"chocolate" news and stories

Need a sophisticated dessert for a romantic dinner? Kitchen Daily expert Curtis Stone has got a showstopper: smooth, creamy dark-chocolate mousse topped with candied orange peel. If you love chocolate and orange together, this one's for you.

Get Curtis' Dark Chocolate Mousse with Candied Orange Peel.

Happy Celebration of Chocolate Month!

"Chemically speaking, chocolate is really the world's perfect food," says nutrition researcher Michael Levine. And according to statistics, the general population agrees: In fact, more than $345 million worth of chocolate candy is purchased during the week of Valentine's Day alone, which adds up to a whopping 58 million pounds. The most lucrative chocolate sale day this week? Apparently sweethearts plan ahead, since it's not Valentine's Day but February 13th -- with February 15 close on its heels, as smart shoppers swoop up discounted chocolate.

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Love all things chocolate but perhaps you're a little wary of whipping up your own bon bons? Master pastry chef Jacques Torres (aka Mr. Chocolate) is here to help, with his new app (called MrChocolate, natch) for iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch that channels his inner Willy Wonka. While the initial free app (available at the iTunes App Store) gives you a "behind-the-scenes" look at the Torres chocolate factory, a chocolate glossary, and an animated history of chocolate, among other features, the upgraded app is where the good stuff lives -- Torres video how-tos, recipes, and techniques.

It is almost Valentine's Day, folks. Isn't it time you learned to work it like Torres and bake a chocolate cake for real this year?

We've been taste-testing chocolates for quite some time (a tough job, but someone has to do it), and several years ago, we put Valentine's Day boxed chocolates to a test for the best. But since then, so much has changed -- there are new chocolatiers, and recent chocolate trends have led to new chocolate combinations. We knew it was time to update our gallery.

After tasting more than 45 different boxes, we've created six categories: Best box for kids, best drug-store box, best box for men, best box for caramel lovers, most beautiful creations and overall best box.

After the jump, click through our gallery of best boxed chocolates and see which chocolates won our hearts (and will win yours).

Doughnut lovers, rejoice: Dunkin' Donuts is ringing in the month of love with three new chocolate doughnuts. Yes, you're thinking, "I've had chocolate doughnuts at Dunkin' before, what's the big deal?" Here's the twist -- these are chocolate yeast donuts. And that's a big deal in the doughnut world -- the chain is the first in the country to offer them.

Meet your new doughnuts, released today as part of the chain's "Chocolate Lovers Month":

• Cocoa Confetti: a chocolate yeast ring, topped with chocolate icing and rainbow sprinkles.
• Reverse Boston Kreme: a chocolate yeast shell filled with chocolate Bavarian Kreme and topped with vanilla icing.
• Cocoa Kreme Puff: a sugared chocolate yeast shell filled with vanilla butter cream.

We were lucky enough to get ahold of the new treats. After the jump, our review -- along with more photos.