Chocolate gifts for Valentine’s Day are a  traditional sign of love and affection, and this year Bittersweet Café, the Bay Area’s bean-to-bar Bittersweet Origins chocolate maker and chocolate cafés, has a full array of its own chocolate collections and special gift packaging ready for your special Valentine sweetheart. 
Bittersweet’s three Bay Area locations are a Valentine gift central with delicious, high quality chocolate gifts ranging from $4.95 to $34.95.  

Valentine tins, Share the Love tins and Big Love Pails are popular Bittersweet signature gifts.  The Mint Tin includes Dark Chocolate Holland Mints and Dark Chocolate Peppermint Shortbreads while the Fruit and Nut Tin features Dark Chocolate Dried Strawberries, Dark Chocolate Cherries and Dark Chocolate Pistachios.
 
The Share the Love Tin provides a quarter pound each of Mint Mix (Dark Chocolate Holland Mints, Dark Chocolate Peppermint Shortbreads) and Fruit and Nut Mix (Dark Chocolate Dried Strawberries, Dark Chocolate Cherries, and Dark Chocolate Pistachios), Solid Milk Hearts and Solid Dark Chocolate Hearts. 

Fabulous handmade Bittersweet truffles are available in a variety of flavors, from hand-rolled dark, Fleur de Sel, raspberry liquor-spiked Framboise, and the scintillating Spicy, to the elegant finish of heart-shaped Blood Orange, Passion fruit and Cinnamon.

Other unique Bittersweet Valentine offerings are the Love Letter and the Tasting Tins.  The Love Letter is a modern-retro envelope, enclosing a note card, one New Tree Alpha Disc (an unusual and incredibly delicious bar -flax seeds give it an unusual crunch and make it rich in anti-oxidants) one of their best-selling Vosges Mini Bars and a $10.00 Bittersweet Gift Card.  

Tasting Tins include How Many Ways Do I Love Thee (a wide selection of small bits of some of the world’s most delectable chocolates) and the popular Heart of Darkness Collection.   The collection also includes an outline of the most recent findings about the health benefits of chocolate with high cacao content.

And, for those quick and inexpensive gift needs, Bittersweet is offering Chinese Take-Away Valentine Boxes with Solid Dark and Milk chocolate hearts, along with Raspberry Cream, Caramel and Mint Crunch Hearts.

About Bittersweet  Origins and Café
Bittersweet Origins is a manufacturing and retailing company which creates craft chocolate and coffee in handmade, micro-batches to engage the senses and the mind.  Bittersweet Café retail stores’ ambience and furnishings reflect the one-of-a-kind nature of its chocolate bars, chocolate drinks and coffees.  The warm and welcoming spaces furnished with unique tables, benches, carts and artwork from local craftspeople and artists create a gathering place for the community to savor locally made chocolate delicacies, coffee and tea.  The Bittersweet Cafes are located in San Francisco on Fillmore Street, College Avenue in Oakland and the Rose Garden Shopping Center in Danville.  For more information, visit www.bittersweetcafe.com/ or call 510-705-1860.

For chocolate lovers, you can never have too many options in the sweet treat department. When it comes to chocolate covered creations, strawberries are probably one of the first items that come to mind, right along with nuts and pretzels. While small chocolate covered pretzels make a tasty treat, keep in mind that chocolate dipped pretzel rods make exquisite gifts. Covered in chopped nuts, caramel, sprinkles, and other embellishments, this sweet indulgence illustrates the versatility of chocolaty treats. Other ideas include:

Candy Apples

From light drizzles of milk, dark or white to a full blanket of velvety chocolate, caramel isn’t the only topping used to completely cover an apple. Often times, chocolate-dipped apples are decorated with extra trimmings, such as cookie crunch, chocolate chips, marshmallows, M&Ms, or sprinkles.

Fruit

Whether fresh or dried, chocolate covered or dipped fruit go beyond Valentine’s Day strawberries or your typical box of Raisinettes. There is no end to the fruity sweet treats that take advantage of a chocolate makeover. Take a walk on the wild side and sample berries, figs, cherries, dried apricots, and dried apple rings drenched in chocolate.

