Desserts around the world

Anytime I travel I look forward to trying new foods and desserts. I’m always surprised by how much you can learn about a country and its culture through the history and traditions of their food. Here are some unique desserts from around the world and a little bit about their origins.

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Spain – Brazo de Gitano

Brazo de Gitano’s Spanish translation means “Gypsy’s arm” and it is similar to a Swiss Role. This dessert consists of a spongy cake rolled with a creamy filling. It is one of the most popular Spanish desserts and is commonly found at family meals. Variations of this dessert have also made their way to Latin America, Mexico, and Chile. Recipe

Turkey

Turkey – Baklava

It is believed that Baklava was created by the Assyrians in the 8th century BC and that it was later adopted by the Ottomans who turned the recipe into what it is today. This dessert is made out of a phyllo dough casing, a very thin, unleavened dough, and is filled with a gooey, sticky combination of nuts, honey, and syrup. Recipe

Brazil

Brazil – Brigadeiro

Brigadeiro is a popular dessert in Brazil. The name comes from the political and military figure, Brigadeiro Eduardo Gomes, who in 1945 ran for office and fundraised for his campaign by selling his favorite chocolate truffles. These truffles became very popular and were later named after him in his honor. Recipe

France

France – Chocolate Soufflé

Chocolate soufflé is one of France’s most traditional and popular desserts. French soufflés originated in the 18th century and gained popularity during the 19th century. It is a lightly baked cake made of egg yolks and beaten egg whites, giving it is light and fluffy texture. The inside of the soufflé also consists of a warm, gooey chocolate center. This dessert is typically served in a small, circular dish and has to be served immediately in order to keep its shape. Recipe

“Break Up Brownies”

Breakups – we’ve all been there and we all have our own way of getting over them.

Some of us cry into a tub of ice cream.

Some of us eat our hearts out.

And some of us grab a bottle of wine to forget it ever happened.

No matter how you decide to do it, there’s always something that can make you feel better – chocolate, and thanks to Six Sisters’ Stuff, there’s a brownie perfect for healing any heartbreak.

To make these special Break Up Brownies, you’ll need brownie mix, Butterfingers, Reese’s peanut butter cups, milk chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, creamy peanut butter, and Cocoa Krispies cereal.

First bake the brownie mix for about 18 minutes as directed on the box. Take them out while they are still slightly underbaked, so that they’ll have a warm, soft center. Then sprinkle the brownies with chopped butterfingers and peanut butter cups. Once you’ve done that, put them back in the oven and bake for another 5 minutes.

Take these five minutes to melt your chocolate chips and butterscotch chips together in the microwave. Make sure to use a bowl that is microwave safe. Once the chips are completely melted, stir in the peanut butter and Cocoa Krispies and blend it all together.

Break-Up-Brownies

Then as the final step, remove the brownies from the oven and carefully spoon the new mixture on top. Gently spread the mix until it covers the whole tray.

Lastly, refrigerate for a few hours until the top sets up. This will give you enough time to invite over some friends, sing a few sad songs, and by the time you’re tired of thinking about your breakup, there will be a whole tray of brownies ready for you to enjoy.

Get the full recipe here

Save time for things you love

It’s a Monday, the weekend is over, and there’s a long week ahead. You probably have a thousand things on your mind right now about work and school, and if you’re like me, all you want to do is take a long nap and binge watch your favorite show on Netflix.

While there is so much going on in our lives, it’s important to take the time to think about what really matters. We do things every day that seem so small, yet when all added together, we spend a great deal of our lives doing things as simple as brushing our teeth.

I stumbled upon this video on Facebook one day and it’s been one of my personal favorites ever since. I first watched this video during a time when I was feeling really stressed about a number of things, and at the time it reminded me to take a deep breath and to spend more time doing things that make me happy.

Using 28,835 jellybeans, this video shows how much time the average person spends doing various activities and behaviors throughout their lifetime. It’s crazy how much time we spend doing things like shopping, cleaning, and watching TV, and after we spend all that time doing everyday activities, there are only 2,740 beans left. What we do with the remaining beans is ultimately up to us.

