updated: 12-28-06
The History of Hot Chocolate
Did you know that cocoa has been a popular beverage for thousands of years? The Olmecs, the oldest civilization of the Americas (1500-400 BC), were probably the first users of cacao. As early as 600 AD, the beans were passed on to the Mayans and Aztecs, who consumed cacao-based drinks called 'xocalatl' made with beans from their plantations. They believed cacao beans to be so valuable that they also used them as a form of currency.
When Christopher Columbus first visited the New World in 1492, he encountered many new foods. Amidst these wondrous findings, he came across cocoa beans being used as currency, but didn't know that they were also a food! It took another Spaniard, Hernando Cortez, to make the key realization while fighting the Aztecs. Before Cortez defeated the Aztec emperor, he toasted Montezuma with a golden goblet full of the Aztecs' favorite libation. Cortez brought cocoa beans back to Spain in 1528, where the cocoa drink soon became popular as an accompaniment to breakfast. The Spaniards mixed the beans with sugar, vanilla, nutmeg, clove, allspice and cinnamon. The resulting concoction became the beverage of the nobility, a secret Spain managed to keep from the rest of the world for almost 100 years
But as with most good things, you can't keep them a secret for long, the sweet reputation of the drink began to drift throughout Europe. Chocolate houses and clubs soon became all the rage in London, with literary and social figures of the time gathering to gossip and drink the rare new delicacy. The English found that hot cocoa mixed with milk made an excellent after-dinner treat. Hot cocoa was so in vogue with London's fashionable set that in 1660 the British Parliament instituted a tax on every gallon of chocolate made and sold.
Helping to increase demand was the belief that chocolate was good for all that ails you. Dr. Stephani Blancardi of Amsterdam declared around 1705 that tasty chocolate "is also a veritable balm for the mouth, for the maintaining of all glands and humors in a good state of health." One of his countrymen backed that claim with a report of a man who had died at the age of 100: "He subsisted for 30 years on nothing other than chocolate and some biscuits. Occasionally he would take a little soup to eat. Yet he was so fit that, at the age of 85 years, he could still mount his horse without stirrups."
Over time, as people got busier with other aspects of life, they had less time to spend in the kitchen. Fortunately, the Carnation Company realized this, and introduced the world's first instant hot cocoa in 1935. Moms everywhere rejoiced, they could now provide their families with a delicious hot cocoa treat without slaving over a hot stove! Throughout the 20th century, Carnation continued to provide consumers with innovative improvements. Carnation was first to develop single-serving envelopes, to add marshmallows to instant hot cocoa, and to offer low fat hot cocoa.
In 1985, Carnation joined the Nestle' family, and the rest is history. For over 100 years, families have turned to the Nestle' name for great tasting chocolate and the highest quality products. Today, families across America are still warming their spirits with Hot Cocoa.
Chocolate Chip Caramel Nut Bars
1 (18-oz.) package NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Refrigerated Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup caramel ice cream topping
PREHEAT oven to 350° F. Grease 9-inch-square baking pan.
PRESS 3/4 package of cookie dough into prepared baking pan. Bake for 10 minutes.
SPRINKLE 1/4 cup nuts over cookie crust; drizzle caramel topping over nuts. Top with teaspoonfuls of remaining cookie dough; press gently into caramel topping. Sprinkle with remaining nuts.
BAKE for 14 to 18 minutes or until edge is set. Cool in pan on wire rack.
Recipe and photo courtesy of Nestle Toll House® and www.Meals.com
Cocoa Pecan Brownies
3/4 pounds butter, melted
1 & 1/4 cups sugar
3/4 teaspoon coarse salt
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup whole eggs
2 oz. cocoa powder
8 ozs. of flour
1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F
Combine the melted butter and sugar in a mixing bowl. Blend well until smooth. Add the salt, vanilla, and cinnamon, and blend until smooth. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, and mix until smooth. Combine the cocoa powder and flour and sift. Add the cocoa-flour mixture to the butter mixture to form a batter. Add 1/2 the nuts, and blend well.
Grease a 9x13 inch baking dish. Pour the batter into said dish. Sprinkle the surface with the remaining 1/2 cup of nuts. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes or until set.
Yield: 6-8 servings
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 45 minutes max
recipe courtesy Cafi Annie, Houston, TX
Toffee-Topped Cheesecake Bars
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 cup powdered sugar
1 can (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated milk)
3/4 cup (1-1/2 sticks) butter or margarine, softened
1/2 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa
1 package (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened
1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1-3/4 cups (10-oz. pkg.) SKOR English Toffee Bits, divided
1. Heat oven to 350°F.
2. Combine flour, powdered sugar, cocoa and baking soda in medium bowl; cut in butter until mixture is crumbly. Press into bottom of ungreased 13x9x2-inch baking pan. Bake 15 minutes.
3. Beat cream cheese until fluffy. Add sweetened condensed milk, eggs and vanilla; beat until smooth. Stir in 1 cup toffee bits. Pour mixture over hot crust. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until set and edges just begin to brown.
4. Remove from oven. Cool 15 minutes. Sprinkle remaining 3/4 cup toffee bits evenly over top. Cool completely. Refrigerate several hours or until cold. Cover; store leftover bars in refrigerater. Makes about 36 bars. Yummy!
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