Fortune Cookies

You’ll certainly feel lucky when you indulge in a chocolate dipped fortune cookie. This small treat is often dressed with extra toppings, such as mini chocolate chips or chopped nuts (like almonds and peanuts).

Potato Chips

Chocolate covered potato chips represent the ultimate union between salty and sweet. When making at home, choose potato chips with ridges because they keep their shape and crispiness despite coming in contact with heated chocolate. Feeling adventurous? Decorate with toffee bits or crushed hazelnuts.

Cookies and Brownies

A drizzle of chocolate or generous coat of the sweet stuff transforms a simple oatmeal cookie or walnut brownie into an addicting treat. Generally, brownies and cookies are halfway dipped in chocolate to avoid an overload of sweetness. One of the most sought-after of chocolate covered cookies is the Oreo, which comes in milk and white chocolate varieties.

Spoons

Add a bit of pizzazz to hot chocolate or coffee with a chocolate dipped spoon. To create your own at home, simply dip a plastic spoon in melted semi-sweet or white baking chips. Cool on a sheet of wax paper before placing in the freezer.

Other chocolate covered treats to consider include:

• Rice Krispie Treats
• Cheesecake Bites
• Shortbread
• Marshmallows
• Mints
• Cubes of Pound Cake
• Bananas

Truffles. Photo courtesy of mhaithaca

Any true chocoholic has spent a lot more time then they’d care to admit either pressing their noses against the front window of a chocolaterie, or drooling over a beautiful glass display case, housing the most beloved and cherished chocolaty treat of all time – truffles. 

Invented in 1625 by John Labarge, the humble chocolate truffle is traditionally a sphere like entity with a chocolate ganache center, encompassed by more chocolate and dusted with cocoa powder. However, history has seen several changes made to this cute confectionery – cream, nuts, liqueurs, berries, nougat, toffee, caramel, marshmallow, even wasabi has made its way into the recipes and hearts of chocolate lovers around the world. 

But one need not wander a chocolate shop dreamily, wishing for lots of money to throw down on a $4 or $5 taste of heaven. In fact, these delightful delicacies can be made right in the comfort of your own home at very little expense. 

THE BASIC TRUFFLE:

The trick is to begin with something simple, like a plain chocolate truffle, nothing fancy, but still sinfully good. Then later, once you have perfected your truffle technique, you can add different extracts and flavours to modify the original recipe. 

Ingredients:

- 12 ounces of chopped or broken bittersweet chocolate 
- 1/3 cup of cream (heavy cream is ideal, but ordinary cream will suffice) 
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

photo courtesy of photojenni

Method:

1. Heat cream and chocolate together in a saucepan over a medium heat. Stir constantly until the chocolate is completely melted and the mixture luxuriously smooth.
2. Remove from heat.
3. Add vanilla extract and whisk, whisk, whisk!
4. Pour into a new container or dish and leave to cool in refrigerator for approximately 1 hour, until sufficiently cooled, but not hard.
5. Roll into balls and roll in the topping of your choice.
6. (TIP: When rolling truffles, keep placing your hands on a package of crushed ice to keep your hands cool. This helps avoid melting the truffles into gooey messes.)

And there you have it – truffles galore right in your very own kitchen! Also, truffles make excellent gifts if packaged in tissue paper and presented in a pretty little box. Nothing says love quite like a homemade truffle (and nothing tastes quite as sweet either)!

The next time a dark chocolate candy bar with nuts is calling your name – you don’t have to feel guilty about indulging in its rich, smooth sweetness. Dark chocolate actually possesses a handful of health benefits that goes beyond tasting good and serving as a remarkable comfort food.

There’s no denying the power of chocolate, as it contains ingredients that stimulate the body in more ways than one. The serotonin found in dark chocolate works to decrease stress and combats depression. Other ingredients increase the production of endorphins, which fills your body with that unforgettable feeling of pleasure and satisfaction. Other substances, such as theobromine and caffeine, contribute an energetic and pleasing boost of energy that lifts the spirits.

