Chocolate On The Brain III

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In case you missed my other two post on this subject they can be found here Chocolate on the Brain and here Chocolate on the Brain II.

NESTLÉ CHOCOLATES

Is famous for the toll house cookie recipe.

History of NESTLÉ TOLL HOUSE

Back in 1930, Kenneth and Ruth Wakefield purchased a Cape Cod-style TOLL HOUSE located halfway between Boston and New Bedford, on the outskirts of Whitman, Massachusetts. Originally constructed in 1709, the house served as a haven for road-weary travelers. Here, passengers paid toll, changed horses and ate much-welcomed home-cooked meals. It was also here, over 200 years later, that the Wakefields decided to open a lodge, calling it the TOLL HOUSE Inn.

In keeping with the tradition of creating delicious homemade meals, Ruth baked for guests who stayed at the TOLL HOUSE Inn. As she improved upon traditional Colonial recipes, Ruth's incredible desserts began attracting people from all over New England.

One day, while preparing a batch of Butter Drop Do cookies, a favorite recipe dating back to Colonial days, Ruth cut a bar of our NESTLÉ Semi-Sweet Chocolate into tiny bits and added them to her dough, expecting them to melt.

Instead, the chocolate held its shape and softened to a delicately creamy texture. The resulting creation became very popular at the Inn. Soon, Ruth's recipe was published in a Boston newspaper, as well as other papers in the New England area. Regional sales of our delicious NESTLÉ Semi-Sweet Chocolate Bar skyrocketed.

Ruth eventually approached NESTLÉ and together, we reached an agreement that allowed us to print what would become the TOLL HOUSE Cookie recipe on the wrapper of our Semi-Sweet Chocolate Bar. Part of this agreement included supplying Ruth with all of the chocolate she could use to make her delicious cookies for the rest of her life.

As the popularity of the TOLL HOUSE cookie continued to grow, we looked for ways to make it easier for people to bake. Soon, we began scoring the Semi-Sweet Chocolate Bar, and packaged it with a special chopper for easily cutting it into small morsels. Shortly after, in 1939, we began offering tiny pieces of chocolate in convenient, ready-to-use packages and that is how the first NESTLÉ TOLL HOUSE Real Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels were introduced.

Since they were first used by Ruth Wakefield in what would become the most popular cookie of all time, NESTLÉ TOLL HOUSE Semi-Sweet Morsels have satisfied the chocolate cravings of millions. Today, they're used to make many of the hundreds of delectable chocolate desserts all across America and around the globe.

Visit Very Best Baking for the recipe.

HERSHEY'S CHOCOLATE

Milton Hershey made a decision in 1894 to produce sweet chocolate as a coating for his caramels. Located in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, he called his new enterprise the Hershey Chocolate Company. In 1900, the company began producing milk chocolate in bars, wafers and other shapes. With mass-production, Hershey was able to lower the per-unit cost and make milk chocolate, once a luxury item for the wealthy, affordable to all. One early advertising slogan described this new product as “a palatable confection and a most nourishing food.”

The immediate success of Hershey’s low-cost, high-quality milk chocolate soon caused the company’s owner to consider increasing his production facilities. He decided to build a new chocolate factory amid the gently rolling farmland of south-central Pennsylvania in Derry Township, where he had been born. Close to the ports of New York and Philadelphia which supplied the imported sugar and cocoa beans needed, surrounded by dairy farms that provided the milk required, and with a local labor supply of honest, hard-working people, the location was perfect. By the summer of 1905, the new factory was turning out delicious milk chocolate.

HERSHEY'S COCOA debuted in 1894 when Milton Hershey founded Hershey Chocolate Company. The item was initially sold as a beverage mix. In fact, "Great for Baking" was added to the can as a reminder that Cocoa could be included in baked goods as well. Today most HERSHEY'S COCOA is used for baking... and it's still great!

1894- Hershey introduces Unsweetened Cocoa.
1988 - Hershey replaces metal cans with plastic cans.
1989 - Hershey launches Dutch Processed Cocoa.
2005 - Hershey launches SPECIAL DARK Cocoa

1971 ROLO CARAMELS in chocolate are introduced.

When I'm standing in a check-out line and the chocolate urge hits this is the candy I usually choose. Just one little candy when I get to the the car is all it takes to satisfy my chocolate sweet tooth. Then I eat the rest over the next few days. I don't eat 200 + calories at one time :-)

There are so many Hershey products I love... KISSES, REESE'S PEANUT BUTTER CUPS and a frozen ZERO candy bar, which is a bit hard to bite into these days. I could go on and on with Hershey's line of candies... but I will only mention one more :-)


CADBURY CHOCOLATE

Founded in the 1800's, Cadbury has long been a part of England's history with ties to the British monarchy. The first Cadbury shop was established by John Cadbury in Birmingham, England and grew through the hard work and vision of his sons, the Cadbury brothers - Richard and George. Still today, CADBURY DAIRY MILK is the UK's best selling chocolate, achieving its flavor and creaminess using the traditional recipe.

