(Well, it is until you get a look at all that yummy chocolate and are forced to raid the trail mix in the cupboard so you can pick out all the chocolate chips. Not that anyone around here has ever done that. *cough*)

This series of chocolate videos explores chocolate factories, festivals, and confectionaries around the world with drama and humor. Your host, Valerie Cymes, will no doubt make you jealous as she nibbles her way through some of the world’s finest chocolate.

There are five episodes already available taking viewers to New York City, National Harbor, and Historic Mount Vernon.  The next crop of tours will delve even further into the delights of chocolate-making.  And tasting!

See the rest of the series at www.thechocolatetourist.tv.

More episodes are headed your way for Valentine’s Day 2012, so grab your favorite chocolate and enjoy these chocolate videos!

Today I had my first chocolate spa day, which may become a monthly (if not weekly) ritual.

I ran across the Montagne Jeunesse Chocolate Masque at my local Walgreen’s for $1.99, and I couldn’t help grabbing one.  How can you go wrong with a chocolate scented mud mask?  Plus, it says it deep cleans and unblocks pores.  Who doesn’t want “renewed, re-hydrated, and younger looking skin”?

I already had the Little Moon Essential’s Chocolat Cocoa Bath on hand, so I decided it was time for a chocolate spa day.

The mud masque, when opened, smells very chocolatey.  Actually, it smells exactly like a chocolate scratch and sniff sticker, or a chocolate pencil eraser–not exactly like edible chocolate, but close enough that it makes you hungry for the stuff.

The instructions say to clean your face with warm water, then apply the mask, leaving it on for 10-15 minutes.

I was glad I wasn’t wearing anything white during this process…

The consistency is like a very thick chocolate frosting, which makes sense, given the three different mineral clays in the ingredients: purified water, kaolin, illite, glycerin, glyceryl stearate SE, bentonite, cocoa seed butter, ceteareth-20, shea butter, cocoa shell powder, sea salt, aroma, glucose, lactoperoxidase, citric acid, glucose oxidase, CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77449 (iron oxides).

It’s also cruelty-free and vegetarian, so thumbs up for that.

The mask spread on easily, just like any clay mask.  While the package is intended for use as a single application, there is plenty of mask for two applications to face and neck, so I’m saving some for next week.

Once I had the mask on, I turned my attentions to part II of my chocolate spa: the bath water.  The Chocolate Cocoa Bath instructions say to add a handful after you enter the tub.  The cocoa bath is essentially cocoa powder with soymilk powder and vanilla powder.  It’s scented with nutmeg and cinnamon oils and has little cocoa butter “marshmallows”.

In the tub, it looks about like you’d expect the water to look after dumping in cocoa powder–kind of dirty, really, but, oh the smell!  The smell is terrific, and the stuff is so natural that you can actually add sweetener to it and drink it if you want to.

I soaked for about 15 minutes and then washed off the mask (turning my bath water an even more unappetizing brown).  My face was very soft afterward, and I noticed later that some of my clogged pores were coming unblocked.  Yay.

After soaking a bit longer, I finished up with coconut shampoo (I didn’t have any chocolate shampoo, and hey, chocolate and coconut go great together!).  The cocoa bath left my skin feeling very smooth and silky.

After stepping out of the tub, I had to go nibble on some dark chocolate, of course…

It’s now a couple of hours later, and I smell just the slightest bit chocolatey.  Mmmm.

Chocolate spa day win!

The only downside to the chocolate spa day is that chocolate baths tend to leave chocolatey residue in the tub.  You’ll need to clean that out right away if you have pets.  Also, don’t leave either the mask or the cocoa anywhere that a pet can get his/her mouth on it… chocolate is toxic to household pets; you can read more in our article about chocolate and dogs.

Chocolate spa day is for hoomins only.

Ingredients:

4 oz. saltine crackers
1 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
2 cups chocolate chips
3/4 cup chopped nuts (pecans, walnuts, and almonds all work well)

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400 F.

Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.  On top of this, line with saltines.

Melt the butter in a saucepan over low heat, then stir in the sugar.  Bring to a boil for three minutes.

Pour over the saltine crackers, covering crackers completely.

Bake for 5-6 minutes.

Remove from oven and sprinkle the chocolate chips on top.  Allow to sit for 5 minutes and then use a spoon to spread out the chocolate.

Sprinkle chopped nuts on top.

Let cool and then break into pieces before serving.

Enjoy the chocolate saltine toffee!

Ingredients:

1/4 cup Grape Nuts
1/2 cup fat free cream cheese (room temperature)
2 Tablespoons honey
1 egg white
1/4 cup fat free plain yogurt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup cocoa powder

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

Put Grape Nuts in a Ziploc bag and crush/whack until a) your stress is gone and/or b) they are finely crushed.