The Health Factors of Dark Chocolate

Since chocolate comes from a plant, it offers some of the same health benefits as dark vegetables. Like other plants, it contains flavonoids, which provide beneficial antioxidants to the body. Eat dark chocolate in moderation and you can lessen the damage of free radicals, which contributes to heart disease and causes your body to age at a faster rate. When compared to strawberries, you’ll be surprised to know that dark chocolate contains nearly eight times more antioxidants.

It’s the flavonoids in dark chocolate that also aids in maintaining a healthy blood pressure and helps create a balance in hormones throughout the body. Studies have proven that daily consumption of just a small amount of dark chocolate can reduce blood pressure in patients that suffer high blood pressure. An up to 10% reduction in LDL cholesterol (the bad kind) is also linked to eating dark chocolate.

However, many people shy away from chocolate because they feel it contains a lot of calories, but you’ll be pleased to know that some of the fats in chocolate are healthy. Oleic acid is the same healthy monounsaturated fat found in olive oil, while stearic acid provides a saturated fat with a neutral effect on cholesterol. The saturated fat linked to raising cholesterol levels and increasing the risk for heart disease only accounts for one-third of the fat content in chocolate.

5 Stay-Healthy Chocolate Tips

From promoting a physically fit heart to serving the cardiovascular system, you don’t have to feel guilty about routinely eating a small bar of dark chocolate. A few suggestions to help you get the most out of dark chocolate health benefits include:

• Don’t exceed more than 100 grams (or 3.5 ounces) of dark chocolate per day in order to maximize health benefits.
• Choose dark chocolate containing a 65% or higher cocoa content.
• Resembling chocolate chips, many organic trail mixes contain raw cacao in the form of cacoa nibs – unroasted, unsweetened bits of healthy chocolate.
• Add raw organic cocoa powder to soy ice cream or refreshing smoothies.
• For a flavorful healthy treat, select dark chocolate with nuts, orange peel, and natural flavorings.

Great resources for dark chocolate: Chocolate.com, See’s Candies.

We mentioned Bubble Chocolate in a previous post; today they are kindly sponsoring a giveaway for our readers.

Known as Aerated Chocolate Worldwide, All-Natural Bubble Chocolate® Makes Its Debut in the United States. A Chocolate Bar that’s Light, Airy, Satisfying and Delicious; It’s Bubbles Wrapped in Chocolate®

Bubble Chocolate® a new all-natural chocolate brand that brings the global phenomena of aerated chocolate to the United States has arrived and it’s now available at www.bubblechocolate.com

The Giveaway

This giveaway is open to US residents only. Tell your friends and family!

Prizes: 5 winners will each receive one milk and one dark Bubble Chocolate bar.

How to enter (required): Visit www.bubblechocolate.com and then come back and leave a comment telling us the name of your favorite product!

For additional entries (leave a new comment for each additional entry):
- one additional entry if you become our fan on FACEBOOK;
- one additional entry if you grab our button from the sidebar and post it on your blog, please post the link;
- one additional entry if you follow us on Twitter;
- one additional entry if you send a tweet about this giveaway (once a day only); make sure to include @1happyblogger. You may use the following to tweet: @1happyblogger For a chance to win Bubble Chocolate, go to http://www.100cafestreet.com/bubble-chocolate-giveaway
- one additional entry if you fave us in Technorati;
- one additional entry if you blog about this Giveaway with a link back to 100CafeStreet.com and www.bubblechocolate.com
- one additional entry if you follow 100CafeStreet.com via email.

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The giveaway ends on Oct. 20, 2009 at the end of day, Pacific Standard Time. Bubble Chocolate will ship the prizes.

*Please make sure you leave a comment for each additional entry so you get credited.
*Also, please make sure you typed in the correct email address.
*The winners will be announced via e-mail and have 2 days to get back to us or other names will be chosen.
*Incomplete entries will be disqualified & deleted.

