Giving the gift of food dates back through the ages. People love to receive something luscious that they simply can't wait to sink their teeth into. One of the best gifts the women in my family like to receive is the gift of chocolate. Chocolate Truffles, to be exact.

I always think of my sister any time I see chocolate truffles on display. I have given these as a gift to her many times and she's always thrilled when she opens the package. I, however, wanted to try my hand at making a batch of easy homemade chocolate truffles and get her opinion, since she's the number one chocoholic that I know. I took them to her for a taste test and needless to say, I didn't get to bring any home with me!

This recipe is so quick and easy you don't need a special occasion to enjoy them.

Easy Homemade Chocolate Truffles

3/4 cup butter
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1 (14oz) can sweetened condensed milk
1 Tablespoonful vanilla or almond extract
Cocoa powder (optional)
Chocolate sprinkles (optional)

In a heavy saucepan on low heat, melt butter. Add cocoa powder and stir until blended. Mix in sweetened condensed milk. Stir until thick and shiny - around 4 minutes or so.

Remove from heat and stir in the extract. Chill around 3-4 hours. When cool shape into balls. You may roll the balls into either the cocoa powder or chocolate sprinkles for an extra chocolate kick.

Chill 1-2 hours and keep refrigerated until ready to enjoy!

I still buy her a pretty box full of store-bought fancy truffles on occasion, but she's just as excited to get a batch of these. Truffles can be quite expensive in a chocolate shop. A batch of these can be made for half, if not less then half the price of a pound of store-bought truffles, depending on where you shop.



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A messy chocolate bar is the perfect way to satisfy your summer cravings. Summer snacks are supposed to be comforting, but at the same time refreshing. Exactly this is what you are going to have if you follow correctly the next few steps.

All you need are five all time favorite ingredients and some basic home equipments. A bag of milk chocolate chips, or, if you want something bitter, you may use semi-sweet ones. Unsalted butter and a bag of walnuts will lower the sweetness. Twenty five to thirty Graham Crackers, but for a healthy touch you may use whole-wheat butter crackers. Last but not least, two cans of condensed milk.

Sticky is very yummy, but it has to stick to the right things. That is why we need butter, so just take a plate and melt the butter for one minute and thirty seconds in the microwave. Then, take the crackers and crumble them. My own technique is doing it inside a zip-lock bag. Remember we want big chunks, not a thin dust.

Many desserts are made of layers, and this chocolate bar is no exception. First, the crumbled crackers and on top, acting as a non-sticking agent, the butter. Adding the walnuts will give it a great body to work with. Finally, spread the chocolate chips and the condensed milk in the baking pan evenly.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit for fifteen minutes. Then lower the temperature to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and then put the bars inside. It will be tempting, but still after thirty minutes of baking you should wait for it to cool for at least an hour before cutting. Then wait for a minute, and enjoy.




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Chocolate is so common these days it is hard to imagine life without it. However, when it was first brought to Europe from Central America it was considered a luxury item since it was still fairly rare in Europe. This is just one of the many historical oddities about chocolate.

There are a number of myths about chocolate that many people still believe. It has actually been shown that this delicious treat does not cause acne, and that it is actually a better candy choice than sticky or hard candies when it comes to preventing tooth decay.

In fact, one of the interesting facts about chocolate that you might not be aware of is that it actually contains a very healthy component called flavinoids that has health benefits. Of course this is more true of dark chocolate than the milk confection, and the dark kind has less sugar as well, so it is definitely the healthier option.

Many people give their pets treats of "human food" from time to time, but you should be careful about doing this with chocolate. One ingredient is theobromine which is actually toxic to pets, even though it is perfectly safe for people to eat it (thank goodness).

Chocolate has a low melting point, which is below the normal body temperature for people. This is why, as the advertisements blast on the airways, it melts in your hand but it also melts in your mouth.

Although we love our chocolate in the United States, there are a lot of countries around where people eat even more candy than we do. Looking into interesting facts about this fine chocolate treat you can discover that even though we eat almost 12 pounds per person per year, people in Denmark eat more than double that at 30 pounds per person per year.

Chocolate is made from cacao beans, which are produced in a number of different countries around the world. Many people don't realize that the confection actually tastes different depending on where they beans were grown. It is possible to actually attend a chocolate tasting where you can taste treats made from beans grown in different countries and get an idea of the differences.



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Right. When I was introduced to Xocai I was skeptical to say the least. I've seen things come to market and then leave just as fast when their real secrets are uncovered.

I figured this healthy chocolate business to be just another disappointment in a long string of "get rich quick schemes." All were the same minus the fact that my son somehow found something in this chocolate. That was different.

Oh, he had been involved in his share of multi level businesses in the past. The difference this time was his energy and enthusiasm for the product. Quite contagious, so much so that I decided to bite, no pun intended.

However, before I share my own personal testimony it is important that you understand a bit about my past.

My history with automobiles has been rough to say the least.

* 6 car wrecks
* 2 total outs

All as passenger with knees slamming into glove box. Ouch!

My knees have always taken the worst of the beating. As a result I have very little cartilage left in my poor knees. Thus when I walk up or down stairs my knees have a mind of their own by deciding when they will or will not collapse on me.

At least they did, and then chocolate.

Yes, Xocai chocolate is indeed making the difference for me. I decided to give Xocai a try just to prove that it did not work, unfortunately, or should I say fortunately it did. My buckling knees no longer are buckling in my four-story house and the pain? Well, the pain is gone.

To know that glucocameen is a thing of the past for me is reason enough to stay the course with this healthy chocolate. However, that is just the start of my story, not the end.

I went to the dentist recently. Yes, the dentist.

What does that have to do with this awesome product?

Well, he recently told me that I would need to have a root plaining. That didn't sound fun, though it did sound downright painful.

I put it off as long as I could. Hey, I know when to procrastinate. Finally I decided I needed to take care of my teeth and went back. I was told that the deep pockets I had had were gone.

I was then informed by my son of the dental report on chocolate that was available on YouTube. There is a direct correlation between this chocolate and improved dental hygiene. Yes!

The procedure was no longer necessary.

Eat chocolate instead of experiencing painful dental drills? Where do I sign up? Oh, yeah, I already am.

I'd tell you about the energy that this product has brought to my life but I have to run.

Bottom line for this 75 year old is that eating Xocai chocolate for health works. If it works for me just think of the possibilities for you.



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