Tell me how you want to spend yours by commenting below!

 

 

Holiday gifts any chocolate lover will love

Tis’ the season for gift giving! It’s time to start your holiday shopping for all your friends and family. Sometimes it’s hard to find the perfect gift that shows just how much you care about someone, but what could be better than a homemade gift made especially for him or her? Here’s a list of easy-to-make chocolate holiday gifts that will bring cheer to all your favorite chocolate-lovers!

chocolate pretzels

Chocolate-Dipped Pretzels

You can’t go wrong with something that’s salty and sweet. To create a colorful assortment, try using white, milk, and dark chocolate. Adding some red and green sprinkles is also a great way to show some holiday spirit. You can top this gift off by wrapping your pretzels in a holiday bag and attaching a personal note! Recipe

truffles

Chocolate Truffles

These delicious chocolate truffles are easy to make and will have your friends raving. There’s nothing better than sitting by a warm fire with friends, drinking a warm cup of coffee or hot chocolate, and eating a few delicious chocolate truffles. Recipe

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Chocolate-Peppermint Bark

The red and white peppermint colors make this treat one of the most festive holiday gifts. You can simply break the squares into pieces and wrap them up in a holiday gift bag to give to your friends. It makes a great gift by itself or add it to a basket with other goodies. Recipe

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Cookie Cutter Fudge

Chocolate fudge is an all time favorite treat at holiday parties, so give your friends their own batch to take home. These cookie cutter shapes make this gift fun and creative! Top the fudge with some festive decorations or leave it plain. It will be delicious either way. Recipe

Calling All Chocolate Lovers

I’m a strong believer that food can bring people together. Family dinner happened every night at my house growing up. Even if we were just ordering pizza, my mom, my dad, my brother and I would all sit around our kitchen table to share the meal together. While I’ll admit that there were times I wished my mom would let us sit around the TV while we ate, I’m now thankful for the memories I have of all of us gathering together.

I’m also thankful for the Christmas cookies my mom and I used to make and for all the pies and cakes my high school friends and I used to bake. Some of the best memories I have from growing up take place in a kitchen. I’ll never forget baking with my grandma in her old house or laughing because I accidentally put all the ingredients for the pumpkin bread in the flour jar. It’s simple things like that that can bring people together.

Even now that I’m in college, I’ve found that food still brings me together with my closest friends whether we are all waiting anxiously for OrderUp to deliver our food or if we’re sitting down to share a meal we’ve prepared together.

It may be important to mention that I’m not necessarily a skilled cook or baker. But you don’t have to make the food to appreciate it, right? Fortunately, my favorite food comes in a variety of ways and sometimes requires no cooking or baking at all.

For as long as I can remember I’ve had a sweet tooth. Some fun chocolate facts about me are that my favorite candy is Reese’s, my favorite desert is brownies, and my favorite kind of ice cream is Death By Chocolate. On my first birthday I had my first piece of chocolate cake. My mom says that’s when my chocolate obsession began. But by the looks of this picture it seems that I probably got more on me than I actually ate.

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I’ve created this blog not only to celebrate my own love of chocolate, but to celebrate it with all you chocolate-lovers out there. However, chocolate is about more than just the delicious taste, but about who you share it with and how it makes you feel. If you’re like me, chocolate is your go-to therapy. If you’re having a bad day, it makes you feel better. If you’re stressed about school, you may snack on a candy bar. If you’re watching a movie with all your friends, you may make a trip to the closest convenience store to pick up your favorite Ben & Jerry’s. Like any good friend, chocolate will be there for you when you need it, the good times and bad.

That’s why this blog is not only about chocolate, but also about feeling positive, spending time with loved ones, and living a happy and healthy lifestyle. I hope it will make you smile, laugh, and feel good about yourself and those around you. Life’s too short so live, laugh, and love chocolate while you can.