Three Chocolate-Dipped Musts

I'm a chocoholic. It's undeniable, and everyone who knows me knows about my addiction. I won't apologize for it, and I will advocate that you deserve some delicious chocolate goodies tonight for dessert as well!

Dipping normal foods in chocolate is an awesome bridge for those weird members of society who claim they're "not really into sweets"--like Ty, my boyfriend, who actually has converted to chocoholism after dating me. I believe for dessert-hungry diners, there are three major chocolate-dipped snacks worth trying, and I'm counting them down in this entry!

(3.) Grains: Rice Krispies or Pretzels

The first time we went to The Melting Pot and saw Rice Krispies treats as a dipper for our chocolate fondue, we were surprised; Ty was even a little turned off. But I tried it, and, woo, it was awesome! For a Christmas party a couple of weeks ago, I made chocolate-covered pretzels after seeing them on AllRecipes, and it was a rich after-dinner snack and a welcomed accompaniment to everyone's cocktails. Ty and I finished the leftovers after breakfast on Christmas day.

(2.) Fruits: Strawberries or Bananas

Okay, honestly, chocolate-covered strawberries are my favorite, with bananas dipped in chocolate fondue coming in a close second. But let's face it, chocolate is also good over raspberries, cherries, apples, blueberries, and oranges. Chocolate-dipped fruit is irresistible, and it makes a delicious gift or sweet gesture for Valentine's Day, anniversaries, birthdays, or holiday-themed parties. I took that blurry cell phone pic at the top of this entry after making this snack from AllRecipes.

(1.) Peanut Butter

What did you think was going to be number one...marshmallows? Caramel? Gummy worms? All honorable mentions, but think about it...Reese's will never go out of business because they recognize the priceless combo of peanut butter and chocolate. My favorite recipe is from Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook: Celebrating the Promise, a limited edition of the famous and beloved collection of recipes in celebration of breast cancer awareness. I made the "Peanut Butter Balls" featured in this book today, and they were excellent. Ty couldn't help but to indulge, and we were both extremely pleased. I didn't have the chocolate-favored candy coating the recipe asked for, so I melted a bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips in about half a cup of milk on the stove. Probably because of the large amount of milk I used, this chocolate would just not harden, even after I put it in the refrigerator for about ten minutes. But that's okay, because the soft nature of these peanut butter balls is one reason they're so scrumptious! If you want stiffer peanut butter balls, mix in a fourth cup of Rice Krispies to give them some sturdy texture.

Chocolate-dipped goodies are delicious, impossible to turn down, and so easy to make. There's no reason anyone with a stove or fondue pot can't be enjoying savory chocolate dishes at home every night.

Chocolate Cherry Drops

Beware! This blog is for cherry lovers only. And, yes, I do mean the fruit.

Being a chocaholic and a blossoming cook, I am determined to try as many scrumptious-looking chocolate cookie recipes as I possibly can. After all, once you've begun mastering your own chocolate goodies, those frozen cakes you get at restaurants suddenly just don't taste very good, do they?

I found this recipe on one of my favorite websites, AllRecipes, while browsing holiday desserts. You see, I had offered to bring dessert to a holiday party at work, and I was eager to try out something new. I love chocolate covered cherries and I love cookies, so I thought I'd love "Chocolate Cherry Drops." And after all, cherries are sort of a holiday treat, aren't they?

However, the preparation and baking process for me did not go exactly as the recipe intended, for after already softening the butter in the bowl, I realized I had only a half cup of white sugar left. However, I had an unopened bag of brown sugar, so I substituted the other half a cup needed with brown sugar. A faux pas, I know, but it was two o'clock, and I had to have a dessert in hand for the party by four!

I altered the recipe in one other way. It called for one cup of chopped maraschino cherries. Instead of chopping the cherries, I measured out a cup of whole cherries and dipped a knife into the mixing cup. I slashed back and forth, Freddy Krueger style. I did this because I wanted the fragments of cherries the recipe called for, with whole cherries, because I kept thinking to myself how delicious a chocolate-covered cherry is. Another faux pas. In retrospect, I'm glad I did this, because a whole cup of sliced cherries would have added up to a great number of cherries, and already, these cherries overpowered the cookies. There were too damn many! My recommendation to anyone interested in cooking this is to modify to maybe a third of a cup of chopped or sliced cherries. Also, I could barely taste the walnuts, so I would recommend adding an entire cup of walnuts instead of just the half cup the recipe demands.

Additionally, the recipe was so dry, even before I added the cherries and walnuts, that I also had to crack open another egg to mix it. And when I waited the appropriate eight to ten minutes to retrieve it from the oven, I toothpicked a cookie and found they were not done baking. I turned the oven off and left them in the lowering heat for a few more minutes, and that seemed to do the trick.

I tasted the dough and was shocked at how dry and unsweet it was. After baking, the cookies turned out somewhat sweeter, but only because the cherries take over the entire cookies. This was a very quick and easy dessert recipe, and I could, I suppose, tinker it to how my taste buds would like--more walnuts, less cherries, and, actually, I think white chocolate chips would be divine in this--but unless I had an extreme cherry lover coming over for dinner, I doubt I'll ever make it again. And, be warned: Do not eat chocolate cherry drops without a hefty glass of milk.

Do you know what the kicker was in all of this? I received a text while putting these little cherry monsters in the oven: the party was cancelled due to the ice on the roads. Well, I'll be...