Chocolate

Top 5 hot chocolates to get you through a frigid week

Long gone are the days when hot cocoa was simply a way to pacify a sugar-deprived child on a frigid winter day. The hot refreshment has graduated to adulthood, and it's now easy to find hot chocolate in so many varieties that practically any taste can be satisfied. With another cold front on the wa ... More >>

Top 10 cupcake shops in the Twin Cities

Oh, the humble cupcake. Long a presence in church basements and family picnics, the simple mini-cake frosting recipe has gone upscale in recent years. It's easy to make a mediocre one, but the bakeries below prove that making a great one is a culinary work of art. The key is to find the proper bal ... More >>

Patisserie 46 debuts new line of chocolates

Spring has never tasted so sweet. In recent weeks, pastry chef John Kraus of Patisserie 46 has rolled out an impressive choc-stravaganza ranging from chocolates and confections to bars and bouches--a sweet tsunami that's been months in the making. In July 2010, Kraus and his wife, Dawn, opened ... More >>

Do wine and chocolate mix? A few tips on pairing

The combination of chocolate and red wine often sets similar qualities against one-another​Pairing wine and food is often a puzzle, and the question of what wine goes best with chocolate seems to come up fairly often. For some, chocolate and red wine are both so delightful that any combination ... More >>

Chocolat Céleste and Buttercream say "I do!"

Chocolat Céleste via FacebookCustom chocolates and custom cakes make great bedfellows.​ We were more than a little sad when Chocolat Celeste owner Mary Leonard announced last year that her famed chocolate shop was closing. But Leonard was undeterred by the havoc the Central Corridor light rail co ... More >>

Taste of Chocolate

Who makes the best chocolate dessert?

The singular bittersweet chocolate cookie from Rustica.​February 14 came and went so quickly. The heart-shaped bonbon box is already empty. The chocolate cake devoured. Now where should we turn to get our chocolate fix? Who do you think makes the best chocolate dessert in town? This one's my ... More >>

Patisserie 46 is your one-stop chocolate shop for Valentine's Day

Craig LassigSweets for your sweetie at Patisserie 46. ​Sure, a lot of places in town do great chocolate desserts, but if you were looking to crown a local king of the sweet substance, you might consider Patisserie 46's chef-owner John Kraus, who happens to be a past winner of the freaking Food ... More >>

Rogue Chocolatier Colin Gasko plans to move out of Minnesota

Rogue ChocolatierMaster chocolatier and his creations move out east in spring​This might come as a shocking news to local chocolate lovers: Rogue Chocolatier and its sole proprietor, Colin Gasko, plans to move the whole operation to central Massachusetts in April, according to the Heavy Table. ... More >>

It's Chocolate Cake Day! Here's where to get some of the best in town

Cafe LatteCelebrate with a big slice​If you haven't heard, today is officially Chocolate Cake Day--and that's all the excuse you need to celebrate with a little sweet, cakey cocoa consumption. We don't recommend tackling an entire cake on your own, but there's no harm in jumping on the bandwag ... More >>

Rogue Chocolatier offers free shipping through January

Rogue Chocolatier70% cacao, 100% delicious​If you enjoy high-quality chocolate that's made locally, here's your opportunity to stock up on the best of the best. To celebrate winning the Good Food Award, Rogue Chocolatier is offering free shipping on all web orders over $20 for the remainder of ... More >>

Valentine's treats for chocaholics of every kind

BT McElrathPrinted truffles spell out your feelings.​A classic romantic rookie mistake: Assuming that all chocolate is created equal in the eyes of your cocoa-obsessed valentine. Before you run out and buy a bag of pink and red foil-wrapped Hershey's kisses, think about your lover's personality an ... More >>

Dessert trend: Design your own chocolate bar

chocomize.comSidle up to the bar​Like to mix and match? Well, we hope you have a lot of free time on your hands, because custom chocolate bar companies offer billions of flavor combinations for you to sift through. Yes, we said billion. Categories like fruits, spices, nuts, confections, and even ... More >>

Top 5 pre-Valentine's classes for the perfect DIY meal

A natural aphrodisiac?​There's less than three weeks until Valentine's Day and if you've taken even a cursory stroll through OpenTable.com, you'll find pickings are getting slim if your go-to plan is a dinner date. Luckily that 21-day buffer leaves plenty of time for you to plan a DIY dinner - ... More >>

Cooking with chocolate: chefs' tips (RECIPE)

Lisa GulyaRuby Moon chocolate truffles​Frazzled by the holiday hubbub? A little chocolate cookery could help soothe those frayed nerves. Three chefs share their tips for cooking with chocolate, plus a recipe for mole sauce.

Kopplin's vs. Espresso Royale: Whose hot chocolate is the hottest?

