Satisfy your sweet tooth on National White Chocolate Day on September 22nd. Enjoy it with pretzels or drizzled on pastries. It’s a versatile confection with many ways to celebrate!
Since white chocolate does not contain cocoa solids, it is not chocolate in the strictest sense. During the process of manufacturing chocolate, the dark-colored solids of the cocoa bean separates from the fatty content. But unlike milk or dark chocolate, the solids are not reincorporated. As a result, white chocolate also does not contain as much caffeine or antioxidants as its darker counterparts.
That’s right, white chocolate loses some of the health benefits when it is processed. Nestlé launched the first white chocolate bar in Europe. Known by the names Milkybar and Galak, Nestlé first produced the candy bar in the 1930s. Besides candy bars and fudge, white chocolate also comes in liqueurs, chips, ganache, truffles, and liquid forms. .
White chocolate pairs well with salty and sweet flavors. Mix it in with some peanuts or pretzels. Bake up some white chocolate macadamia nut cookies or indulge in a delicious cocktail. Enjoy your favorite white chocolate. Share yours using #WhiteChocolateDay to post on social media..
A great combination is celebrated each year on National Chocolate Caramel Day. On March 19th, enjoy chocolate and caramel in your favorite candy bar, ice cream, or dessert. It will put a smile on most people’s faces! The combination also invokes some cravings for chocolate caramel coffee, milkshakes, or just about any treat with this hard-to-resist combination.
While Milton Hershey receives a lot of credit for making chocolate caramel popular (he did make his living making caramel first), recipes for chocolate caramels existed as early as the 1880s. At about the same time, the first mass-produced chocolate bar became available.
In 1893, the World’s Colombian Exposition came to Chicago. Hershey’s fascination with an exhibit featuring machinery for the production of German chocolate became apparent. So fascinated, in fact, he purchased the equipment. Soon he was producing chocolate bars, many of which included his company’s bedrock ingredient: caramel.
Chocolate and caramel make a sweet pair. It explains why we find them coupled together in so many recipes. Delicious cakes, bars, brownies, fudge, and cookies get the chocolate caramel treatment. Who wouldn’t want to celebrate this heavenly confection combination?
There are so many ways to celebrate this day! Add caramel to chocolate ice cream. Enjoy your favorite chocolate caramel candy bar. Make a delicious chocolate caramel dessert or order one from your favorite bakery. Want to add even more variety? Consider that chocolate and caramel also pair well with nuts and whole grains, too. Adding a little dark chocolate and caramel to your granola and yogurt routine in the morning might be a nice treat. Also, drizzle a little over your popcorn.
Of course, the best way to celebrate is by sharing. Try making up a big batch of your favorite recipe for co-workers or the neighbors. Another option is to create recipe cards to give out to friends and family.
National Chocolate Souffle Day celebrates a delightfully delicious dessert on February 28th each year.
The word souffle is the past participle of the French verb souffler, which means “to blow up” or more loosely “puff up” which describes a souffle perfectly. A souffle is a lightly baked cake made with egg yolks and beaten egg whites that are combined with other ingredients to make the dish either a savory main dish or a sweet dessert.
Two essential components make up every souffle.
1. a French creme patisserie base/flavored cream sauce or puree
A souffle gets its flavor from the base, and the egg whites provide the lift to puff it up. A variety of cheeses, jams, fruits or chocolates can be baked into the base of the souffle. Many souffle bakers like to puncture the top of the souffle after removing it from the oven. Then they pour mouth-watering sauces onto it, such as chocolate, vanilla or for a savory flavor cheese and herbs.
Souffles offer an opportunity to show off and invite friends to share in the celebration. Put your skills to the test in the kitchen. Make one yourself, or enjoy one made by a professional. We would love to see how you celebrate the day!
Chocolate lovers rejoice as February 14th is National Cream-Filled Chocolates Day! On the same day, approximately 58 million pounds of chocolate will be purchased. Much of it will be in heart-shaped boxes, filled with bite-sized chocolates with ooey, gooey centers. Quite a few of these cream-filled goodies will be exchanged and shared on Valentine’s Day.
