This is a fun little afternoon project that I remember doing as a kid but totally forgot about until I came across it again recently in a back issue of Family Fun magazine.

These would be a great project to do a day or so before Thanksgiving and then use them to prop up some cute, handmade place cards for your guests. See the final product here.
Chocolate Marshmallow Pilgrim Hats
from Family Fun magazine
24 chocolate-striped shortbread cookies
12-ounce package of chocolate chips
24 marshmallows
tube of yellow decorators’ frosting
~ Set the chocolate-striped cookies stripes down on a wax-paper-covered tray, spacing them apart.
~ Melt the chocolate …read more

I’m all for eating chocolate, of course, but it can also be fun to decorate with it (temporarily!) for the upcoming holidays!

This gigantic chocolate turkey from Bissinger’s is touted as a “centerpiece” decoration for your Thanksgiving table. The semi-solid piece is made from milk chocolate with some nice darker chocolate accents, and stands at nine inches tall by 8.5 inches wide. It’s also gluten-free!
Though the real turkey and sides are the stars of the meal, I have to admit I’d be eyeballing the chocolate version if it were on my table!
Bissinger’s also has a lot of other Thanksgiving-related chocolate and …read more

This recipe for Chocolate Chip Cheesecake recently showed up in my inbox and I nearly dismissed it because it was so short. Both the ingredient list and the instructions, especially for a non-plain cheesecake — seemed too simple!

This would be very easy to make with your own homemade chocolate chip cookie dough — in fact, that’s what I’d do instead of using store bought. Simply make the dough, roll it into a log and wrap in plastic wrap and then cut as directed in the instructions.
Chocolate Chip Cheesecake
from Mr. Food
3 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
3 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon …read more

Even though the kids are practically swimming in Halloween candy this weekend, I can’t help but feel the urge to pull out my cookbooks or browse through my bookmarks to make a sweet chocolaty treat. It’s not like I have a bag full of candybars and sugar, right?

~ Mexican Hot Chocolate from Zested
~ Double Chocolate Toffee Ice Cream at Mangio da Sola
~ Homemade Chocolate Chip Cannoli from My Kitchen Addiction
~ Filipino Hot Chocolate at Burnt Lumpia
~ Soft Pretzel Samoas from Big Red Kitchen
~ Chocolate Chip Date Cake at C’est La Vegan
~ Chocolate Covered Roasted Garlic from Cupcake Project
~ Pear Chocolate …read more

El Día de los Muertos, or The Day of the Dead, is an ancient holiday celebrated in Mexico and by Latin Americans that honors those who have died.

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 …read more

Though snacking on candy bars and other chocolaty treats is all good and well, once the kids are in bed and it’s time to pop in a movie and relax, something a little more grown up can be the perfect ending to a day!

These candy bar inspired drinks are sweet, satisfying and as easy as can be to put together.
Peppermint Pattini
1-1/2 oz Van Gogh Dutch Chocolate Vodka
1/2 oz Crème de menthe
1/2 oz Chocolate Liqueur
1/2 oz Cream
Add all ingredients into a shaker with ice and shake vigorously. Strain into a chilled martini glass and garnish with a Peppermint Pattie candy …read more

Cookie exchange parties have become pretty popular over the last few years. Party guests are typically instructed to make their favorite batch of cookies (making sure there are enough for each of the other guests invited to have at least one), and then everyone meets up at the host’s place to exchange cookies and have a fun time.

This holiday season, Hershey’s Kisses is inviting 1,000 holiday bakers and entertainers to celebrate by hosting a Hershey’s Kisses Cookie Exchange Party!
But it gets even sweeter: now through November 15, party hosts can even apply to have their cookie exchange sponsored by Hershey’s …read more

It’s a chocoholic’s favorite day — or at least a really good excuse to indulge in some really good chocolate!

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 …read more

These chocolate Halloween mice are perfect for a Halloween party or as a fun activity to do with the kids. Make sure you let the mix sit in the fridge to firm up, otherwise you’ll have a bigger mess on your hands than any little mice should be able to make!

Chocolate Halloween Mice
from RecipeZaar
4 (1 ounce) semi-sweet chocolate baking squares or semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/3 cup sour cream
1 cup chocolate wafer, finely crushed (Oreos with the middle scraped off)
1/3 cup additional chocolate wafer, finely crumbled (for dark mice)
1/3 cup confectioners’ sugar (for white mice)
24 silver dragees (small silver, edible balls, …read more

There are few things better than chocolate and baked goods, from working with the cocoa, to the smell while it’s baking, and of course eating it! It’s the meeting of two kinds of comfort food, and for this week’s link round up that’s what I looked out for!

~ Black Forest Buns at My Diverse Kitchen
~ Chocolate Cinnamon Bundt Cake with Mocha Icing from The Food Librarian
~ Deep Dark Chocolate Cake at Dine and Dish
~ Vegan Chocolate Chocolate Bombe from Palachinka
~ Nanaimo Bars at The Eclectic Cook
~ Pumpkin Fudge from Real Mom Kitchen
~ Moist Chocolate Cake at Kitchen Simplicity
~ Pumpkin Spice …read more