chocolate

How much caffeine is in an ounce of milk chocolate? Get the answer along with more fascinating facts about chocolate.

Makes 24 mini cupcakes

Don't get me wrong. I adore chocolate (especially dark chocolate), and I love nothing more than occasionally treating my kids to gooey, chocolaty goodies. But what I don't love are the saturated fat and calories found in most cupcakes.

No disrespect to Martha Stewart, but when I crunched the nutrition numbers on one of her frosted chocolate cupcake recipes, I found that each cupcake had 500 calories, 16 grams of saturated fat and more 14 teaspoons of added sugar (thanks, in part, to the three sticks of butter and four cups of sugar in the recipe). Even if Martha made mini cupcakes like we did, the numbers would still be pretty high.

But these cupcakes have only 148 calories and only 1 gram of saturated fat.

Ingredients:
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup canola oil
2 large eggs
3/4 cup frozen wild blueberries, thawed (but not drained)
1/2 cup 1% low-fat milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup whole wheat flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
1½ teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

Frosting Ingredients:
1 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
2 tablespoons buttery "spread" (we used Smart Balance Buttery Spread with Flax)
2 tablespoons 1% low-fat milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly oil or coat 24 mini muffin cups with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.

2. Place the sugar and oil in a large bowl and beat at medium speed until well blended, about 1 minute. Add the eggs, blueberries (and their juice), milk, and vanilla extract, and continue to beat on medium until the blueberries are broken up a bit and well incorporated, 1 more minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl if necessary.

3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. At low speed, gradually beat the flour mixture into the liquid mixture until just combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.

4. Spoon the batter evenly into the prepared muffin cups, filling almost to the top. Bake for 15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and cool for 5 minutes. Remove the cupcakes and cool completely before frosting. (Note: Depending on the size of your muffin cups, you may have some batter left over. Feel free to bake up a second small batch of cupcakes with any leftover batter).

5. To make the frosting, place the powdered sugar, cocoa powder, buttery spread, milk, and vanilla extract in a bowl and beat at low speed until blended. Raise the speed to medium once the sugar is incorporated and continue to beat until creamy. Spread the frosting over the cupcakes, and garnish as desired with a red candy or conversation heart.

*If you use a 12-cup muffin tin, you'll want to bake the cupcakes for about 20 minutes.

Nutrition:
140 calories, 7g fat (1g saturated, 4g monounsaturated, 0.5g omega-3), 65mg sodium, 19g carbohydrate, 1g fiber, 13g sugar, 2g protein

Our chocolate caramel pie recipe doesn’t just taste amazing—it’s low in fat and calories. Registered Dietitian Liz Weiss uses an unexpected ingredient—dark chocolate silken tofu—to lighten this dessert.

Want to make this at home? Download this recipe now. (PDF)

Halloween is one of my favorite holidays, so I don't take kindly to the killjoys who try to scare us about all the calories and fat in candy. After all, it's just one day a year.

But now comes the post-Halloween candy glut, and we need to heed their warnings. It's that time when people take their leftover candy (and perhaps part of their kids' loot too) to the office to unload on, er share with, co-workers.

For many of us, that big bowl of candy by the water cooler can be impossible to resist. If you're like me, every time you walk by it, you grab a piece or two, thinking "These are tiny. What's the harm?"

Well, the answer is that the calories in those mini candies can quickly add up. My pal Hungry Girl has done a little digging and compiled some scary stats. Eat just eight Hershey's Kisses, three Nestle Crunch Fun Size Bars, or a couple of Reese's Snack Size Peanut Butter Cups, and you'll instantly get 200 calories. Do that a few times a day, and you'll soon be packing on pounds. Check here for the complete list.

Research shows that, not surprisingly, we consume more if the candy is in a clear container that allows us to see the goodies. As this video segment reveals, the candy's location can also make a difference. The easier it is to reach, the more we tend to eat.

Unfortunately, if it's candy I like--meaning pretty much anything chocolate--putting it out of reach still doesn't seem to deter me much. My only hope is that my co-workers will come in with treats that don't tempt me. Bring on the Skittles and Sweetarts!

Is dark chocolate just an indulgence -- or actually good for you? Dr. Bruce Dan looks at the surprising health benefits of this delicious treat.