Dark chocolate is claimed to actually be good for you and there are claims that it can help fight heart disease, high blood pressure and other ailments. So, now would be a great time to adjust some of your favorite chocolate recipes. You will want to look for bittersweet chocolate or German chocolate. Bittersweet chocolate has a high percentage of cocoa but less sugar. German chocolate is sweeter than semi-sweet chocolate.

Adjusting your recipes will be very simple. Instead of using the chocolate you normally would, add the bittersweet or the German into your recipe. You will use the same amount of chocolate that your recipe calls for.

So enjoy your “healthier” cookies and cakes. Remember that eating the dark chocolate is actually a health benefit. A piece of dark chocolate a day, can help keep the doctor away.

1. If the chocolate has been opened, wrap the candy in aluminum foil before storing.

2. Store the chocolate in a cool, dark place, such as on the shelf of a storage pantry or in a wine cellar. Keep the humidity below 50 percent and the room temperature between 60 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit.

3. Chocolate can absorb unpleasant odors. Never store chocolate candy near onions or other strong smelling foods.

The amount of storage time differs for each type of chocolate candy. To insure the candy retains its freshness, never leave stored past the recommended amount of time. The desired storage time for filled chocolate candy is two weeks. Solid dark chocolate can be stored for one year and sold milk chocolate for 18 months.

According to the journal, Food Science and Nutrition hyperactivity is not caused or increased by chocolate no matter how severe a child has ADHD. There are 12 studies that have been recently done and all have concluded that each ingredient found in chocolate is in no way associated with hyperactivity in kids. The FDA has also recently experienced the same findings after extensive research. Many experts suggest that parents associate sugar and hyperactivity primarily because of past beliefs and some experts even say that children tend to be more excited during events that feature sugary snacks. It is still true that too much chocolate is still unhealthy, but small amounts sparingly is OK and has nothing to do with hyperactivity.

Containing phenylethylamine, a mood-regulator chemical that is found in the brain, chocolate may spark the brain’s production of serotonin, which is the body’s own antidepressant. By eating chocolate, we trigger our own internal sense of well-being and serenity. Chocolate’s ability to reduce anxiety and increase a happier mood may be the very reasons that we have the sometimes ravenous chocolate cravings that we do since our body’s chemistry is telling us what will indeed make it happy. Our body is telling us to stoke its fire with serotonin, endorphins and phenylethylamine.

In addition to the presence of phenylethylamine, chocolate also contains caffeine, a stimulant, which works as a stimulant. Our body craves that extra bit of get up and go that caffeine offers, helping spur on the mood lifting benefits of chocolate.

Focusing on macronutrients that our body needs helps us to understand another reason that chocolate works as a mood elevator. Sugar, which is a carbohydrate, acts as a catalyst to release the serotonin into our body, and the fat in chocolate helps to bolster the carbohydrates and gives us a sense of satiety.

Other contributing factors for chocolate’s mood enhancing properties are the presence of vitamins and minerals, including iron, calcium and magnesium.

The only time chocolate doesn’t serve to increase the quality of our moods is when we indulge in too much of it, so finding moderation will give the most benefits.

Chocolate contains antioxidants that protect the body against aging. It protects against heart disease. It is beneficial in lowering blood pressure and cholesterol.

Dark chocolate is the most beneficial. Just because chocolate is good for you doesn’t mean you should over indulge in it. The suggested amount of dark chocolate you should consume daily is 3.5 ounces. Consider the calories this will add to your diet and limit the remainder of sweet foods you consume.

Chocolate is one health food you can enjoy by savoring the flavor. When eaten slowly, chocolate generates a pleasurable sensation. It can simply make you feel good.

You can consume your daily amount of chocolate all at one time or in various ways throughout the day. Shavings of dark chocolate sprinkled on ice cream or desserts is just one way to extend the pleasure.

Making Chocolate shavings and curls is very easy to do as well. There are different methods for creating them. You can make your own flavorful shavings by melting the chocolate down with some flavoring for mint, vanilla, orange. There are a variety of flavors you can do. Then you refrigerate it and let it cool. You can also choose to buy the premade blocks. The process is much like grading cheese. There are graters and shavers that you can buy to make it easier for you. Most of them are inexpensive and can be found in the local baking or craft shop. You will soon find that you can use chocolate in so many ways to transform your creations a work of art.

• chop the chocolate into uniform pieces, this guarantees even melting

• do not let water contact the chocolate, it could cause it to seize and become unusable

• melt it slowly to prevent lumping and stir frequently using a rubber spatula

Depending on your preference and the recipe, you could use one of three methods to melt your chocolate. The different methods include:

• Microwaving: You must select a bowl that will remain cool after continuous heating. Use a low power setting of 50 percent or stir more often, do not overheat the chocolate. Stir every 30 seconds and remove when most of the chocolate has melted. Continue stirring until melted completely.

• Double Boiler: Fill the bottom pan with water, but not enough to touch the bottom of the top pan. Melt in batches if using a large quantity. Stir gently until almost done, then place the top pan on the counter and continue stirring.

• Melting in Liquids: Use at least 1 tablespoon of liquid to two ounces of chocolate and never add cold liquids to melted chocolate.

First, it helps to understand the technical side of chocolate. Milk chocolate is called thus because it has a higher level of milk solids, which gives it a milder, sweeter taste and a creamier consistency. White chocolate doesn’t have any cacao solids, but should have at least 30 cacoa fat thus legitimatizing the use of ‘chocolate’ in its name. Dark chocolate is must contain at least 35 cacao and little to no milk solids. Anything above 35 can be called dark chocolate. However high that percentage is, is usally stated on the package.

Now, how do ‘semi’ and ‘dark’ relate? And where does ‘bitter’ come into the picture? Perhaps it would help to differentiate between ‘eating’ chocolate and ‘baking’ chocolate. ‘Semi-sweet’ is a term used more often to apply to chocolate intended for baking, be it in block, bar, or chip form. It fits into the ‘dark’ category, because it is over 35 cacao content.

Now to muddy the waters…or the cocoa…semi-sweet and bitter-sweet has to do with the ratio of sugar to cacao content, with semi-sweet containing two parts cacao to one part sugar and and bitter-sweet containing three parts cacao to one part sugar. In Europe, chocolate must have at least 55 cacao in order to be labled ‘bitter’. However, the FDA allows the label ‘bitter-sweet’ or ‘semi-sweet’ to apply to chocolate with at least 35 cacoa.

So does this get us any closer to knowing what to use in the kitchen, on either side of the Atlantic? Semi- and bitter chocolates can be used interchangeably for baking, both of which fall into the ‘dark’ category. In Europe, it is more likely you will find your chocolate for baking in a bakers bar or block of couverture, and less often in chip form. What is important is having the strong chocolatey taste that is balanced balanced by the sweetness of the baked good itself, whether cookie, cake or brownie.If you like what you see, keep going: 10 Ingredient Challenge