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And the winners are…

Here are your random numbers:

28
3
41
21
11

Timestamp: 2009-10-21 07:00:20 UTC

Thank you all for participating! Congratulations to: Tamara B., Sarah, Cori Westphal, Laura and Deborah!

We have featured Chocolate Inked Sweet Shoppe in our Chocolate Manufacturers – Guide for Chocoholics.

Chocolate Inked Sweet Shoppe is located in the historic Village of Metamora, MI. Metamora dates back to the 1800’s and is also known as “horse country.” The building that CISS is located in was built over 150 years ago and has quite a history. It was recently purchased by friends and has been in the process of a complete renovation, the chocolate shoppe is located in the back half of the building. The outside of the building is in the process of being completed now, though when you walk into the shoppe  you will be taken back to years gone by. It gives you a quaint, warm and cozy feeling when you see the signature colors of teal and brown. The fireplace will make you want to sit at one of three tables that remind you of a old fashioned ice cream shoppe. You can enjoy the warmth of the shoppe as you wit with your laptop to access the only shoppe in the village with WiFi or you can relax as you watch a favorite program on the large plasma T.V. 
 
Sharon and Kevin make a variety of handmade chocolates, which include their signature handmade salted caramels, molded caramels, molded chocolates, truffles, specialty chocolates, nutty and krispy barks, dipped nuts, fruits, pretzels, cookies, and so much more. They offer muffins, cookies, brownies, cupcakes, and even Sharon’s signature cake that will truly bring you back. The signature cake can be ordered in any flavor with infused ganache, a chocolate whipped cream, or a fruit filling. Each cake is then drizzled with dark, milk and white chocolates. It is a mouth watering cake that will have you wanting more. “CISS” also does gift baskets for all occasions. One unique product that they have is chocolates that can be printed with photos, logos, and text. These chocolates are not made by Sharon and Kevin, they are made by their supplier in a nut free facility. They do personalized chocolates for all occasions, weddings, graduations, birthdays, funerals, etc. “CISS” also offers Cook’s Farm Dairy Ice Cream. Cook’s is a  working dairy farm and is well known in the Metamora area. You can order ice cream cones, handmade waffle cones and bowls that are dipped in chocolate, great tasting shakes, smoothies, sundaes, parfaits. Coffee, sweet tea, lemonade, canned soda, bottled water are other items that are available. You never know what may be available on any given day, there is always something different.
 
Chocolate Inked has a website for the personalized chocolates and you can call them with any questions and to place your orders. You can access the website at: www.chocolateinked.com
 
You will be pleasantly surprised when you enter the world of “CISS.”  With a tag line of “Have you been CISS’d today?” first time customers will leave with a special chocolate “CISS” so that they too,  “Have been CISS’d today!”
 
Chocolate Inked Sweet Shoppe
70 E. High St.
Metamora, MI. 48455
810-678-2022
Fax: 810-678-2022

We featured Chocolations in our Chocolate Manufacturers – Guide for Chocoholics.

About Chocolations

Founder Maria Valente opened Chocolations in December of 2006.  Located in Mamaroneck, NY Maria Valente creates these local sweets by hand from local and fresh high quality ingredients. Maria’s creations include hand dipped truffles, creative barks, cheerful pops, cupcakes, and beautiful holiday figures such as bunnies and hens.  Her newest creation, rice crispy cakes!  You have to see it to believe it!

photo courtesy of Chocolations.com

Maria’s creations are award-winning. Westchester Magazine named Valente’s truffles best in Westchester in Febuary 2008. In November of 2008, Maria Valente’s antioxidant rich Good For You bar (with dark chocolate, dried blueberries and almonds) won as one of the top three chocolate bars in the United States.

Chocolation’s Mission Statement

Create fine affordable chocolates using excellent ingredients. Give entrepreneurial woman or those with a socially conscious focus a showcase for their goods, and share my resources with them. Model an environmentally friendly, socially conscious business.

