Benefits of Dark Chocolate
Valentine’s day is literally right around the corner—how are
you going to celebrate? This is such a
fun holiday to celebrate because it emphasizes how much love you have for
people. Yes, we need to let people know
we love them on a regular basis, but this is just another hallmark excuse for
us to buy our loved ones gifts—primarily chocolate!
I am not going to lie—I do love chocolate! However, we know that milk chocolate and
white chocolate (which isn’t even truly chocolate) are considered “unhealthy”. Now, I am a moderation kind-of-gal, but there
is one other kind of chocolate that has actually been researched to show some
health benefit. Any guesses? That’s right! Dark Chocolate!
What is it about dark chocolate that is better for you as
opposed to milk chocolate? Well, for
one, there is a lot less added sugar and milk solids. That is the main difference between the
two. According to the research done by
Loma Linda University (shout out to my school), 70 percent dark chocolate cocao
content affects regions of the brain associated with memory. This research showed the affects of chocolate
to “promote nerve cell growth, increased brain function communication, blood
flow improvement, and the formation of blood vessels in the brain and sensory
systems”. The key word here in dark
chocolate is “70 percent” or more. Below
70 percent contains the added sugars and milk that are the less healthful
option.
Great—now we can eat all the dark chocolate we want,
right? In moderation, of course. I personally love dark chocolate, but I have
been eating it for a long time, and it kind of takes a while before your tastes buds love
it. Why, you may ask? Dark chocolate is a lot more bitter than milk
chocolate, so it is not as desirable to just snack on. Luckily for you, I have a dark chocolate
covered strawberry recipe tutorial down below for you to try this Valentine’s
Day! Combining the bitter dark chocolate
with the sweet strawberry gives it a nice balance that is not overwhelming. Again, make sure you use 70 percent dark
chocolate or more to get the neurological benefits!
First, you will need a small bowl, a spoon, 70% or higher
dark chocolate (I used a mix of 85% and 70%), fresh strawberries, coconut oil,
wax paper, a sheet pan, unsweetened coconut flakes, and red sugar
crystals. The coconut flakes and red
crystals are solely for decoration purposes, and they add a little bit of
pizzazz.
You may be thinking—why the coconut oil? Now, I am not on the “coconut” bandwagon
where I use anything and everything coconut, but for this recipe it works—and here
is why. From my food experimentation in
food science lab, I found through research that coconut oil helps harden
candies and syrups when completely cooled at room temperature. This makes sense, because coconut oil is a
saturated fat, which is solid at room temperature. This will give the strawberries a nice, hard
coating. We do not need much! Just a teaspoon or less will do the trick. Take the chocolate and coconut oil and melt them in a
microwave safe bowl at 30-second intervals to make sure you do not burn the
chocolate. I have burnt chocolate many
of times, and it does not taste good one bit.
Wash strawberries in a strainer.
Line your baking sheet with wax paper. Simply dip the strawberries in the chocolate
and set them on the wax paper to cool.
It is that simple. Once the
strawberries are all lined on the paper, add your decorations! Let cool for at least 1 hour and enjoy!
That is literally all to it.
Very simple, yet extremely satisfying.
I guarantee they will be a crowd favorite at your next Valentine
event. These chocolate-covered
strawberries also work well at bridal showers, baby showers, or for a romantic
night at home with the hubs!
Try these decadent berries using 70% dark chocolate or
higher, and let me know on facebook at Live Better with Kat Detter or instagram
a pic to @livebetterwithkatdetter. Got a
pinterest? Pin this nutrition post and
recipe! Until next time, keep living better!
Ingredients:
1.5 bars of 70% or higher dark chocolate 1
1 teaspoon of coconut oil
Washed and drained fresh strawberries
Unsweetened coconut flakes (optional)
Red sugar crystals (optional)
Directions:
1.
Wash and drain strawberries, and allow to dry.
2.
In a small bowl, microwave chocolate and coconut
oil at 30-minute intervals, stirring in between each.
3.
Dip strawberries in dark chocolate and set on wax
paper lined baking sheet.
4.
Optional: Add unsweetened coconut flakes and red
sugar crystals for decoration.
5.
Allow to cool for at least and hour.
6.
Enjoy!
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