Choosing the Best Chocolate for Cookies

There are so many options when you head to the store to pick up chocolate for your next cookie-making adventure. There are all different shapes, sizes, grades, colors — the list goes on. All that really matters in the end is that you end up with the tastiest cookie possible, so here are a few pointers to make that possible!

The Best Chocolate Bundt Cake: A Hug in a Pan

It’s no secret that I love bundt cakes, that the very cozy, snug shape of them warms my heart and makes me feel the love. These days I think bundt cakes are wrongly perceived as tacky and old-fashioned, especially in this era we’re living in when cupcakes are so aggrandized. (Nothing against cupcakes, but must we worship them so?) I’d rather have a bundt cake any day: There’s more to love, more to share, and has anyone else noticed that they’re cute, too? This cake is dark chocolate and rich, but it’s also enlivened with buttermilk and vanilla so it’s not too sweet and has a pleasant depth and tang. I would take a slice of it over a cupcake any day of the week. Note: I put on Madonna’s “Like a Prayer,” an old favorite that I won’t apologize for, while I assembled this cake. If you like, share your favorite cooking music with me here.

Deep Dark Chocolate Bundt Cake

Serves 10 to 12

2 cups flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs
2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted and cooled
2 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups buttermilk

Preheat oven to 350. Butter and flour 10-cup bundt pan.

In a small bowl, sift the flour with the cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the butter until creamy. Add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the melted chocolate and the vanilla and beat until the batter is smooth. Beat in the dry ingredients in three batches, alternating with the buttermilk.

Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the surface. Bake the cake for 1 hour, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then invert onto a rack to cool completely.

Chocolate News - Chocolate: The Best Medicine

Free radicals are chemical compounds created naturally in the human body which cause disease and aging. But antioxidants can destroy free radicals in the body and help slow the aging process, and they are thought to help prevent heart disease, stroke, and cancer. Antioxidants are found in certain vegetables, fruits, and other foods.

One popular food that is high in antioxidants is dark chocolate. In fact, cocoa beans are more antioxidant-rich than any other food! Other good sources include broccoli and many fruits--especially berries such as acai berries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries and strawberries. (Did you know that a dark-chocolate-dipped strawberry was so good for you?)

Research has shown that of all chocolate products, natural cocoa powder contains the most beneficial antioxidants. Dark chocolate also contains high amounts, because it is made with more cocoa than other chocolates and because it is comparatively unprocessed.

Antioxidant compounds in cocoa called flavanols have long been thought to offer health benefits. Recently, scientists found direct links between epicatechin, a flavanol which is highly concentrated in cocoa, and cardiovascular health. In fact, prominent researchers have indicated that epicatechin may be as important as penicillin, and should be considered a vitamin!

The Kuna Indians live on islands off the coast of Panama. In their society the risk of cancer, heart attack, stroke, and diabetes--four of the five most prevalent killer diseases--is reduced to less than 10%! What makes the Kuna different from the rest of the world? They drink cocoa, and lots of it--up to 40 cups of natural cocoa per week. Interestingly, Kuna who have migrated to the mainland and who consume much less cocoa (only about four cups per week) have a lower level of cardiovascular health, on average, than their island-dwelling kin.

One reason for this is that flavanols in chocolate are known to improve circulation by relaxing the walls of blood vessels and decreasing platelet activity.

Since doctors agree that eating small amounts of dark chocolate on a regular basis may significantly increase cardiovascular health, there’s no reason not to enjoy a little of this favorite treat every day!