I tried a chocolate banana bread recipe last month, and since I had overripe bananas on my counter again this week I decided to see if I could dig up another recipe to try.

This one is from Daydreamer Desserts, and while the recipes are somewhat similar, this new one included the addition of sour cream. I have to admit that I couldn’t really taste the sour cream when the bread was finished, but it did help make for a light and fluffy batter when I was mixing it up!
Though this recipe was good, I did end up having to keep …read more

We know that research is being done on how chocolate can help in the recovery from a heart attack, how chocolate milk can help sore muscles heal, how it could prevent malaria, protect against dementia, keep your bones healthy, and help with headaches, and now we can add one more to this ever-growing list: wrinkles!

Research published in the Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology is showing that the same antioxidants that are good for your heart are also good for your skin, and that a daily dose of dark chocolate could very well keep you looking younger. Sounds like my kind of …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

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

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

There are only a few days left to enter what may be the biggest Halloween treat on the planet! Mars Snackfood announced today the last chance to win an incredible Halloween treat: $1 million in the 2009 Halloween Million Sweepstakes!

U.S. residents have until Saturday, October 31, 2009, to register for the 2009 Halloween Million Sweepstakes at halloweenmillion.com by entering the UPC on packages of M&M’S, Snickers, Twix, Milky Way, 3 Musketeers, Skittles, and Starburst candies. (A full list of candies and sizes can be found here.)
One lucky person will receive the $1 million grand prize, and thousands more will …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

My Facebook feed is going crazy with friends and family signing up for this deal from Edible Arrangements:

Simply go to their Facebook page (you may need a Facebook account of your own) and fill out the form to get an emailed coupon to redeem for a sampler sized six piece chocolate covered box of fruit!
The small print says that the fruits themselves will vary, and can include anything from apples, bananas, oranges, pineapples, pears, and strawberries. Obviously, they’re dipped in chocolate as well.
They’re giving away 100,000 boxes of the signature dipped fruits, and the …read more

This week’s chocolate link round-up includes a few non-traditional ways to serve chocolate. From a delicious chocolate dipping sauce to a chocolate chip cheese ball and even chocolate fudge that’s not even made with chocolate, it was a lot of fun bookmarking these!

~ Pumpkin Spice Truffles (above) from Evil Mad Scientist
~ Chocolate Chip Cheeseball at Mommy’s Kitchen
~ Famous Fudge from This Week For Dinner
~ Chocolate Caramel Dip at Life’s Ambrosia
~ Chocolate-Peanut Butter Rice Crispy Bites from A Bird in the Kitchen
~ Faux Chocolate Fudge at Diet, Dessert and Dogs
~ Chocolate and Salted Caramel Mousse Pie from Bella Eats
~ White Chocolate …read more