Increase speed to medium; beat 1 minute (dough will be thick). Stir in white chocolate and toasted macadamia nuts by hand.Drop dough by level tablespoonfuls, 2 inches apart, onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes or until set. Let stand 2 minutes; remove from cookie sheets..

Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Blend in sour cream and vanilla. Stir in chocolate pieces; pour over crust. Bake at 325 degrees for 55 minutes.Loosen cake from rim of pan; cool before removing rim of pan. Chill.

Garnish with whipped cream and red or green maraschino cherries..

But you would have to eat about 25 pounds to get the same effect.

But just as Marijuana is a drug that if taken often leads to addiction. So taking excessive amounts of chocolate can have the same effect and give you a ?high'.

Your Addiction May Have Started In Childhood

You can inherit a sweet tooth from your parents. New York University did some research on mice and found there is a genetic reason why some people crave sugary foods.

Two strains of mice were used in the experiment. One group preferred sweetened water and the other group unsweetened. It was found that a certain gene was missing in one of the groups.

They then looked for this gene in humans.

The Chemistry of Chocolate

Chocolate like other sweet foods stimulates the release of endorphins that make us feel good. With over 300 chemicals in chocolate is it any wonder we crave it?

One of these chemicals found in chocolate is Theobromine that relaxes the smooth muscles in the linings of the lung.

What Other Chemicals in Chocolate Make Us Feel Good?

Neutrotransmitters are the chemical messengers of the brain. Electrical Signals are transmitted between nerve cells. These transmitters make changes in the emotions and sensations.

Another chemical is Tryptophan that produces a neurotransmitter called Serotonin. High levels of Serotonin can give you a feeling of elation or even ecstasy.

Does Chocolate Cause Tooth Decay?

According to scientists at Japan's Osaka University, they have found that the husks of the cocoa beans that chocolate is made from contains an antibacterial agent that fights plaque.

But quite often these husks are thrown away when making chocolate. So if they are added back to the chocolate it may turn out that chocolate will make a good toothpaste but this is not really thought to be recommended.

Do You Want More Good Reasons To Eat Chocolate?

A Scientist in California Professor Carl Keen and his team have suggested that eating chocolate might help fight heart disease. Another chemical called Flavinoid can help thin the blood, so helping to prevent blood clots. Some sceptics are saying that Professor Keen's theory is flawed as his research is funded by the makers of Mars products.

Now For The Bad News

Excessive eating of chocolate can cause obesity so shortening the life expectancy of the chocolate eater. So the old saying that everything in moderation is the best way to eat chocolate or anything else you may be addicted to.

You Can Eat Chocolate and Add A Year To Your Life

Researchers at Harvard University carried out experiments and found that eating chocolate three times a month can add one year to your life.

What Will You Choose?

To be a Chocoholic or not to be a Chocoholic? The question you must ask yourself is ?..

can you live without chocolate

Cakes made with organic chocolate win hands down for they contain a very high percentage of cocoa solids. However, this type of chocolate is very expensive.

Innovation is the buzzword in chocolate circles now and along with chocolate you will find varied other ingredients added to the cake to woo your taste buds. There is the chocolate and orange angel cake, the tangy cinnamon cake, the hot spicy chocolate ginger crunch cake made with ginger syrup and chocolate cake topped with a mildly tempering Banana Sauce to name a few. In fact, it seems that almost everything that is palatable in the kitchen can be used as a flavoring in chocolate cakes. Hazelnut is great in chocolate cake and is beetroot (used in chocolate layer cakes), redcurrant torte chocolate cake is fabulous and baked chocoate and rasin cheese cake.

Chocolate cakes come with vast array of toppings and decorations. Since chocolate cake by nature has a rich taste, the toppings are deliberately kept light. You can have dates, almonds, honey toppings, fruit sauces or you can have decorations made with chocolate. You can peel off chocolate curls, scoop off chocolate balls or create designs with contrasting colored melted chocolate. When it comes to decorating with chocolate, the "Covertures" type chocolate with a glossy finish is the choice of many.

There are plenty of options when it comes to decorating with chocolate. Anything made with chocolate is sinfully delicious. .

Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Blend in sour cream and vanilla. Stir in chocolate pieces; pour over crust. Bake at 325 degrees for 55 minutes.Loosen cake from rim of pan; cool before removing rim of pan. Chill.

Garnish with whipped cream and red or green maraschino cherries..

