This time of year ushers in snowfall and mittens, leafless trees and blazing woodstoves, and, of course, mountains of recipes for comfort food. Everything from mac and cheese to pizza, pot pies and beef stew is heralded as comfort food. And they are. But really, when you think about it, isn’t chocolate the ultimate comfort food? When you were a child and skinned your knee on the playground, did your mom offer you a bowl of beef stew to make the boo-boo better? No, she offered a foil-wrapped chocolate or a brownie to right that terrible wrong. Further, let’s not forget that chocolate — not pizza or chicken pot pie — is viewed as the universal symbol of love on occasions like Valentine’s Day. Nothing says eternal love quite like a big, garish, heart-shaped box of chocolates; or if it’s for a man in your life, even a hearty piece of chocolate-covered bacon.
DELICIOUS CHOCOLATE RECIPES:
Chocolate-Bacon Muffins Recipe
Chocolate Brownies Recipe With Pretzels
Mini-Chocolate Bundt Cake Recipe
Chocolate Covered Bacon Recipe
Dark Chocolate Ice Cream Recipe With Smoked Paprika
Chipotle Chili Recipe With Chocolate
Chocolate Peanut Butter Truffles Recipe With Sea Salt
Whole Grain Blue Cornbread Recipe
Chocolate comforts us and makes life’s little inconveniences better, but chocolate alone cannot sustain us; even though the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits derived from flavonols in dark chocolate are proven. Pairing chocolate with other comforting foods — like bacon, whole grains, or even coffee — only gives us more reasons to indulge. With an element of surprise or a secret ingredient, chocolate goes from comforting to downright special.
Read more: The best chocolate chip cookies recipe you’ll ever find is here, Chocolate Chip Pudding Cookies Recipe.
Karen Keb is a regular contributor to Grit magazine, and is the editor of Heirloom Gardener magazine.
