Chocolate Prices on the Rise!

Reading today's headlines I learned that Hershey's will be increasing the wholesale price of their chocolate bars 13%, effective immediately. They cite the rise in fuel, energy and commodities (milk) as the reason for the price increase. This is without a doubt a justified increase. But, it's bad news for chocoholics like me.

There are several ways to satisfy the chocolate cravings. One of my favorites is with Chocolate No-Bake Cookies. Because of their peanut butter and oatmeal contents, I like to think of them as somewhat healthy. Another is homemade fudge... and not the chocolate chip and marshmallow cream kind.

The key ingredient here is cocoa. This is one item I strongly recommend you don't buy the generic brand or an off-brand, unless you can test them in a small quantity first. I've tried buying the generic brands in the past and found that there was a definite difference in color, texture and most importantly flavor. Cocoa is a bit spendy, but a little goes a long way in recipes.

When I was a child, it was a rare treat to get an actual chocolate bar of any sort. A Hershey's bar was carefully eaten and savored one rectangle at a time. Mom made a lot of treats for us with cocoa, including cakes with a lovely cocoa buttercream frosting and fudge. On the news of the price-hike for chocolate, I've begun to prowl through some of the old church and community cookbooks I have from the 1950's and 60's. They have a lot of good recipes for cocoa based sweets.

In the meantime, I believe I'll whip up a batch of Chocolate No-Bake Cookies today.

Chocolate No-Bake Cookies
2 cups sugar
1/3 cup cocoa
½ cup butter
½ cup milk

Combine in saucepan and bring to a boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and Add:
½ cup peanut butter
1 tspn vanilla
3 cups raw oats

Drop by rounded teaspoonful on wax paper.