Double Chocolate Peanut Cookies

When I started baking I was surely not a cookie baker! I just thought cookies were far from the challenge I needed. I have come to better senses ever since though and now I am baking cookies whenever I get the chance to… because, let’s face it, they are the perfect little sweet snack whenever our sweet tooth goes a little bit crazy!

These chocolate peanut cookies are super chocolatey (heeeellloooo, 300g of pure dark chocolate!) and the contrast created by the addition of salty and crunchy peanuts is so delicious! I mean, come on, chocolate and salt are best friends, even more so when the salt comes on a handful of flavorful peanuts!

We challenge you to find a more happy pair than chocolate and peanut butter. The rich combo of velvety chocolate and the creamy decadence of peanut butter just can't be beat. (There's a reason Reese's is the most talked about chocolate on Influenster.) Well, your choco-pb dreams are about to get even more wild with the announcement that Hostess' Twinkies will now come in Chocolate Peanut Butter flavor.

The new launch, which was announced just this week, is pretty big news for those with a snack sweet tooth. The traditionally vanilla cake and cream center are transforming into a tasty combo of chocolate cake and creamy, smooth peanut butter filling. Want. It. Now.

The traditional baked good is getting a trendy redo, according to a recent press statement. “With chocolate peanut butter Twinkies, we have paired America’s favorite flavor combination with America’s most beloved snack cake,” Hostess Brands SVP and chief marketing officer Burke Raine said. “This peanut butter-filled treat comes on the heels of our recent introduction of Hostess chocolate cake Twinkies and is another a prime example of our efforts to embrace consumer flavor trends.”

Does this mean we can expect crazy cool flavors from Twinkies like those we see from Oreo? Time shall tell if we'll be so lucky to experience a unicorn-flavored Twinkie.

You all know I’m a huge fan of ice cream sandwiches, and Chipwich makes some of the best on the market. Recently I saw a few different flavors besides the traditional vanilla ice cream and chocolate chip cookie combo which the brand is best known for.

As a peanut butter and chocolate fanatic I figured I would start off with those. Here we have a double chocolate chip cookie with chocolate peanut butter ice cream and chocolate chips.

The cookies are not bad. Chipwich has managed to figure out how make an ice cream sandwich that features creamy ice cream and soft cookies even though it’s a frozen treat. While the cookie texture is fine, the flavor is not my favorite. The cookies have more of a dark chocolate taste giving them a bit of bitterness instead of the sweetness I associate with cookies.

As for the ice cream I was struck by how much it tastes like all of the diet brands on the market. The texture is runny instead of creamy and the flavor is unidentifiable. It does not taste like peanut butter at all and the chocolate almost tastes like baking chocolate with that really bitter aftertaste.

I just did not enjoy this at all. I’m giving it one scoop because the texture and quality of the cookies always impresses me, but this particular offering from the popular brand is a no go for me.

There are three sandwiches in each box and each serving has 320 calories, 14 grams of fat, 180 milligrams of sodium and 29 grams of sugar.

Peanut Butter Lovers and Chocolate Lovers cups were a hit with the brand's candy-loving audience last year, but it was a tough choice to decide which of the two primary ingredients you loved the most. Now you don't have to pick! You can buy a single bag of Reese's miniature cups and enjoy both the Chocolate and the Peanut Butter Lovers flavors for all your sweet snacking pleasure.

This mixed bag of Chocolate Lovers Cups and Peanut Butter Lovers Cups was spotted by Instagram user @snackbetch at a CVS location. The package makes it clear this new combo has the amazing miniature sized Reese's in a fun combo pack assortment.

What makes these “Lovers” cups different than the classic Reese's peanut butter cups? Peanut Butter Lovers Cups have a top layer of peanut butter instead of chocolate, so it has more of that peanut flavor and creamy texture Reese's fans adore. The Chocolate Lovers Cups have a thicker chocolate shell than a traditional Reese's has, so it's a bit more dense and chocolare-forward.

Hershey's released the individual Lovers cups last summer, but they're back now with the new size, miniature. The new 9.3-ounce bag of miniature cups will cost about $4 and be available in grocery stores and drugstores nationwide for a limited time.

We cannot wait to sink our teeth into these special Lovers Cups delights, and of course until we do find the magical bags we will just have to settle for traditional Reese's Peanut Butter Cups in the meantime — which is not so bad, right?

The next time you eat a piece of chocolate, you may not have to feel so guilty about it. Despite its bad reputation for causing weight gain, a number of health benefits may be associated with this delicious treat.

Chocolate is made from tropical Theobroma cacao tree seeds. Its earliest use dates back to the Olmec civilization in Mesoamerica.

