New Chocolate Fave Friend: Dark Chocolate Covered Ginger Snaps

Courtesy of Nuts.com 

By Cal Orey, The Writing Gourmet

Today, at Lake Tahoe it's snowing (again). Plus, earthquakes continue to rattle nerves of me, and other people who live on the North America West Coast. It used to be eating popcorn before an oncoming shaker was a sign that the Earth was going to shake, rattle, and roll. But as a devout quake intuitive, I've moved over to chocolate. It soothes me. (Its compounds endorphins, serotonin, theobromine are good relaxers and mood boosters.) And, chocolate and ginger as a team work wonders for pre-quake queasies and high anxiety!

In my book The Healing Powers of Chocolate (Kensington), I included a chapter "Chocolate's Favorite Friends." And yes, ginger is one of them! I write, "Ginger root is a digestive aid like tasty cinnamon, that can be soothing medicine for the stomach and intestines, relieving indigestion, cramps, and nausea. Best Choco Blend: It is used in dark chocolate bars and combined with lemon, in truffles, and in baked chocolate goods."

Enter Dark Chocolate Covered Ginger Snaps. These cookies are so perfect. Not too hard, not too soft. They're not too sweet or too bitter. Like Goldilocks and the Three Bears tale, I've found the perfect place -- but in dark chocolate ginger snap CookieLand. 

Each cookie is satisfying, boasts a bit of protein, no cholesterol, not high in sugar, and dark chocolate is the first ingredient listed on the nutrition label. No need to eat more than one (or two). Paired with a cup of java or chamomile tea it's bliss. These cookies are special. 
What's more, I'd be proud to offer them to guests who come to visit me in my cabin. The deal is, nobody wants to drive in the snow or on black ice. So, I guess it's just me and these chocolate gems to get me through Mother Nature's moves. And the shelf life is a half year, so I'll enjoy these cookies with both hot and iced coffee beverages (all types) discussed in my new book The Healing Powers of Coffee (due out this summer). Thank you nuts.com!

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Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 40g (~1.4 oz.)
(Approx. 11.4 Servings/Pound)

Amount Per Serving
Calories	200
Calories From Fat	90

%DV
Total Fat	11g	16%
Saturated Fat	9g	43%
Cholesterol	0mg	0%
Sodium	90mg	4%
Total Carbohydrate	27g	9%
Dietary Fiber	0g	0%
Sugars	20g
Protein	1g

Vitamin A	0%	Calcium	2%
Vitamin C	0%	Iron	0%

Ingredients

Dark chocolate(sugar, chocolate liquor, cocoa butter, soy lecithin, (an emulsifier),vanilla), center (enriched flour (wheat flour niacin, reduced iron, thiamine, mononitrate(vitamin B1), riboflavin (vitamin B2), folic acid), sugar, partially hydrogenated soybean oil, molasses, ginger, sodium bicarbonate(leavening), caramel color, salt, soy lecithin (an emulsifier), cinnamon, cloves, nonfat dry milk, and red pepper)**Contains: Milk, Soy, and Wheat.

Storage in a cool, dry place for up to 6 months. We do not recommend refrigeration or freezing.

The Trick to Chocolatey/Caramel Lattes to Die For

By Cal Orey, The Writing Gourmet
"Chocolate, men, coffee:
some things are better rich."--Anonymous

Ever treat yourself to a homemade Caramel Mocha or Latte? Once you do it you'll want to do it again and again. Well, today I discovered a way to enjoy these decadent treats in the comfort of my home. And now that means, you like me, can spoil ourselves, family and friends whenever we get the desire to do so. I remember one time I asked a Lake Tahoe Starbucks' clerk the question "What type of caramel syrup do you use?" No answer. (It's a secret ingredient.) So, I tried using one popular caramel brand (the stuff used on ice cream sundaes) sold at the supermarket and it was okay--but nothing to write home about. That's changed. I found not one but two secret latte tricks. At last, I can treat myself to a real coffee shop-style hot latte whenever I'm craving one by simply turning to two distinctive gourmet syrups: Dark Chocolate and Caramel...

Enter Mont Blanc Gourmet Syrups. First I was introduced to Ghana Single-Origin --the first in their line of Single-Origin Chocolate Syrups. It's an "upscale product and offers the pure, unadulterated flavor of one of the world’s most prized chocolates: the West African Omanhene chocolate." (I include Omanhene chocolate in my book The Healing Powers of Chocolate--and yes, I dish out a lot of health perks of both coffee and chocolate.)
Next, meet Caramel Syrup. It boasts a rich caramel flavor and makes lattes a decadent treat teamed with dark chocolate syrup. (These are just two of many syrups including Sweet Dark Chocolate and White Chocolate ready to order any time for any occasion. Here's just a couple of the DIY recipes Mont Blanc Gourmet offers:

Traditional Caramel Mocha
1 fl. oz. (2 pumps) Sweet Dark Chocolate Syrup
1.5 fl. oz. (3 pumps) Caramel Syrup
1–2 shots of espresso
Top off with steamed milk
Top with whipped cream and drizzle with Caramel Syrup

Traditional Caramel Latte
2 fl. oz. (4 pumps) Caramel Syrup
1–2 shots of espresso
Top off with steamed milk
Top with whipped cream and drizzle with Caramel Syrup

The ingredients for Dark Chocolate Syrup are simple and pure, including high-fructose corn syrup, water, corn syrup, sugar, cocoa, natural flavor, salt, potassium sorbate (preservative). The ingredients for Caramel Syrup include corn syrup, high-fructose corn syrup, water, brown sugar, sweetened condensed nonfat milk, sugar, caramel color, salt, disodium phosphate, carrageenan, potassium sorbate (preservative), and artificial flavor.
I'll use low-fat organic milk and hold the whipped cream. But on occasion I just might indulge for the fun of it. Also, no espresso but strong, fresh brewed coffee does the trick for me. Steamed milk? That's tricky if you don't have one of those jazzy machines. But Google the topic "how to steam milk" and you can wing it in a pinch and it can do the job.

All in all, having these two gourmet syrups in my house is apt to make my fall-winter coffee experiences more enjoyable--and it looks like I've found the trick to lattes and won't want to go back to a plain cup of Joe. The best part is, on a cold, snowy day before of after a storm (one may be headed this way this week) I can whip up a homemade chocolatey/caramel latte, sit by the fire with two doggies and a cat and enjoy the warmth and beauty indoors at Lake Tahoe. That's sweet.