Chocolate makers offer a wide variety of cream-filled goodness, too. Take your pick from marshmallow cream, chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, coconut, hazelnut creme and even creme de menthe. How about coffee cream filled chocolates? Nearly every fruit you can imagine can be made into some sort of creamy center.
What’s inside those hard chocolate shells? Well, many chocolate makers provide a map so you don’t accidentally eat one that doesn’t sit well with you. One way to completely avoid the mystery is to create your own gift box with flavors you select. Some chocolate makers offer this option. Not only do you select the chocolates your love likes best, but it’s a personalized gift, too. How chocolately sweet is that? It’s also a terrific way to avoid biting into a flavor that will ruin the evening.
No matter how you celebrate, be sure you bite into a cream-filled chocolate or two that you like!
You know what day is it is so sample a few of your favorite cream-filled chocolates and give a few, too. They can even be in a heart-shaped box if you like. What other ways can you celebrate?
Host a cream-filled chocolate sampling party. Invite friends to make one of their favorites to bring and everyone will get to sample. Supply fruit and sparkling wine to complement the chocolates.
Take your party a notch further. Test your sampling skills by seeing who can identify the most cream-filled mystery chocolate flavors. Varieties can range from sweet to savory. We’re thinking a little bacon flavor here, a little coffee there.
Try your hand at making your own cream-filled chocolates. While we often give chocolate as a romantic gesture, why not make it together instead. Turn up the heat in the kitchen and melt each others’ hearts while you melt some chocolate.
Share your celebration using #CreamFilledChocolatesDay to post on social media.
Chocolate lovers rejoice on National Chocolate Covered Anything Day! December 16th offers the chocolate day you’ve been waiting for. On this day, dip and drizzle your favorite foods in every kind of chocolate imaginable.
If you could cover anything in chocolate, what would it be? So many foods improve when we dip them in chocolate. Many businesses build their foundation on the practice of dipping food into chocolate. Whether you pick up a chocolate fountain or order a bouquet of a beautiful arrangement of chocolate-dipped fruit, celebrate!
But fruit isn’t the only food meant for dipping in chocolate. Oh no. Other foods cry out for chocolate, too. Have you tried chocolate-covered peanuts, cashews, or walnuts? Pretzels undergo a divine transformation when dipped in chocolate, and they even have a national day of their own. Pound cake and gummy candies taste delicious with chocolate, too. If you love coffee, how can you pass up chocolate-covered coffee beans?
The list goes on. What’s your favorite covered chocolate covered anything?
Tempering is a process that improves the quality of a substance. In the case of chocolate, it improves its resiliency and shine. It’s recommended to use tempered chocolate when dipping or making candy.
There are a few different methods for tempering chocolate. One is to heat chocolate slowly in a microwave in 30-second intervals. When the chocolate starts to melt you are getting close. Stop heating the chocolate when it is soft but is still holding some of its shape. When you stir the chocolate, it should become smooth and lose its shape. Seeding chocolate is another method for tempering chocolate. Separate 1/3 of the chocolate and chop it into pea-sized bits. This is the seed chocolate. Melt the remaining 2/3 of the chocolate in a double boiler. The temperature you bring the chocolate to will depend on the type of chocolate.
Dark Chocolate – 120°F Milk Chocolate – 115°F White Chocolate- 110°F
Remove the melted chocolate from the heat and stir in the seed chocolate. Keep stirring until the chocolate reaches a temperature of:
Dark Chocolate – 82°F Milk Chocolate – 80°F White Chocolate- 78°F
Return the chocolate to the double boiler and bring it to the following temperature:
Dark Chocolate – 90°F Milk Chocolate – 86°F White Chocolate- 82°F
Remove from the heat and begin dipping!
HOW TO OBSERVE CHOCOLATE COVERED ANYTHING DAY
Pick up some chocolate-covered anything, or try your hand at dipping your favorite food in chocolate. Invite friends to join you and share in the experiment. Chocolate-covered treats make great gifts during the holiday season, too.
Try these suggestions:
Bananas and peanut butter
Cookies
Potato chips
Orange wedges
Ritz crackers
Biscotti
Peanut brittle
Marshmallows
Fudge
Shortbread
Ice cream
Use #ChocolateCoveredAnythingDay to post on social media.