Acquiring the license to manufacture and sell Cadbury products in the United States in 1988, Hershey Foods Corporation has continued that fine artisan quality of chocolate making. Among the brands made in Hazleton, PA are CADBURY DAIRY MILK bar, CADBURY FRUIT & NUT bar, CADBURY, CADBURY Roast Almond bar, CADBURY ROYAL DARK bar and CARAMELLO bar.

The most famous Cadbury product is the CADBURY CRÈME EGG available only during the Easter season. To many consumers, the Easter season and CADBURY CRÈME EGG were introduced by a very famous character - the "Clucking Bunny." The "Clucking Bunny" campaign, which began in 1982, remains one of the most recognized and beloved confectionery advertising campaigns. The Cadbury Company started making this product in 1923.

I can't say the CADBURY CRÈME EGG is my favorite. When I worked at Nichol's Dept. Store in the mid 1980s I would often work at the registers at Easter. There would be rolling display baskets by the registers and the egg candies along with other candies would sit in display there. The eggs would get warm and melt. Such a mess I had to clean up! So I'm not fond of them :-)





I've really enjoyed browsing the web for chocolate history. I haven't eaten any chocolate and don't plan on eating any chocolate anytime soon... it has been enough just to read about chocolate. I've lost eight pounds off my body in a week's time.... so my scales say. My scales are probably broken because I can't see where any weight has disappeared. Maybe just thinking of chocolate is a good weight loss plan... if my scales aren't broken :-)

Chocolate On The Brain II

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One thing about Chocolate on the Brain... it doesn't stay gone long :-) Michelle in her reply to my last post on Chocolate on the Brain mentioned Ghirardelli brownies. I've seen the brownie mix, but have never bought it.

I haven't eaten a lot of Ghirardelli products. I have tasted their chocolate squares. It has been a long time, but I remember them as being very decadent.

Ghirardelli Chocolates has an interesting web site. They have an outline history of chocolate entitled: The Rich History of Chocolate (found under chocopedia)... too much for me to quote here. There is also a history of their company: The Ghirardelli Story .


One brand of chocolate that I have depended upon my almost 40 years of marriage has been Baker's Chocolate.

I have made many brownies with the Unsweetened Chocolate. I tried the one-bowl recipe and it just does not taste as good as their old recipe.

I also have used their baking chips in cookies. When I was young I thought using imitation chocolate chips was just fine... until I used Baker's real chocolate chips. What a difference! I also learned to use real vanilla instead of imitation vanilla.... best to pay more for a better quality product.

Who does not love a German Sweet Chocolate Cake! German Chocolate Cake was originated in the U.S. at Walter Baker & Company. In 1852, Sam German created a sweet baking bar named in his honor (BAKER'S German’s Sweet Chocolate). Then in 1957, a Texas woman sent a cake recipe using German’s Sweet Chocolate to a newspaper in Dallas, causing a spike in the sales. Hence, the birth of German Chocolate Cake!

The Story of La Belle Chocolatiere
(from the Baker Chocolate web site)

La Belle Chocolatiere has graced the BAKER’S Chocolate package for more than 122 years, making her the oldest product trademark in America.

Her story is one of romance and intrigue that began in a quaint chocolate shop in Vienna, Austria, in the mid-18th century.

In 1745 an Austrian nobleman, Prince Dietrichstein, stopped by a chocolate shop in Vienna to try a wonderful new chocolate drink people were talking about. His waitress was Anna Baltauf, daughter of an impoverished knight. Prince Dietrichstein was taken by the young lady, and despite objections from his family, he soon married Baltauf, making her a princess.

As a wedding gift, Prince Dietrichstein commissioned a portrait of his wife by the famous Swiss painter, Jean Etienne Liotard. Liotard posed Princess Dietrichstein in her 18th century chocolate server’s costume, commemorating their “love at first sight.”

The portrait of Princess Dietrichstein was displayed at the Dresden Art Gallery. It was there that Henry L. Pierce—then president of Walter Baker & Company—saw the painting. Pierce was captivated by it, and considered the portrait an ideal image for BAKER'S Chocolate.

In 1883, Pierce registered the image as a U.S. trademark, and named the silhouette “La Belle Chocolatiere.” For the next several decades, La Belle graced not only BAKER'S ads and packages, but also premium items and BAKER'S Chocolate squares.