A.J. OlmscheidNot for the snowbound: hot chocolates worth the trip​The snow emergencies may have ended, but it is still the season for hot chocolate. So after all the snowbound days this week, where are the hot chocolates worth leaving the house for? We checked St. Paul coffee shops Kopplin's ... More >>

B.T. McElrath vs. Chocolat Céleste: A holiday chocolate showdown

Lisa GulyaIf only chocolate truffles really grew on trees​As if the Minnesota History Center's "Chocolate" exhibit doesn't provide enough excuses to indulge this fall, the Hot Dish is here to tempt you with locally made seasonal chocolates. We tested our sweet tooth against pumpkin truffles fr ... More >>

The best pumpkin treats in the Twin Cities: Forget pie--think cheesecake, waffles, and beer

Liz PotasekThis pumpkin could be beer or cheesecake or something equally delicious.​The season of pumpkin is upon us: that magical time just before Halloween through Thanksgiving when pumpkins are baked, pureed, and served up in a variety of forms. Our search for pumpkin-flavored edibles at local ... More >>

Chocolate Sampler Night: Fete Mondial

Top 5 local chocolate treats at the History Center

Monica WrightGorging encouraged​Sure, you can visit Chocolate: The Exhibition and leave the Minnesota History Center's gift shop with a cocoa-colored magnet or pencil. Or you could get into the freakin' spirit of things and indulge in one of these top five delectable (and totally local) chocol ... More >>

Chocolate: The Exhibition opens Saturday

Sit on a sweet!​Sure, the Ben Franklin exhibit was thorough and the traveling Vatican display was lavish, but the Minnesota History Center has really piqued our interest with its upcoming exhibit devoted entirely to chocolate.

Patisserie 46: Full-on French bakery in Minneapolis

Decadent treats situated at 46th and Grand

TCHO Chocolate: killer bars & baking drops now sold here!

www.tcho.com​Early on, San Francisco established itself as a hotbed of American-made gourmet chocolate, raising up the likes of Ghirardelli, Guittard, and Scharffen Berger. The city's latest entrant into the market, TCHO--pronounced "choh," as it's the phonetic spelling of the first syllable o ... More >>

Ben & Jerry's rolls out new flavors

There's more than just free cones to recommend Ben & Jerry's this week. Have you seen any of their new spring flavors?

Food Fight: French Meadow vs. Patrick's Bakery chocolate cake

Chocolate cake can bring back memories or inspire new ones. Check out what two local takes on a classic can do.

Food Fight: Burrito Mercado vs. Manny's Tortas Mexican hot chocolate

It's time to bring on some hot chocolate. Check out two Mexican spots have to offer.

Sweets Bakeshop and Sugar Sugar candy

Both shops offer delicious perspective on sweets

Superrich hot chocolate fights single-digit temps

A cup of whipping cream? A can coconut milk? Survive today's dismal temps with the world's most caloric hot chocolate.

Top 5: Foodie Gifts

You can't keep giving those cute, mini-jars of Ames honey or Kitchen Window gift certificates year after year. Check out these cool, new, gift ideas.

Behold the Bacon Chocolate Conan O'Brien head!

Conan's reaction: "I've long dreamed of this. But I never thought I'd see it happen."

Food Fight: Gelato

See who comes out tops in a showdown between a reliable gelato and a new kid on the block.

Ben & Jerry's library-themed ice cream?

Facebooking library geeks are screaming for ice cream flavors Li-Berry Pie, Gooey Decimal System, and more!

Taste of Chocolate

Criollo cacao: It ain't what you might think

More often than not, criollo cacao is a mixture of genetic strains.

Rogue Chocolatier releases new chocolate bar

Rogue Chocolatier's new Venezuelan Rio Caribe bar now available.

V-Day eats: A Baker's Wife's Pastry Shop votes truffles

Making truffles is easy, just don't go trying to yak on the phone at the same time.

Target products added to peanut butter recall list

Will there be a single peanut butter product left? Doesn't seem like it.

Restaurant Recipes: Café Latte's Turtle Cake

Sweet Swede's lingonberry fudge finishes strong

Made in Minnesota, but with Scandinavian roots -- and it goes well with red wine!

The best thing I ate at the fair

Is this the best cookie ever?

Taste of Chocolate

The Smallest Chocolate Factory in the World

Colin Gasko has started a business that some would call insane—making chocolate from raw, unprocessed beans

Twin Cities Chocolate Extravaganza

Al Sicherman

Treat or Treat

Take time to stop and eat the chocolate

Better Driving Through Chocolate

The Ghost of Candy Bars Past

The Alchemist

Brian McElrath's Zinfandel-Balsamic Vinegar Truffle is so potent and rich it seems almost meaty.

INCONSPICUOUS CONSUMPTION