Specialties

Crispy Cakes:

One of the latest specialties out of Chocolations,  is their Crispy Cake.  It starts with their homemade Crispy Treats shaped in a number of different ways.  Delicious butter cream is then added to decorate, and it’s finish with solid chocolate pieces to enhance the effect.  This is more than just a cake, it is the centerpiece, and a conversation piece all in one.  Great for weddings and parties.

Truffles Available:

Caramel, Peanut Butter, Classic Milk, Amaretto, Ginger Honey, Hazelnut, Jasmine, Latte, Bailey’s Irish Cream, Toasted Coconut, Concord Grape, Cappuccino, Classic White.

Good for You Bar:

Chocolations Good For You Bar’s are delicious candy bars filled with health benefits. The bar is a combination of dark chocolate, dried blueberries and almonds. All of which are an excellent source of antioxidants, which protect the body against free radicals. Aside from it’s defensive capabilities, the Good For You Bar is a combination off your favorite flavors in a tasty little convenient bar. This “Not-So-Guilty” pleasure is easy to fall in love with, but of course,  in moderation!

Contact Infomation:

Chocolations
914.777.3600 ph.
914.777.2948 fax
www.chocolations.com

photo courtesy of Vivani

We featured Vivani in our Chocolate Manufacturers – Guide for Chocoholics.

About Vivani Premium Organic Dark Chocolates

Chocolate. Tempting, seductive, irresistible, melt-in-the mouth-watering, creamy dark and delicious. Who wouldn’t go weak at the knees? Consumption of organic chocolate has also been rising. And if that’s a sin, it’s well worth paying for! Cocoa, the most important ingredient in chocolate, has been known to mankind since the fourth century BC. The Mayas and the Aztecs regarded the cocoa tree as holy. The drink of the Gods “Chocoatel” was made from its fruits. It was refined and improved through the centuries until it became what we know today as chocolate. Sugar was unknown in the early days, and flavorings like cinnamon and chili pepper were used instead.

Harvesting is still done by hand. The fruits of the cocoa tree are cut down and gathered by the farmers who cut them open with a sharp knife to get at the cocoa beans at the core. For many states in West Africa, Latin America and Asia, cocoa is one of the most important export commodities.

Fresh cocoa beans are white and covered in a sort of pulp. Their typical brown color is the result of special treatment. The beans are placed in layers between banana leaves where they ferment for between five and 10 days before being dried to preserve them for export. This process takes the edge off the bitterness and helps to develop the characteristic taste.

The owners of large plantations mostly make their profits from the use of excessive pesticides, to the detriment of the environment and the welfare of small farmers. Producing cocoa beans by organic methods is now helping many of the small farmers to stay in business. Vivani is also contributing to this development by ensuring that fair prices are paid for the raw materials they use. This not only helps small farmers to improve their living conditions, but also protects their health and environment.

photo courtesy of Vivani

All the ingredients in their organic chocolate are regularly tried and tested for their organic origins by independent controllers. Some of the production is still done by hand. In order to make chocolate, the cocoa beans are roasted approximately 20 minutes to improve their flavor. After the roasting has been completed, other ingredients like raw can sugar or milk are added. It goes without saying that all these ingredients come from organically controlled producers. The unprocessed chocolate, which is still very lumpy, is passed back and forth between rollers until the ingredients are a mere quarter of a millimeter in size. Organic products contain more cocoa than conventional chocolate. The reason for this is that Vivani dispenses with the emulsifier, lecithin, because this is often made from genetically modified soy beans. To compensate for this, more cocoa butter is used. This not only ensures that the ingredients mix well, but that they also melt better on the tongue.

Vivani is truly the Art of Chocolate.

Location:

To see the whole Chocolate Collection and get more info on their products and chocolate in general, please visit Vivani online.

