolk mixture and set aside.

Split the lady fingers in half, and line the bottom and sides of a large glass bowl. Brush with coffee liqueur. Spoon half of the cream filling over the lady fingers. Repeat ladyfingers, coffee liqueur and filling layers. Garnish with cocoa and chocolate curls. Refrigerate several hours or overnight.

To make the chocolate curls, use a vegetable peeler and run it down the edge of the chocolate bar.

…..

Easy (Alcohol-free) Tiramisu

2 cups whipping or heavy cream
1/2 cup sugar
4 tablespoons sugar
1 cup strong coffee or espresso
3 tablespoons strong coffee or espresso
8 oz of marscapone cheese
1/8 cup of cocoa powder
20 lady fingers or sponge cake

Whip 1 cup of the whipping cream into stiff peaks, refrigerate while completing the next steps. Add 2 tablespoons of sugar, or to taste.

In a separate bowl, whip the marscapone cheese, sugar and 3 tablespoons of espresso. Set aside.

Dip the top sides of 1/2 of the lady fingers in the coffee and place in the bottom of serving dish. You will need to cover the bottom of the dish, so only use as many lady fingers as needed to do so.

Take refrigerated whipped cream and fold into the cheese mixture. Spread 1/3 of mixture over lady fingers and dust with cocoa powder. Repeat steps 3 and 5, ending with the cheese mixture on top.

Take the reserved 1 cup of whipping cream and 2 tablespoons of sugar and whip till soft peaks are formed. Spread mixture over top of cheese layer and garnish with cocoa powder. Chill tiramisu for at least 2 hours before serving.

Post from: Chocolate Bytes

What better way to wind down from an evening out than with warm chocolate and fruit? You don’t even need a fondue pot to enjoy it – just keep the chocolate in a microwave safe dish and reheat for a few seconds at a time when it gets too cool. Regular forks or even toothpicks can also be used in place of the fondue forks. Below is an easy recipe using things you probably already have in your cupboard!

Valentine’s Chocolate Fondue

11-1/2 ounces milk chocolate pieces
1/4 cup milk
1 tablespoon crunchy peanut butter
Milk

Assorted fruits, cut into bite size pieces
Angel-food cake or pound cake cubes
Marshmallows

In the top of a double boiler placed over gently simmering water, or in heavy small saucepan, combine the chocolate pieces and 1/4 cup milk. Heat, stirring constantly, over low heat until chocolate is melted and smooth. Stir in the peanut butter. Cook and stir till heated through. Stir in additional milk, 1 tablespoon at a time, until desired consistency.

Pour mixture into a fondue pot; place over fondue burner set on low. With fondue forks or long skewers, dip fruit dippers, cake cubes and/or marshmallows into chocolate mixture. (Will hold up to 1 hour on low. If mixture gets too thick, add milk 1 tablespoon at a time.) Makes 5 (1/4-cup) servings.

[Better Homes & Gardens]

Post from: Chocolate Bytes

My friend Sherry sent me this link the other day to the Godiva Chocolate Decadence Suite, which has been created as a Valentine’s Day giveaway:

The luxury chocolate brand has celebrated Valentine’s Day in extraordinary ways over the years. Every year Godiva creates an extravagant promotion for its customers and this year, the chocolatier is offering consumers the chance to win a Grand Prize that is perhaps the most exciting yet. Godiva has created the ultimate chocolate fantasy, offering romantics a unique and extravagant experience that only Godiva can provide — a weekend getaway at The Godiva Decadence Suite.

Practically every surface of the room, which is located at Bryant Park Hotel in New York City, is covered in chocolate:

~ Every wall in the Godiva Decadence Suite is made of chocolate.

~ Two renowned pieces of art – Gustav Klimt’s “The Kiss” and a Jackson Pollock-inspired abstract – have been reinterpreted in chocolate by Godiva, exclusively for the suite.

~ A luxe daybed decorated with Godiva chocolate is the ideal place to indulge in a dark chocolate truffle straight from the pages of a literary masterpiece, many of which can be found in the suite’s chocolate bookcases.

~ Additional chocolate decor highlights within the living room include a coffee table filled with chocolate designed to mirror Godiva’s iconic Gold Box, fashionable chocolate “Pucci” armchairs and a chocolate fireplace.