After the European discovery of the Americas, chocolate became very popular in the wider world, and its demand exploded.

Chocolate has since become a popular food product that millions enjoy every day, thanks to its unique, rich, and sweet taste.

But what effect does eating chocolate have on our health?

Here are some key points about chocolate. More detail is in the main article.

Chocolate consumption has long been associated with conditions such as diabetes, coronary heart disease, and hypertension.

Chocolate is believed to contain high levels of antioxidants.

Some studies have suggested chocolate could lower cholesterol levels and prevent memory decline.

Chocolate contains a large number of calories.

People who are seeking to lose or maintain weight should eat chocolate only in moderation.

Chocolate receives a lot of bad press because of its high fat and sugar content. Its consumption has been associated with acne, obesity, high blood pressure, coronary artery disease, and diabetes.

However, according to a review of chocolate’s health effects published in the Netherlands Journal of Medicine, it’s not all bad news.

The authors point to the discovery that cocoa, the key ingredient in chocolate, contains biologically active phenolic compounds.

This has changed people’s views on chocolate, and it has stimulated research into how it might impact aging, and conditions such as oxidative stress, blood pressure regulation, and atherosclerosis.

Chocolate’s antioxidant potential may have a range of health benefits. The higher the cocoa content, as in dark chocolate, the more benefits there are. Dark chocolate may also contain less fat and sugar, but it is important to check the label.

Weight gain: Some studies suggest that chocolate consumption is linked to lower body mass index (BMI) and central body fat. However, chocolate can have a high calorie count due to its sugar and fat content. Anyone who is trying to slim down or maintain their weight should limit their chocolate consumption and check the label of their favorite product.

Sugar content: The high sugar content of most chocolate can also be a cause of tooth decay.

Migraine risk: Some people may experience an increase in migraines when eating chocolate regularly due to cocoa’s tyramine, histamine, and phenylalanine content. However, research is mixed.

Bone health: There is some evidence that chocolate might cause poor bone structure and osteoporosis. The results of one study, published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, found that older women who consumed chocolate every day had lower bone density and strength.

Heavy metals: Some cocoa powders, chocolate bars, and cacao nibs may contain high levels of cadmium and lead, which are toxic to the kidneys, bones, and other body tissues.

In 2017, Consumer Lab tested 43 chocolate products and found that nearly all cocoa powders contained more than 0.3 mcg cadmium per serving, the maximum amount recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO).

All in all, eating chocolate can have both health benefits and risks. As ever, moderation is key.

After fermenting, the beans dry out on sunny platforms. Workers turn them several times a day for three to five days to complete drying. The beans can dry faster in rotary driers but sun-dried beans taste the best, according to Cornell.

Next, the beans are taken to the chocolate factory, where they are cleaned and debris is removed. The beans are roasted in large, rotating ovens. The roasting draws out flavor and removes the beans from their hulls. Roasted beans go into a winnowing machine, which cracks the beans and removes hulls. The remaining part of the bean is called the nib. Nibs become chocolate.

The nibs are ground down under a series of rollers. This process results in a thick paste called chocolate liquor. Chocolate liquor does not contain alcohol (however, chocolate liqueur does). It is the main source of unsweetened baking chocolate, according to Pam Williams, co-founder and past president of the Fine Chocolate Industry Association (FCIA) and founder and lead instructor of Ecole Cocolat Professional School of Chocolate Arts.

At this stage, the type of chocolate being produced is determined. According to the FCIA, ingredients separate fine chocolate from that of average quality. "Fine chocolate," as designated by the FCIA, contains only cacao liquor, cacao butter (optional), sugar, lecithin, vanilla (optional) and possibly milk fats and solids. Additional flavors or ingredients like nuts can be added later.

Dark chocolate has chocolate liquor, cocoa butter, lecithin, sugar and vanilla.

Milk chocolate has all of the above plus milk fats and milk solids.

White chocolate contains everything milk chocolate does except chocolate liquor.

Chocolatiers debate whether white chocolate is really chocolate. Until 2002, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration considered it a confectionary rather than chocolate because it does not contain chocolate liquor. The Hershey Food Corp. and the Chocolate Manufacturers Association petitioned the FDA, which added a standard of identity for white chocolate. Because the FDA refers to it as white chocolate, rather than confectionary, some experts, like Williams, accept white chocolate as chocolate.

Within the three categories, the FDA also acknowledges several grades, Williams said. They include unsweetened or brute, which can be up to 99 percent chocolate liquor; bittersweet; semisweet; and dark milk chocolate. The type of chocolate depends on what ingredients are present and the percentage of cocoa, in addition to where the beans are from and the way they are prepared.

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