To this day, each square of BAKER'S Unsweetened and Semi-Sweet Chocolate is emblazoned with the image of La Belle, and she still graces each box and container of BAKER'S Chocolate products. The original portrait of Princess Dietrichstein still hangs at the Dresden Gallery in Germany, where it is one of the museum’s chief attractions.

When my children were at home I used to make candy with them. Of course, I used Wilton Candy . Our favorite was the peanut butter cups. I made my children hollow chocolate candy rabbits at Easter and hollow chocolate tin soldiers for Christmas. Solid ones would have been too much sugar for them. I think I gave my candy molds away or else they are hiding somewhere in the house.

Who knows... I may have Chocolate on the Brain tomorrow :-)

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I heard from the gastroenterologist's office yesterday. The biopsies showed that I have a candida infection in my esophagus and stomach. Probably because of all the antibiotics I've taken the past few months. I take Diflucan for a couple of weeks and it should clear up.

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Though the circular round-and-round of routine be the bulk of life's affairs, make an occasional jutting diversion - of fun, love, or something that will outlast you - so the shape and motion of your life shall resemble the round life-giving sun with bright rays shining forth from all directions. -- Destin Figuier

Chocolate On The Brain

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I have chocolate on the brain.

A few weeks ago I found Jello Sugar-Free Dark Chocolate Pudding at WalMart. It was a surprise to me that we liked it. Frank is a diabetic and I try and watch the amount of sugary treats we have. Usually sugar-free desserts means something that taste awful.... bitter.

Of course I haven't seen the dark chocolate pudding since. It seems when I really like something the product just disappears from the shelf... with no spot on the shelf for the product.

I said I have chocolate on the brain, but I don't really want to eat any. I just want the comfort of it... just savor it in my mind :-)

I ate my dark chocolate pudding cup... putting a small amount of the pudding on the tip of my spoon; putting it in my mouth and just holding it there until it melted into oblivion.... savoring the flavor. It took me more than ten minutes to eat a half cup pudding instead of the normal... gulp... less than a minute of any other flavor I've eaten.

There are many Good Chocolates out there and I'd like to tell you about some of my favorites.

Whitman's Samplers has sugar-free chocolates that taste very good. I think they are every bit as good as their regular chocolates.

Sugar-free doesn't mean fat-free or calorie-free, so fat and calories have to be watched when eating such goodness.

Whitman's Candies is America's oldest continuous producer of boxed chocolates. In 1842, 19-year-old Stephen F. Whitman set up a small "confectionery and fruiterer shoppe" on Market Street near the Philadelphia waterfront.

The Fussy Assortment (called "The Fussy Package for Fastidious Folks" when it was launched back in 1911)was their best selling collection. Whitman's advertised a "money back guarantee," a belief in quality not supported by many other manufacturers of the era.

Whitman's Sampler was introduced to the public in 1912. The Sampler box includes a collection of the most popular pieces of candy sold in the confectionery shop. Whitman's becomes the first in its industry to use cellophane to wrap its packaged products. Cellophane is imported from France until 1924, when Dupont started the United States production.

One of my favorite chocolates is M&Ms. Most of the time just a few pieces melted in my mouth satisfy that chocolate urge.

M&Ms were created by Forrest Mars. It is said he saw Spanish soldiers eating chocolate candy they had coated in sugar to keep the chocolate from melting in their pockets during the Spanish Civil War, which took place from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939.

M&Ms were first sold in the United States in 1941. By World War II, American soldiers were given the candy by the United States Army; soon after this it was marketed to the public. The candies were named for "Mars & Murrie" Mars' business partner was Bruce Murrie, son of rival Milton S. Hershey's partner William Murrie.

In 1954, Peanut Chocolate Candies were introduced, while the M&Ms brand characters and the famous slogan "The milk chocolate melts in your mouth, not in your hand" were both trademarked.

I'm sure if you were around in the 1960s you remember the chocolate candies jumping into a pool of chocolate to be coated.

Now isn't it amazing that they started from plain chocolate and chocolate covered to the beautiful colors that M&Ms has now! You can special order any mixture of colors you can imagine and have any words printed on them that you want!

I do love their commercials... the candies have gone from no personality to personalities that you almost don't want to eat!

M&Ms has a wonderful web site. There is more on their history at the web site. There are recipes and games and you can create your own M&M's character. Here is one of mine. Her name is Cammie.

For now my brain is satisfied. I will tell you more of chocolates that I love when I next get chocolate on the brain.

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Good chocolate should be savored. ☻