Quality Chocolate
Quality chocolate makes a huge difference in chocolate cupcakes and chocolate frosting, but it comes with a hefty price tag. Because it is not something that the baker on your list might always splurge on, it makes for the perfect gift.
When a recipe calls for baking chocolate, I use my big block of bittersweet chocolate from Callebout. A lump of chocolate is a much better present for someone who has been naughty than a lump of coal. Be sure to throw a chocolate chopper
in with the gift to make it easy for them to cut off the amount that they need (and make sure that the recipient has a kitchen scale
as well). Patric chocolate bars are my favorite bars to eat. But, you can also melt them and use them in frosting. If you have never tried single-origin chocolate, trust me and buy some for yourself, too. (If you want to gift another chocolate just for snacking, TCHO-A-DAY
makes an incredible gift. They'll have superior quality mini chocolate bars every day for thirty days for just $19.99).Askinosie cocoa powder is the cocoa powder that I use when I want a more complex chocolate flavor in my cupcakes. Your cupcake baking friend probably has never heard of it and they will be very impressed with your gift giving prowess.
Why use a chocolate chip when you can use a chunk of high quality chocolate instead? Scharffen Berger Chocolate Chunks
are the ones to try.Finally, it's not chocolate, but don't forget about the gift of vanilla. A big jar of vanilla bean paste
(see my post about vanilla bean paste if you have no idea what it is) makes a sweet gift!
