Not only a sweet treat, chocolates are like love potions that can put most people under a spell. The rich brown liquid, blessed with the goodness of cocoa, finds its way into milk shakes, desserts, candy bars and ice creams and even in the food platter. While it has the power to tantalise the taste buds, chocolate dishes are, quite surprisingly, also loaded with several health benefits. A powerful antioxidant, dark chocolate is known for its organic compounds that are biologically active. These include polyphenols, flavanols and catechins, among others.
As people across the globe raise a toast to World Chocolate Day on July 7, we decided to list down various chocolate recipes curated by chefs that you can whip up to make the best of this chocolaty weekend.
Chocolate-Walnut Dipped Strawberry Popsicles
Ingredients
3 cups – Strawberries (halved and stemmed)
2tbsp – Honey
1/2 cup – Water
1 cup – Chocolate chips
2tbsp – Coconut oil
1/2 cup – California walnuts (finely chopped)
Method
* Combine the strawberries, honey, and water in a blender. Make a puree until smooth, then pour into popsicle moulds and freeze for at least four hours.
* To make the chocolate dip, combine the chocolate chips and coconut oil in a heat-proof bowl and set over a double boiler. Stir until melted, then remove from the heat.
* Run the popsicle mould under warm water and remove one popsicle from the mould.
* Quickly dip it in the chocolate sauce, then immediately dip in the chopped walnuts.
* Set it on a plate to harden, then work your way through the other popsicles. They can be eaten immediately, or refrozen.
Chocolate Walnut Snowball Cookies
Ingredients
3/4 cup – Light brown sugar
3/4 cup – Unsalted butter, softened
1 – Egg
1/4 cup – Whole milk
1tsp – Vanilla extract
2 cups – All-purpose flour
1/2 cup – Unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4tsp – Baking soda
1tsp – Baking powder
1/2tsp – Salt
1-1/2 cups – California walnuts (roughly chopped)
1 cup – Confectioners’ sugar
Method
* In a large bowl or stand mixer, add the brown sugar, butter and cream together until it is light and fluffy. Add the egg, milk and vanilla extract. Mix until combined and set aside.
* In a medium sized bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Slowly, add the mixture of dry ingredients to the mixture of wet ingredients until it mingles together.
* Add walnuts to a food processor and blend until it turns into fine powder. Add the walnuts to the dough and stir until combined. Cover the dough and chill overnight.
* Preheat oven to 350°F. Shape the dough into 1-inch balls and place on two ungreased cookie sheets.
* Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the tops start to crack, then remove cookies from oven. Let the cookies firm up on the cookie sheets, for about five minutes, then transfer them to a rack to cool slightly.
* Put 1 cup of confectioners’ sugar in a small bowl. Roll the warm cookies in the sugar to coat and return to the rack to cool completely. Roll again in the sugar, then serve.
Nutella Meal Smoothie
Ingredients
100ml – Milk
1 – Apple
2tsp – Nutella
110gms – Vanilla ice cream
2 – Cashews
2 – Almonds
20g – Chocolate cubes
1/4 cup – Muesli
Method
* Wash and slice the apple.
* Add all the ingredients in a blender, blend until smooth and serve.
Pear and Frangipane Tartlets
Ingredient
150g – Chocolate pastry
A pinch – Salt
250g – Dark chocolate (chopped)
3 – Eggs
30g – Refined flour
125g – Butter (unsalted)
2 – Pears
100g – Apricot jam
120g – Ground almonds
100g – Caster sugar
Methods
* Using a plain pastry cutter, cut into 10cm round, line the pans with the pastry rounds, smoothing the base and pressing in the sides. Trim off any excess pastry.
* Melt the chocolate in a bain-marie and cool down.
* Beat butter and sugar until pale and creamy, add eggs one by one and mix it nicely.
* Slowly pour in the melted chocolate, turn the blender speed to high
* Mix the flour and almonds in a separate bowl, mix all the mixture slowly.
* Preheat the oven to 180 degree Celsius.
* Spoon the mixture into prepared tart case nicely
* Place half of the pear in the centre of each tart.
* Bake until the bars are firm.
* Bring the apricot Jam to boil and carefully brush it over all the tarts.
* Cool down and serve.
Triple Chocolate
Walnut Bars
Ingredient
225g – Refined flour
A pinch – Salt
250g – Dark chocolate (chopped)
180g – White chocolate chips
180g – Milk chocolate chips
125g – Butter (unsalted)
200g – Walnut (chopped)
2 – Eggs
Method
* Preheat the oven at 180 degree Celsius.
* Mix the flour and salt in a medium bowl, melt dark chocolate with butter in bain-marie.
* Transfer the chocolate mixture to a medium bowl and keep it aside for cooling.
* Stir in white and milk chocolate chips and half of chopped walnuts.
* Add the eggs and beat until blended.
* Stir the mixed dry ingredients.
* Spread the batter in a greased tray and sprinkle left walnuts.
* Bake for 30-40 mins at 180 degree Celsius.
* Cool down and cut into equal portion bars.
