How to Celebrate International Chocolate Day

September 30th may be one of the most enjoyable days of the year: it happens to be International Chocolate day.

 

This day has become an international favourite. This is because of the natural goodness of chocolate as proved by recent research. Chocolate releases endorphins, which reduce pain and create feelings of pleasure. It also contains theobromine, which is caffeine like mild stimulant. Along with Andamide, it creates warm, fuzzy feelings much like effect of marijuana.

Little wonder that we get addicted to chocolate. You may love chocolate due its luscious flavour or feel good effects.

Here are some tips to indulge moderately in your favourite chocolate:

  • Dark chocolate with nuts and sea salt: It has 200 calories and 5 gms of sugar. The sea salt enhances the dark chocolate flavour. Other alternatives include cinnamon pecan dark chocolate, dark chocolate with peanut butter, Cherry cashew dark chocolate etc.
  • Chocolate and Mint Combos:

 

  1. Mint chocolate truffles taste great.
  2. Make a vegan chocolate mint cake or marshmallow mint chocolate cake using peppermint patties.
  3. There are some great mint-chocolate beverages. Make a mint-chocolate milk shake or candy cane milk float for winter. Use either peppermint extract or schnapps to make it. You can make drinks like Irish cream mint chocolate, chocolate mint rum cocktail or amazing grasshopper martini.
  4. Go for some mint ice cream. One of the most popular flavours of ice cream is mint chocolate chip. Gorge on it in a bowl or a waffle cone.
  • Chocolate Pudding: Search online for recipe of raw chocolate pudding. This is an avocado based pudding that has 125 calories, 4 gms of sugar and 10 gms of fat. This treat can serve to satisfy sweet tooth cravings as well as provide a dose of healthy mono unsaturated fats.
  • Unreal Candy: Unreal makes special versions of your favourite sweets such as Reese’s and Snickers peanut butter cups sans corn syrup. It also avoids artificial ingredients, hydrogenated oils, preservatives or GMO’s. You can enjoy their special M &M’s which contains 10 gms of fat, 19 gms of sugar and 190 calories, as opposed to 9 gms of fat, 31 gms of sugar and 230 calories that is found in the original bar of chocolate.
  • Hot Chocolate: Come winter and snowy months, there is nothing to beat the cold like a warm cup of hot chocolate. Most of the mixes found in packets, contain 3 gms of fat, 24 gms of sugar and 140 calories. One can enjoy sipping on a hot cup of cocoa after a tiring day.

 

  • Fancy Candy: Many like gorging on chocolates supplied by local chocolatiers. Nothing beats savouring a few chocolate truffles.
  • Mix it up:
  1. Nuts covered with chocolate are amazingly easy to make and are a healthy way to satisfy your sweet tooth.
  2. Dark chocolate Chilli bites feature the ingredients chilli and dark chocolate.
  3. Blue cheese truffles are ideal for blue cheese and chocolate lovers.
  4. Another product is spiced chocolate peanut butter. This incorporates homemade peanut butter, a variety of spices and dark chocolate.
  5. Boozy, pumpkin tinged Bourbon milk shakes can transform a cold depressing day into a bright and cosy one.

 

One can send chocolates by post to your loved ones far away from you. The flavour and health benefits of chocolate make the various dishes made of chocolate simply irresistible.

admin

Author’s bio: She is a world renowned chef who specializes in baking and confectionary. Having several years of experience in this field, she contributes interesting articles to the website http://www.expressgiftservice.co.uk and many others.

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