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There are a lot of different things you can do with chocolate and it can be very rewarding hobby. Follow the candy making tips below and you find that making chocolate can be as easy as pie.

There are many different things you can do with chocolate. Homemade candy, candy bars and even covered cookies and pretzels are all great. You can even make chocolate covered strawberries! Any of these endeavors can be easy if you learn how to melt chocolate the correct way.

They were to different ways to tackle the job of melting chocolate. One time-tested method is to use either a pan with a bowl on top or a double boiler. This allows for gradual melting which will not burn the chocolate Using a microwave is a more modern method. But to do this, it must be a good quality chocolate. Heat in the microwave carefully, put it in for 30 seconds, then stir and repeat if necessary. But the chocolate up into small pieces of about the same size so that we will melt quicker and at the same time.

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Gourmet chocolate truffles are a must when making a purchase for chocolate lovers. These truffles are beautifully presented in different lovely boxes. They make up as great gifts to suit almost any occasion whether it is a birthday, valentine’s day, for your family or friends occasions. There are different flavors for these truffles ranging from caramel, cappuccino, raspberry, tiramisu, etc.

It’s not difficult to make these truffles. Let us share the way to make them with you so that next time you can gift truffles which are handmade at home.
There are three basic used to make truffles: chocolate, vanilla and cream.
To start with you need to melt the chocolate and add the cream and vanilla to it. After this you mold it into small balls.

A complete truffle recipe is as below: This recipe is for almost 35-40 truffles which depend on the size of the roll.

Ingredients

• High-quality semisweet chocolate -10 ounces
• Vanilla – 1tsp
• Whipping cream-1/2 cup
• For coating – chopped nuts or anything that is preferred by you.

Method

• Chop fine pieces of chocolates into small pieces so that it melts evenly.
• Take a double boiler and melt the chocolate over hot water
• Keep stirring till the chocolate has melted completely
• Remove the chocolate from heat
• Vanilla and heavy cream should be added next and mix this well. This is called as ganache.
• Let this cool and put it in the refrigerator till it gets chilled, this ensures a workable consistency
• Next in a bowl keep the intended truffles coating and a baking sheet lined with parchment ready.
• Scoop small amount of chocolate out and make balls using your hands.
• Roll these balls slightly in the bowl of coating till they get completely covered.
• Keep placing the balls on the parchment

So surprise your dear ones by making these truffles at home. You are sure to bring a smile to their faces. So the next time there is a reason to celebrate, you can make it more pleasurable by making the chocolate truffles at home. You sure can buy these truffles from the market as well, but the enjoyment in making them with your own hands and surprising your dear ones is altogether different.

Gourmet chocolate truffles make up as great gifts for corporate as well. You can make these truffles for gifting in offices, to a colleague or your boss.
You can try something different for your children’s birthday party. Maybe put them in different beautiful boxes and give them away as gifts. The children will love this. In fact your own kids will appreciate the effort put in by you. You also have the option of making the chocolate truffle balls small or big accordance to your preference and liking.

You can make boxes of bigger or smallest sizes filled with gourmet chocolate truffles, depending on the occasion they are being gifted for. Make these to celebrate your valentine’s day and you are sure to make your valentine really happy. The pleasure that is derived in making the gourmet chocolate truffles for your dear ones and receiving appreciation from them is truly satisfying.

The history of chocolate is much longer and more involved than most people are familiar with. Most people tend to go to a store and purchase a candy bar without thinking of the rich history of the rich treat. It’s a history covering widely separated continents and times

Going into a grocery store and plunking a chocolate bar on the counter one would never know that what we find to be a cheap, rich chocolaty experience, started thousands of years ago as a dark bitter drink, laced with chili peppers, that at least in Aztec culture was reserved for the most honored members of society.

It wasn’t exactly restricted to royalty, but only royalty, priests and such personages as decorated soldiers and honored merchants had access to it.

Chocolate is created based on the cacao seed and was once used as a form of Aztec currency. Defeated enemies were many times forced to pay their ransom in cacao seeds.

The Maya were the first known people to have discovered the cacao tree in the rain forests of South America. They gathered the seeds from the tree and cultivated them in their own cities and villages during the Classical Maya Period (250-900 A.D.).

However, taking chocolate from the cacao seed to a sweet had a long history, especially since sugar as a commodity crop wasn’t available to the Mesoamerican people. After harvesting, the seeds were fermented, roasted and ground up into a paste. The paste was then mixed with water and various ingredients such as cornmeal and chili peppers into a spicy, frothy drink.

Let’s face it, this was not the stuff of Hershey and Lindt bars, Leonidas, Dove or Ghirardelli chocolates. There were no truffles, sampler boxes or chocolate covered strawberries, blueberries or chocolate covered cherries.

This was a very raw product that, like middle-ages wine, had to have a LOT of help to get swallowed. It was nothing to go into an intense ecstacy of chocolate about.

From the Maya, cacao migrated to the Aztec both as a trade commodity and through conquest. Like ransom, tributes from conquered people were required to be paid in cacao seeds.

Here ends step one of the History of Chocolate! Be sure to visit Chocolate Ecstacy to take the next step and be sure to check out our chocolate videos!

Be sure to go to Chocolate Ecstacy and check out our Chocolate Ecstacy Links Page to find purveyor’s of other fine products that we highly recommend!

Would you like to give that someone special something different this Valentine? Yes, you can still give them chocolate but surprise them with a different kind of treat.

Find the perfect idea for a unique Valentine gift at affectionchocolate.com and watch their eyes light up when they see the special fine chocolate gift from you.

How would all of you chocolate lovers like to become a member of a chocolate of the month club? Wouldn’t it be great to get your favorite treat sent right to your door?

It is the best day when the package from the chocolate of the month club arrives.

Join The Chocolate Of The Month Club today and get your sweets coming right to your doorstep.

Fill a basket with chocolate delectables and you have the perfect gift. All that is required is you consider the recipient’s tastes. If they prefer white chocolate, purchase loads of delicious white chocolate morsels. For those who are passionate about dark chocolate, find a few items they’ll love to receive. Put them in a basket, wrap it in colored cellophane and tie a ribbon to it. Voila, you’re done. Read more…

In fact, I get literally high when I eat Belgian chocolates. Sometimes, a gourmet chocolate really throws me off order. I’ll have to sit down after a particularly good trouble. You might think I’m joking, but I’m not. One of my good friends always makes fun of me. He told me that if he enjoyed his gourmet chocolates as much as I do, he’d be really fat.

You should know that, there are many different kinds of gourmet chocolates that are good. Having rich, dark chocolate unpolluted by other flavors is enough to satisfy the craving. Then again, sometimes it is nice to have a good chocolate truffle or something like that. Truffles of all kinds are also available for those with an extra sweet tooth. Whether you love dark, milk or white chocolate it is all available out there for you. There is such a nice, complex balance of different flavors there. They all contribute to the whole experience. Together, the truffle as a whole is more delicious than any of its parts.

Looking to satisfy your sweet tooth? More gourmet chocolate and other sweets can be found at our site.