Especially loved by children, this versatile ingredient can be used in many Easy Chocolate Recipes including hot and cold desserts, cakes, cookies and confectionery.
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Chocolate must be one of the most popular flavorings in cooking today.
Here you will find tempting easy chocolate recipes for gateaux, cakes, and cookies for family teas and special celebrations.
A delicious selection of desserts covers every occasion-including family meals, dinner parties, and , of course, children’s parties.
The simply prepared attractive candies make ideal gifts at Christmas.
The Origin of Chocolate
Chocolate is produced from the cocoa bean, which grows in pods on cocoa trees.
These originated in the Amazon forests of South America. The local Aztecs treated the Cocoa Bean with great respect using it to make a bitter drink, called ‘Chocolatl’, a great delicacy at festivities.
The Spaniards were responsible for introducing this chocolate drink to Europe in the 17th Century, but it remained an expensive luxury for many years.
It was not until the beginning of the 19th century that chocolate was produced in a solid form for eating.
Nowadays, the chocolate produced in many countries comes from cocoa beans grown in West Africa as well as South America.
It takes an entire year’s crop from one cocoa tree to produce about 500g/1lb of refined cocoa powder.
This partly explains why cocoa is quite expensive.
The manufacture of cocoa powder entails a lengthy refining process.
The cocoa beans are roasted, ground and sieved, and a large proportion of the cocoa butter is extracted, to produce the strongly- flavored cocoa powder used extensively in easy chocolate recipes and drinks.
The process for making eating chocolate are slightly different.
Extract cocoa butter and sugar are added to refined cocoa to give dark (semi-sweet) chocolate.
For milk chocolate, fresh milk is added at the same time. The ingredients are pummeled together until smooth.
Cooking with Cocoa and Chocolate.
Cocoa is the most economical chocolate flavor for cooking, but it must be evenly blended into the mixture.
It should either be sifted with other dry ingredients, or blended with a little boiling water to form a smooth paste before adding to the easy chocolate recipes.
Chocolate is normally melted before it is combined with other ingredients.
Plain (semi-sweet) eating chocolate provides the best flavor.
Less expensive ‘cooking chocolate’ and chocolate-flavored chips are also obtainable.
These have a cocoa base to which vegetable fats are added; technically they are not ‘real’ chocolate.
Generally these products are easier to use in cooking for they melt more easily than eating chocolate but their flavor is inferior.
Melting Chocolate:
Chocolate should be broken into small pieces, then melted in a double boiler, or a heatproof bowl over a small pan of hot, not boiling water.
The water must be kept below simmering to prevent steam from coming into contact with the chocolate.
If this happens, or if water is added to the chocolate, or the chocolate is overheated, it will immediately solidify to form a stiff mass.
Sometimes this can be rectified by adding 1 or 2 tablespoons of vegetable shortening, but this is best avoided.
Chocolate Decorations
Chocolate can be melted and used to prepare a variety of attractive and easy to make decorations, such as triangles, rounds,curls and leaves, for adding a professional finish to gateaux and desserts.
Making Chocolate Shapes:
Draw out your chosen design, eg. holly leaves, on a piece of paper and place under a sheet of parchment (wax) paper.
Place the melted chocolate in a paper piping bag without a nozzle and, just before starting to pipe, snip off a small piece from the point of the bag.
The chocolate will run freely with a little pressure.
Carefully pipe onto wax paper following the outline of the shapes.
Fill the centers as necessary.
Leave until hardened then carefully remove from the paper.
Alternatively spread the melted chocolate onto a piece of wax paper and smooth flat with a palette knife. Leave until set but not hard, and cut out shapes, using pastry cutters, or a sharp knife.
Allow to harden completely before removing from the paper.
Chocolate Rose Leaves:
Wash and dry the leaves. Using a fine paint brush, coat the underside of each leaf with melted chocolate.
Place the leaves on a plate and chill int the refrigerator until set.
When hard, peel the leaf away from the chocolate and use as required.
Making Chocolate Caraque:
It is important to use good quality plain (semi-sweet) chocolate for making Caraque.
Spread a thin layer of melted chocolate onto a marble or formica surface using a palette knife.
Leave until set but not hard. Hold a sharp knife at a 45 degree angle to the chocolate to shave off long curls. Move carefully as these curls are fragile and break easily.
Making small chocolate curls:
It is possible to make curls with a vegetable peeler on some softer varieties of chocolate without having to melt it.
Using a vegetable peeler, scrape along the surface of a block of chocolate to shave off curls.
Chocolate Recipes
Small Cakes and Cookies
I hope you enjoy making these Easy Chocolate Recipes as much as I have. And I hope that you will share your favorite chocolate recipes with the other Get Your Kids Cooking Visitors.
Chocolate Eclair Recipe
An easy Chocolate Eclair Dessert Recipe, for your friends and family to enjoy.
Coconut Slices
A Yummy Chocolate Topped Coconut Cookie, a great recipe for the kids to make.
Chocolate Crispies
This Chocolate No Bake Cookie Recipe is loved by kids young and old, great for kids parties.
Chocolate Flapjacks
This easy to make no cook recipe is ideal for lunchboxes and kids snacks.
Chocolate Chip Muffins
Muffins are always popular and are so easy to bake, ideal for kids snacks.
Chocolate Espresso Biscotti
A Great Gift Idea this Chocolate Recipe is based on the Traditional Italian Biscuit.
Chocolate Cupcakes
These Googey Chocolate Fudge Cupcakes are a very easy Chocolate Recipe for Kids to cook.
Chocolate Scones
A Chocoholic’s Delight….
Large Chocolate Cakes and Gateaux
It is hard to resist the pleasure of a sumptuous piece of Chocolate Cake and here I have gathered some Easy Chocolate Recipes, for larger cakes.
Rich Chocolate Cake Recipe
A delicious light chocolate sponge layered with Rich Chocolate Icing.
Chocolate Mousse Cake Recipe
With a Dark Chocolate sponge sandwiched together with a light creamy orange mousse, this cake is irresistible.
Hot & Cold Chocolate
Puddings and Desserts
Chocolate is comforting at any time but no more so than when served in a steaming hot pudding. Cool, creamy, sumptuous, indulgent are just a few words when you think of cold chocolate desserts.
The best thing about these easy chocolate recipes is they can be made in advance, great for entertaining.
Chocolate Cheese Cake
A decadent Rich Chocolate Dessert with a hint of Orange, loved by kids of all ages.
Chocolate Delight Recipe
This very quick and easy chocolate dessert,great for kids as no cooking required.
Chocolate Mousse
This Delightful Chocolate Mousse Recipe will be loved by kids of all ages.
Easy Chocolate Recipes
If you have any Easy Chocolate Recipes please share them with other Get Your Kids Cooking visitors. Tell us why you love this recipe, share a picture with us if you have one.
