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Dark chocolate gifts
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here to see our selection of Dark chocolate gifts.
 Dark
chocolate gifts are the sorts of gifts that a majority
of people will appreciate. Dark chocolate gifts range from truffles
to cakes to cocoa mixes to chocolate pretzels to cookies, and more.
There is actually quite a variety of dark chocolate gifts that you
can give, if you know where to look and what to look for.
Perhaps the best place to find great dark chocolate gifts is on
the Internet. It is so easy to shop online… you never even
need to leave your house, and you can have the gifts delivered directly
to the recipients!
Also, oftentimes, online stores will offer special deals that they
may not offer at their local stores. Another benefit to buying dark
chocolate gifts online is that you will access to chocolate shops
and chocolates that you may not otherwise have access to.
There are quite a few things to consider when deciding which sort
of dark chocolate gifts to give. For instance, you may want to decide
what type of dark chocolate you want to give. Chocolate tastes very
different, depending on the percentage of cocoa it contains. You
may even decide to give a dark chocolate gift that offers a sampling
of dark chocolates of many different cocoa percentages.
Here is a basic guide to dark chocolate:
- Dark Chocolate. This is chocolate that does not have milk as
an additive. It must have at elast a 15% concentration of chocolate
liquor to be considered “dark” in the United States.
In Europe, it must have a minimum of 35% cocoa solids.
- Semisweet chocolate. This type of chocolate must have at least
35% chocolate liquor. It has a high sugar content. Many people
use semisweet chocolate for cooking purposes.
- Bittersweet chocolate. This type of chocolate must also have
a minimum of 35% chocolate liquor. Sugar, cocoa butter, lecithin,
and vanilla are also added. It generally has more liquor and less
sugar than semisweet. Nonetheless, bittersweet and semisweet chocolate
are interchangeable in baking
There are many reasons to give dark chocolate gifts. One of the
best reasons (besides great taste) is the recently found health
benefits of chocolate.
- The darker the chocolate (and the less sugar, etc.), the greater
the health benefits. Realize, though, that although chocolate
is good for you, in general, the calories it has and the sugar
are still not necessarily that great for you!
- Dark chocolate is a great source of flavonoids, both epicatechin
and gallic acid. These flavonoids have cardioprotectve properties.
- Dark chocolate is an anti-oxidant.
- Cacao has antibacterial agents that help fight tooth decay (of
course, the sugar of chocolate can counteract this).
- Phenyl ethylamine is a mild mood elevator.
If you are storing dark chocolate gifts at your home, follow these
tips to be sure that the chocolate stays beautiful and great-tasting:
- Store it in a dry, cool place.
- A temperature above 75 degrees Farhenheit can melt the cocoa
butter on the surface.
- Similarly, though, too cold of temperatures (like refrigerator
temperatures) will also affect the chocolate. If you must store
it in a fridge, keep it in an air tight container… you do
not want it to pick up odors from other foods!
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