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Looking at the history of chocolates, countless people would look at chocolate as a delectably and irresistible sweet dessert invented during the modern times. But they are all wrong! It was actually during the ancient Mesoamerican civilizations where they started using bitter or dark chocolate drinks in some of their religious formal procedures and ceremonies as well some social events and settings. And since that time, there have been several significant chocolate inventions to make the chocolates we love even get better and better in the wonderful world of chocolate making!
Chocolates All the Way from History to Dieting
Now, looking from the history of chocolates to the various uses of chocolates nowadays, we could see how far chocolates have successfully journeyed on Earth. Tell me, would you ever believe if I tell you that no “one chocolate diet” exists anywhere in this world? However, there are quite a lot of unusual diets where they recommend using chocolate as a helpful supplement to lose weight! If this sounds too good to be true, it is because you can't just simply shovel back 3 candy bars everyday and call it a diet! No, the technique is to concoct your own special chocolate diet or diets by integrating small amounts of dark chocolate and cocoa with healthy, low-fat meals.
Remembering Matilda
I remember the day my friend came over while I was whipping up a batch of my grandmother’s homemade brownies. I could already hear her voice from the porch, but when she got into the kitchen and saw what I was doing, she left without saying goodbye. I was baffled! After many years of friendship, she’s never done anything like that to me, so I dialed her number and forced the answer from her. Apparently, she was going to be maid of honor on one of her cousins’ wedding and she figured she needed to lose a little extra pounds. When she found me cooking my grand mama’s chocolate brownie recipe, she knew she wouldn’t be able to resist some if she had stayed.
Dieting for Health Reasons
Poor, Matilda. Men and women like her endure this excruciating sacrifice of not eating what they want just to look good. Given that it is great for health reasons, but does someone really have to suffer that much? I decided to rummage through chocolate recipes to find ones that will not tip the weighing scale over and make dieters run for their lives like this one great recipe hat made a mark in the history of chocolates, and that I will share with you.
Chocolate Raspberry Brownies
Ingredients
1/4 cup sugar free raspberry preserves (or apricot, or cherry)
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 tsp. of almond extract
1/2 tsp. of baking soda
1/2 tsp. of salt
1 cup of high gluten flour
1 cup Splenda
1 tsp. of vanilla
6 eggs
Instructions
Set oven to 325F
Grease a 9x13 inch pan and set aside
Combine cocoa and Splenda
Add preserves and eggs gradually, beating on low-speed with electric mixer
Add salt, almond extract, and vanilla and beat briefly to mix
Combine baking soda and flour. Use a spatula to stir them together
Do not over mix
Turn into prepared pan
Bake at 325F for 30-35 minutes
Brownies should be slightly under-baked but not runny in the center
Let it cool and cut into small squares
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