Thank you to all of you who participated to our Huge Chocolate Giveaway! It’s been really fun reading your comments. Now it’s time to announce the winners. Here we go:

Roxy ChocSmith (3 winners): comments #401 (angela), #95 (Nichola), #643 (R Hicks)

Chalmers Ganache (4 winners): comments #171 (barbara wright), #689 (Bridget Michelle Combs), #349 (Courtney S), #404 (Deanna U)

Navitas Naturals (3 winners): comments #386 (Melissa), #3 (DeeAnn S), #216 (Linda Fish)

Bloomsberry & Co (5 winners): comments #662 (Braden), #295 (Leslie M), #428 (Emily N), #440 (Frank King), #417 (Mike)

Bittersweet Origins (5 winners): comments #250 (cathiem), #345 (electricisland), #718 (Heather C), #103 (Heather S), #447 (Janet F)

Mars Snackfood (1 winner): comment #455 (Wendy)

Vivani (6 winners): comments #129 (Danielle), #504 (Debra F), #474 (Jason), #771 (Nancy S), #57 (Valerie), #734 (Veronica Garrett)

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UPDATE (09/02/2009): 2 winners have not responded to our e-mail, therefore we have chosen 2 more names: Carol (comment # 26 – Bittersweet Origins) and Claire (comment # 237 – Vivani).

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The lucky winners will receive an e-mail notification from us and have 2 days to claim their prize. Please remember that due to hot temperatures, some of the sponsors will have to wait till the end of September to send out their prizes.

We featured Gail Ambrosius Chocolatier in our Chocolate Manufacturers – Guide for Chocoholics.

About the Company:

Gail Ambrosius founded her chocolate business in 2004, based on a deep love of dark chocolate and all of its richly complex and flavorful possibilities. She holds monthly tastings in her shop and encourages you to drop by and learn more about the distinct flavors of single-origin chocolate.

photo courtesy of Gail Ambrosius Chocolatier

Gail Ambrosius Chocolatier specializes in creating deliciously exotic dark chocolates in her Madison, Wisc., shop daily for legions of loyal fans in the area and around the country. Much like coffee, fine chocolate takes on the characteristics of the regions where the cacao beans are grown. Gail uses single-origin chocolate for most of her truffles, meaning that the unique flavors of a particular region’s cacao are melded with the finest spices, fruits, teas, nuts and other natural ingredients for the ultimate chocolate experience.

Gail and her staff are constantly tasting, adjusting and concocting new signature truffles and treats, bringing in fresh seasonal flavors to their handmade chocolates. At the same time, Gail is involved in every step of the process from ensuring the cacao farmers receive fair payment to powering her shop with solar and wind power.

About the products:

Looking for a small, simply divine pleasure for a gift, a special occasion or to savor in a rare moment of pampering? Gail Ambrosius Chocolatier has a constantly changing assortment of flavor options that fits the bill. Below are just a few of the possibilities:

Gail Ambrosius Chocolate. photo courtesy of Gail Ambrosius Chocolatier

Boxed chocolates: Truffles are available in beautifully designed boxes in a variety of flavor assortments and sizes. Flavor assortments include: Travel, Teas and Liqueurs. You can also select your own flavor combinations from our wide variety.

Price per box: $4.25 for two-piece; $11.00 for six-piece; $21.50 for 12-piece; and $40 for 24-piece box.

Twelve on the twelfth: You can order their box of twelve chocolates to arrive on the 12th of each month (or as near as possible). This makes a great gift anytime or as a convenient way to keep yourself in chocolate each month. You can select the flavor and length of time you want them to deliver.

Price: $64.50 plus shipping for three months, billed in monthly installments.

Hot chocolate: Warm your senses with this small batch, shaved 65 percent dark Columbian chocolate. Melt into warmed milk or enjoy European style in hot water. Thick and decadent. One bag makes 25 eight-ounce servings.

Price: $15.00

Chocolate sauce: A chocolate sauce for grown-up tastes. Dark and thick, it’s perfect on fruit, ice cream or just treat yourself to a spoonful. Made with Rainforest Certified Ecuadorian chocolate.

Price: $9.00

Shipping: Gail Ambrosius Chocolatier chocolates are made by hand in small batches to provide the freshest chocolate experience. Chocolates should be eaten within two weeks of purchase or refrigerated.

Location:

Chocolates can be purchased at their retail store at 2086 Atwood Avenue, Madison, Wisc., or purchased online at www.gailambrosius.com.