It’s the dead of winter here in Vermont and while us Vermonters are known for our skiing and snowshoeing and outdoorsiness sometimes we just prefer to snuggle up and stay warm at home. A lot of people get surprised to hear a Vermonter complain about the cold but I don’t care how long you’ve lived here, once that thermometer dips below zero, it’s cold! So today, I’m here to provide you with a short list of books that you can snuggle up next to a fire with and stay warm. All you need for the perfect evening is a cup of traditional hot chocolate, a blanket, and a fireplace (a furnace and a video Yule log will work just fine for you apartment dwellers). If you have a pet or a loved one, invite them to cozy up next to you as well. Sometimes it’s nice just to watch the snow fall from the inside looking out.

Books featuring Chocolate

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl – Young Adult - This one is the obvious choice however, while almost all of you have seen the movie I bet that many of you have not read the book yet. It doesn’t matter how old you are, Roald Dahl is always a treat.

Chocolat by Joanne Harris Ok, so you’ve seen this movie too, and we all love Johnny Depp but now it’s time to read the book. This book combines romance and a bit of magic with everyone’s favorite food – Chocolate – to tell the story of a small town in France. With family dramas shared, gypsies arriving mysteriously and spellbound chocolate being consumed it’s a quick read that captures your imagination easily for the duration.

Candyfreak: A JOURNEY THROUGH THE CHOCOLATE UNDERBELLY OF AMERICA by Steve Almond This one is a Lake Champlain Chocolates favorite! Steve Almond travels through America searching for its best chocolate. Of course he stumbles across Lake Champlain Chocolates and gives a rave review of our Caramel 5 Star Bar.

Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel A love story/fantasy that joins Mexican mysticism with a love for chocolate. Each chapter begins with a chocolate recipe and the main character Tita, preparing a meal to make your mouth water!

The True History of Chocolate by Sophie D. Coe & Michael D. Coe The name says it all. A great way to delve into chocolate without consuming the calories. “Did you know that the Maya used unsweetened liquid chocolate as currency? And in a chapter called "Chocolate for the Masses," they detail the modernization of chocolate manufacture, which has allowed more than 25 million Hershey's Kisses to roll off the conveyor belt each day.” – Amazon.com.

Chocolate Fever by Robert Kimmel Smith – Early Reader - Henry Green eats so much chocolate that he develops “Chocolate Fever.” "It's all quite preposterous and lots of laughs, and so are the cartoon illustrations." - Publishers Weekly.

It’s hard writing a blog, having to come up with a new subject almost every day, having to write with the same enthusiasm to a faceless, nameless audience. It’s a tough job and today we are giving Leann the day off. So without further ado… I give you a guest blog posting by me, Jason.

Today, I am here to teach you how to spot Fake Chocolate or to use my term “Faucolate” (faux+ chocolate). As we all know, the country is in tough economic times and the ever increasing price of cocoa has put some strain on many large chocolatiers. As a result, some companies have turned to some “shady” techniques in order to reduce their costs.

Some companies (which will remain nameless) have begun switching their recipes from using cocoa butter to using vegetable oils. Faucolate! Now for a product to be considered chocolate, according to the FDA it must contain both cocoa mass and cocoa butter. How do these companies get away with this switch then? It’s all in the name.

Would a chocolate by any other name taste as sweet? Probably, but it wouldn’t technically be considered chocolate. Companies have started to use such terminology as “Made with chocolate” “chocolate candy”, or “chocolatey” on their labels to replace “milk chocolate.” All of these words mean that you are getting a chocolate like substance but this ain’t no chocolate and a true chocolate connoisseur is going to taste the difference.

So that’s the bad news. The good news is that at Lake Champlain Chocolates you will never have to worry about this faucolate pandemic. We use 100% pure chocolate - you won’t find preservatives, you won’t find artificial flavors, you won't find any “stuff” in our recipes, just real, unadulterated chocolate. So bite into a Five Star Bar, or enjoy the subtle flavor of our truffles because at Lake Champlain Chocolates, it's all chocolate.