One of the many (many!) beautiful things about chocolate is that—like bacon—nobody’s ever upset when it appears in an unexpected place! With that in mind, here are six creative ways to use your favorite Saratoga Chocolate to surprise and delight:
1. Hot Chocolate Popcorn
Watching Netflix tonight? Wow your loved ones with homemade hot chocolate popcorn. Here’s how: Pop your corn, then sprinkle a few marshmallows on top while it’s hot. Melt a bar of your favorite Saratoga White chocolate, drizzle it over the popcorn and marshmallow mix. Stir to coat evenly. Sprinkle your favorite Saratoga Hot Chocolate mix on top (we like our Mayan Spice Hot Chocolate in this recipe). Happy binge-watching!
2. Chocolate Covered Bacon
Raise your hands if you’re a fan of salty sweet goodness! Indulge in this recipe from The Spruce! For 12 strips of bacon, you’ll need about a pound of chocolate (which translates to about four bars of our chocolate.) This delicious snack brings a whole new meaning to pigging out!
3. Chocolate-dipped Clementines
Fruit dipped in chocolate is our favorite healthy dessert because it’s packed with vitamin C plus antioxidant-rich chocolate. Oh, and it’s delicious. The Food Network suggests peeling and segmenting 7 or 8 clementines. Use a double boiler to melt one bar (4 ounces) of your favorite Saratoga Chocolate (we have 14 distinct and delectable bars to choose from, but we love our Fleur de Sel bar for this recipe). Dip the clementine segments into melted chocolate and cool on parchment paper.
4. Simple Chocolate Mug Cake
Craving that warm-from-the-oven, first bite of cake? Make your own in a coffee mug! Start with 1.4 ounces of your favorite Saratoga Dark Chocolate bar as your base—which leaves more than half the bar for you to enjoy as you prepare the cake! Then follow this 5-minute mug cake recipe from Pretty. Simple. Sweet.
5. Hot Chocolate French Toast
Yes, we said that. We’ve always thought there’s no better dessert after eggs than chocolate, so why not combine the two? Plus, it’s a great way to use stale bread (and stale is best because it soaks up the eggy custard better than fresh bread). Whisk together ½ cup cream, ½ cup milk, 4 eggs, ¼ cup Saratoga Milk Hot Chocolate and a tablespoon of vanilla. Dip each slice of bread in the mixture before cooking over medium heat for approximately two minutes per side, or until golden. Top with hot chocolate whipped cream (Yum! See below) and chocolate shavings to double-down on decadence!
6. Hot Chocolate Whipped Cream
The perfect topping for every drink or dessert: Whip 1 cup of heavy whipping cream on high for two minutes. Then, add ½ cup of Saratoga Hot Chocolate mix and beat until stiff peaks form. Heaven on earth!