Stearic and palmitic acids are forms of saturated fat ? not so good. Saturated fats are linked to increases in LDL-cholesterol and risk of developing heart disease. Research indicates that stearic acid appears to have a neutral effect on cholesterol; neither raising nor lowering LDL-cholesterol levels. Palmitic acid on the other hand, does affect cholesterol levels but only comprises one-third of the fat calories in chocolate. Therefore, if we base our chocolate eating habits on latest research, the fat issue isn't so worrying.

Beware milk chocolate may not be so heart healthyAs with mist things in life, there is also a down-side to chocolate. When we eat milk chocolate or lower grade chocolate, part of the total fat content comes from milk fat or various other types of fat contained in the processed chocolate, and not from the pure cocoa, which do adversely affect cholesterol levels.Despite all the good news on cocoa not raising LDL cholesterol, even dark chocolate is a very calorie-dense food, so while the fat content may not invite heart disease or clogging of the arteries, its regular consumption will add a lot of extra calories to someone's daily total. In fact, many chocolate bars list sugar as the number one ingredient. And as we all know lots of white refined sugar is not going to help you keep your waistline nice and slim. Remember obesity is a serious risk factor for developing heart disease.Concerning cholesterol, new and yet-to-be-published studies are showing that some antioxidants contained in chocolate, in particular dark chocolate and cocoa powder, may actually increase "good" (HDL) cholesterol levels by as much as 10 percent.

In the studies, the selected people ate 22 grams of cocoa powder and 16 grams of dark chocolate every day The result: Their "bad" (LDL) cholesterol was less susceptible to oxidation, a process that normally leads to artery-clogging plaques. While many people take vitamins and other antioxidants to help prevent plaque development, the study shows that cocoa could help.In summary, whether chocolate and heart health do walk hand in hand is still an open topic, however, in moderation it won't do your heart any harm, however, watch those calories. Most of all, enjoy it cause it tastes so good!.

• 1 cup skim milk
• 2 tablespoons cocoa
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 medium ripe banana, sliced
• 8 large ice cubes

Add cocoa. Cover, blend on low speed until well mixed. Add sugar, vanilla and banana. Cover, blend until smooth. Add ice cubes, one at a time, blending until thick..

Whether you're a dark chocolate or a milk chocolate fan, you still receive some sort of nutritional benefit even from the lighter, creamier stuff.

So, what is this "healthy" nutrient that the cocoa in chocolate gives us? The cocoa bean, from which cocoa powder is derived from, contains a fairly potent concentration of antioxidant nutrients, so the more cocoa, the better.

If you're a dark chocolate lover, this means you get more of that antioxidant benefit delivered to your blood stream, which helps to ward off unhealthy tissue growth and destroys free radicals, the arch enemy of the healthy cell.

Chocolate not only imparts rich nutrient benefits when consumed in moderate amounts, but studies have also shown it elevates the mood, which partially explains our emotional connection with chocolate, AKA addiction. OK, aside from the rich texture and taste bud tempting taste.

There has actually been research done where the unborn fetuses in a mother's womb who consumed chocolate exhibited elevated signs of activity. Researchers came to the conclusion that the chocolate consumption of the mother subsequently improved her baby's temperament, which translates into the adult term for "happy".

Chocolate has even been called the most high impact food when it comes to cravings and mood. When we crave chocolate, we tend to crave it when we are feeling low emotionally. The likely mechanism of chocolate's mood altering abilities is it's ability to make the body produce endorphins.

Endorphins are essentially the primary "pleasure chemical" which is emitted by the brain and cause pleasurable sensations of well being and contentment.

Whether the endorphin release is caused simply by the good taste of chocolate, or whether there is some actual mood altering chemical in chocolate is still up for debate. Whatever the case may be, it cannot be ignored that many of us, especially women, equate eating chocolate with pleasure and comfort, and there is definitely a reason for it.

Chocolate consumption will always be a sure thing when it comes to mood enhancement. We have to be prudent when consuming chocolate though, since the effects of the sugar can actually cause us to crash and feel worse.

Another unfortunate fact is that chocolate is high in calories and can definitely add up if you consume it several times a day, or you over do it on the portion. So, the next time you feel that irrestistable urge for chocolate, grab a mini chocolate bar, and get those antioxidant, mood boosting juices flowing

Add eggs; continue beating until well mixed. Reduce speed to low; add flour and baking soda. Beat until well mixed. Stir in walnuts, coconut and candy bar chunks by hand.Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls, 2-inches apart, onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for 9 to 11 minutes or until edges are golden brown.

Let stand 1 minute; remove from cookie sheets..