~ The dining room, illuminated by a chocolate and amber crystal chandelier and several dark chocolate candelabras, boasts a chocolate mosaic table and chairs and a buffet toppling with an abundance of Godiva pieces, setting the mood for an incredible dessert weekend.

The prize isn’t contained to the room, either. The weekend includes a private chocolate tasting led by Godiva Executive Chef Chocolatier Thierry Muret, a chocolate spa experience, and a private gourmet meal and wine pairing created by one of New York’s finest chefs especially for the couple in the suite. In addition, upon their return home, the winner will receive a year’s supply of Godiva chocolate.

Click on pictures for larger images.

To enter the sweepstakes, simply look for the heart symbol on specially marked Godiva Valentine’s Day gift boxes valued $23 or more. To receive a free game piece, please see Official Rules at godiva.com.

[via icydk]

Post from: Chocolate Bytes

It’s a Chocolate Bytes contest!

What you need to do:

~ In honor of Valentine’s Day, comment here with the worst pick-up line you’ve ever heard (or heard of). The line doesn’t have to have been used on you – it can be something that happened to a friend or even just one you read about. That’s it! The contest will run until February 11, 11:59pm PST.

As usual, there are two ways to enter:

Get two submissions to win: Leave a comment here telling us the worst pick-up line you’ve ever heard. Then link to this contest from your own site or weblog and include that URL with your submission and you now have two chances to win!

OR

Get one submission to win: Pick one or the other above – leave a comment telling us the worst pick-up line you’ve ever heard or just link to the contest from your own weblog (I need to be able to see it though, so make sure it’s not a locked or friends-only entry.)

What you could win:

My generous friends at YellowIbis.com have once again donated a theobromine t-shirt! They’ve even custom tweaked it for Valentine’s Day with the molecule surrounded by a heart. Perfect! This t-shirt is also available for sale, so if you don’t want to wait for the contest to end head over and pick one up for yourself!

Click below for more info!

~ Make sure you leave a valid email address with your comment (it will not be displayed) so I can contact you in a timely manner if you win.

~ A name will then be drawn from the eligible submissions on February 12 using the super technical method of pieces of paper in a hat, and the winner will be notified by email and announced here on the site. The winner will then need to send me their mailing address to have the t-shirt sent to, so if you’re not comfortable with that then please don’t enter (though it will never be used for anything else).

~ The contest is open to residents that live in countries that the YellowIbis US Shop ships to (United States, Canada, Mexico, “Central, West, North” Europe, Switzerland, Australia, Japan, New Zealand, China, South Korea). Delivery by Valentine’s Day is not guaranteed!

Disclaimers
- If you win you’ll need to provide my with the t-shirt size you’d like. You don’t get a choice on which molecule you’d like, though – this is a chocolate site, you’re stuck with the chocolate!

- If you pick the wrong size and wish to exchange it the responsibility is yours: ChocolateBytes.com will not pay for shipping back to the store and then back again to you.

Good luck!!

Post from: Chocolate Bytes

With Green M&M’s, that is! Mars/M&M’s have decided to shake up the standard pink and red in the candy aisle by introducing single color packs of green, counting on the myth and innuendo of “the green ones” to make an impact this Valentine’s Day:

What is it about The Green Ones? Legend has it The Green Ones are an aphrodisiac; rumors of their special powers have been circulating since the ’70s. In fact a certain perm-bearing early ’80s rock star had it in his contract for three pounds of Green M&M’S Chocolate Candies backstage for, uh, “inspiration.”

The color green has a strong place in history, long associated with love and fertility. Green is also associated with energy, youth, growth, hope and new life. In the 15th century, green was the preferred color for wedding attire and the Celtic symbol of fertility was The Green Man. Today, green is considered an emotional stabilizer and pituitary stimulant.

In the past, Mars has acknowledged the myth of the green ones and have assured consumers that they contain nothing special or different than the other colors. I think it’s great that they’ve decided to finally embrace it!

The Green Ones, available in plain and peanut, go on sale this week at retailers across the country and will be available until Valentine’s Day, February 14.

[images: Mars promotional]

Post from: Chocolate Bytes