When it comes to chocolate, we have our personal favorites, least of which are the small, bite-sized confections known as “chocolates.” One thing that really irks us is biting into an unknown chocolate to discover its delicious exterior is hiding some disgusting filling that we just can’t seem to stop tasting for hours afterwards.

We all have our favorite chocolate desserts and confections, many of which were cultivated as a child, so we too have to admit that even though we ended up gaining extensive experience as a pastry chefs, some of or VERY favorite chocolate treats are ones that we binged on as a kid.
Some habits are hard to break; some you don’t even want to try.

Depending on the recipes used, here’s our Top 10 List of Favorite Desserts or Treats Featuring Chocolate.
1. Chocolate Mousse
2. Chocolate Chip Cookies
3. Chocolate Bumpy Cake
4. Hershey’s Milk Chocolate Bar with Toasted Almonds
5. Chocolate Brownies
6. Chocolate Cream Pie
7. Chocolate-Covered Raisins
8. Chocolate Malt Shakes (The REAL ones!)
9. Chocolate Pudding
10. Real Hot Chocolate (Made from scratch, not Swiss Miss)

Conspicuously absent from our favorites list are:
● Chocolate Fudge or Hot Fudge, on the other hand, tends to be much more chocolatey.
● Chocolate Soft Serve Ice Cream.
● Hostess
● Chocolates
● Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups
● Chocolate Milk
● Chocolate-Covered Fresh Fruits
● Chocolate Mints
● Flavored chocolate bar

When it comes to milk vs. dark chocolate, our preference is, not surprisingly, milk chocolate. But having said that, we are more often finding ourself snacking on dark chocolate.

So, returning to some of our very favorite chocolate desserts and treats, we leave you with one of our very favorite recipes for chocolate brownies. Enjoy!

Fabulous Chocolate Brownies! Makes a 9” x 13” Pan or About 24 – 2” x 2” Brownies

2 Sticks Melted Butter
½ cup Light Brown Sugar, Packed
1 ½ cups Granulated Sugar
4 Eggs, Beaten
2 Cups All Purpose Flour
¾ Cup Dark Cocoa
1 TBSP Pure Vanilla Extract
½ tsp Baking Powder
½ tsp Sea Salt
1 Cup Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
1 Cup Toasted Slivered Almond or Walnuts

1) Beat together melted butter and both sugars with paddle attachment on medium speed 3 minutes.
2) Add 1/2 of the eggs and beat on medium speed 2 minutes
3) Add last half of eggs and beat on medium speed 2 minutes.
4) Add flour, cocoa, vanilla, baking powder, and salt. Mix on low speed 2 minutes, scrape down, and mix again 1 minute.
5) Add chocolate chips and nuts and mix on low speed 30 seconds.
6) Grease and flour a 9” x 13” casserole dish.
7) Pour batter into pan and level evenly edge to edge with a spatula.
8) Bake at 350 F for approximately 25 minutes.
9) Cool and cut.