Lightly grease four small ramekins (about 3″ diameter). Divide the Grape Nuts in four equal parts and spread on the bottom of the ramekins.

In a small bowl, beat together cream cheese, honey, egg white, yogurt, and vanilla until smooth. Then slowly mix in the cocoa.

Divide the mixture into the four ramekins and bake about 12 minutes.

Let cool, then refrigerate before serving this healthy chocolate cheesecake with the garnish of your choice.

Brownie:
1 pound semi-sweet chocolate
1 pound butter (4 sticks)
1 pound sugar (3 1/2 cups)
8 ounces cake flour (2 cups)
1 tablespoon baking powder
4 eggs
1 pound crushed walnuts (3 1/2 cups)

Glaze:
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup apricot preserves
1/2 teaspoon unflavored gelatin

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.

Melt the chocolate and the butter together in a double boiler.  (If you don’t have a double boiler, use a stainless steel bowl over a pot of simmering water.)

Mix in the sugar, flour, and baking powder until well mixed.  Now add the eggs and mix until well mixed.

Pour mixture into greased 9 x 13 pan.

Sprinkle with walnuts and bake for 40 minutes.  (Edges will become slightly crispy, and a toothpick in the center may not come out clean; it should be slightly gooey.)

Let cool 30 minutes.

Mix glaze ingredients in a saucepan.  Bring to a boil for two minutes.  While hot, spread a thin layer of glaze onto the brownies with a pastry brush.

At this point, you may wish to refrigerate or freeze them; it makes them easier to cut.

Makes approximately 24 Original Palmer House Brownies.

graham crackers
pretzel sticks
large marshmallows
your favorite chocolate bars

Instructions:

Crush the graham crackers by placing in a Ziploc bag and bashing them with your fist to relieve stress.

Insert a pretzel stick in each marshmallow.

Melt the chocolate by placing in a microwaveable bowl.  Microwave for 10-20 seconds, stir, then repeat until melted.

Dip the marshmallow into the chocolate, then roll it in the graham crackers, and voila!

S’mores on a stick!

Good for you chocolate mousse?  Too good to be true?  Nope.  And it’s yummy, too.

Ingredients:

12 oz silken tofu
1/8 tsp almond extract
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 c dark or semisweet chocolate chips (darker = healthier!)
1/2 c fat free Greek yogurt, plain (or vanilla, for a sweeter mousse)

Instructions:

Drain tofu and place in a blender with the almond and vanilla extracts. Blend until smooth.

Melt the chocolate chips–you can do this in a microwave by zapping for 20 seconds, stirring, then repeating this process until they are melted.

Add the melted chocolate chips to the blender and blend until mixed.

Remove from blender and fold in yogurt until just mixed.

Refrigerate before serving.

Add sliced strawberries and/or shaved chocolate for a garnish.

Makes four servings of Good for You Chocolate Mousse.

No Bake Chocolate Cookies

Ingredients:

2 cups sugar
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup cocoa
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup peanut butter (smooth or chunky, if you like more crunch)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups quick oats

Instructions:

In a saucepan, combine the sugar, butter, cocoa, and milk. Bring to a boil and boil for 2 minutes.

Remove from heat and add the peanut butter, vanilla, and oats. Stir until well mixed.

Drop by teaspoons onto waxed paper and let cool; you can refrigerate to speed this up.

That’s it! No Bake Chocolate Cookies are super easy!

Orange Chocolate Ice Cream Sticks

Ingredients:

1 pint chocolate ice cream
1 cup chocolate milk
1/3 cup of frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
1/4 cup powdered sugar

Instructions:

Blend all ingredients in a blender until smooth.

Pour into popsicle molds and place in freezer until firm.

If you don’t have popsicle molds, you can use waxed paper cups. When the mixture is partially frozen, add popsicle sticks to serve as handles. Freeze until firm and tear off paper cups before serving.

Makes 10 servings of Orange Chocolate Ice Cream Sticks.

Filling:
3-4 oz cream cheese
2 Tablespoons orange marmalade
1 egg

Brownies:
1 box brownie mix
water, oil, and egg as called for on the box

Instructions:

Put cream cheese in small, microwaveable bowl and microwave for about 30 seconds. Stir in the marmalade and one egg.

In another bowl, mix the brownie mix per the instructions on the box, then spread into a greased 8″ or 9″ square pan.

Spoon the cream cheese mixture across the top and swirl with a knife. Bake about 40-45 minutes.

For added richness, sprinkle 1/4 – 1/2 cup of chocolate chips on top before baking.

Rate these Cream Cheese Marble Brownies below!