Quick cookie recipe

 Took a nap; woke up with the munchies. 1 pkg cake mix; 2 eggs, 1/2 cup oil. 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes.

End of the month round up. The world of Biden just gets crazier. Food shortages. Jesus the gardener.

The misinformation "Baghdad Bob" lady, Nina Jankowicz,  that's going to run the "truth office" of the DHS has really stirred things up, hasn't she? I wrote about her before. I wonder if it has anything to do with how many Hispanics and Blacks are turning to the GOP? https://news.yahoo.com/voters-including-parents-latinos-more-202715405.html  Democrats think men can be women by hoping/thinking, and that Ivermectin is unsafe, and that free speech is bad if they aren't in control. Some truth guards they are. Even immigrants know when they are being conned--look where they come from and what they are fleeing!  The Democrats need a venue in Spanish to explain their constant drumbeat about race, color and sex. What better way than using the office that first greets them (and hundreds of other nations) at the border? Can you even imagine the uproar from the media if Donald Trump had suggested he owned free speech and that's all you could hear or know. Wow.

While returning from the gym this morning I heard an old Catholic homily on the importance of the inauguration of Barack Obama. Father John Ricardo, Pastor of Our Lady of Good Counsel Catholic Church in Plymouth, Michigan. https://podbay.fm/p/fr-john-riccardos-podcasts/about   Obviously from their 2009 archives, but I can't locate it for a link. He began with what an historic, important event it was and how we all needed to pray for the new president. And he moved on to the danger of Obama's anti-life mission and how he intended to undo the protections for life already in the law. (At that time, Obama's stance on abortion was the most radical of all politicians, state and federal.)  My mind drifted to the sad fact that instead of the hope people had at the time of his election for healing of old racial wounds (even I was hopeful there would be less manic concern about race) he exacerbated and poked his finger in the eyes of all who support his leftist goals. What a shame.  It could have turned out so differently.  The racism ball had been rolling in academe for a long time--now it picked up speed. 

Recently I wrote about some shortages.  Strange ones.  But this morning at Wal-Mart I found oyster crackers, both name brand (over $3) and house brand ($1).  I bought 2 packages since I didn't know how good they would be, but I should have bought more.  I've already eaten about half a package, and they are fine.  I also found Hersey's dark cacao. That was in short supply or unavailable where I usually shop, so I bought two.  I don't want to strip the shelves and create shortages. https://collectingmythoughts.blogspot.com/2015/05/dark-chocolate-is-good-for-us.html

Last Sunday's sermon by our senior pastor Steve Turnbull had an interesting take on Mary at the Tomb in John 20, https://youtu.be/YszBm-7Eml4  and her meeting the one she thought was the gardener. What if Mary wasn't wrong.  What if there is a gardener; we long to do something with our lives.  I found an interesting site on the internet that uses art--paintings, woodcuts, tapestry--with that theme--Mary meeting Jesus as a gardener. In the paintings Jesus is often shown with a hoe or spade.  Sometimes a hat and overalls.   Browse and enjoy.  The art is incredible.    https://artandtheology.org/2016/04/05/she-mistook-him-for-the-gardener/  I went back and listened to the sermon again.

Last night we went to our favorite Friday night date restaurant, the Rusty Bucket, with Bill and Joyce, and Joan and Jerry and then back to Joan's for dessert--peach cobbler made by Joyce. All of us have summer homes.  Bill and Joyce leave about mid-May for their home on an island in Lake Erie and we just signed the papers to sell our home in Lakeside. Jerry is recovering from some serious surgery and so we don't know when they'll get to Michigan. We all go to the same church where we met within the last 2 decades.   

Dark chocolate morsels

I haven't been able to get Hersey Dark Chocolate Nuggets lately where I shop, but did find some dark chocolate Dove red foil wrapped "promises." Today's wraps for the 2 of us were "Don't wait for sleep to start dreaming," "Be fearlessly authentic," "A smile is the quickest way to brighten a room," and "Be(you)tiful." Dark chocolate is good for your brain and heart; milk chocolate just adds waist.

https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/16774-heart-healthy-benefits-of-chocolate

Cocoa and the brain--new research

 I noticed in the University of Illinois LAS Newsletter that someone has done research on the effects of cocoa on the brain.  Sweet news for the brain | College of Liberal Arts & Sciences at Illinois Been there, done that.  Not me personally, but I wrote about flavanols and the brain years ago.  Or at least, I summarized the research.  I didn't do it personally.  This has a slightly different pitch.

Collecting My Thoughts: Coffee vs. Chocolate for caffeine

Collecting My Thoughts: Dark Chocolate is good for us

Collecting My Thoughts: Habitual chocolate users perform better

Collecting My Thoughts: But make it dark chocolate

Collecting My Thoughts: Cacao vs. cocoa

And as I searched my 16 years of blogs by the tag "chocolate," I think I found more recipes than I did brain research

Collecting My Thoughts  Chocolate Peanut Butter Cream Cheese Tart with Caramelized Bananas

Collecting My Thoughts: Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake for one

Collecting My Thoughts Mrs. Bush's Oatmeal Chocolate Chunk Cookie

Collecting My Thoughts: Chocolate mashed potato cookies

Collecting My Thoughts: Dark chocolate cherry trail mix

Collecting My Thoughts: Peanut Butter Fudge Cake

Dark chocolate cherry trail mix

Dark chocolate is good for you.

Cacao vs. cocoa

Coffee vs. Chocolate
Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup raw almonds
• 3/4 cup raw pecans
• 1 cup pepitas or pumpkin seeds
• 1 cup dried cherries
• 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips or chunks
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Instructions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Place nuts and seeds on a baking sheet and toast 5-10 minutes, until they smell fragrant.
• Combine all ingredients, minus the chocolate, in a large bowl.
• Mix well and add chocolate once the nuts have cooled enough.
• Portion into 1/4 cup portions and store in an airtight container.

Download a printable version of this recipe here.

Serving Size:

Makes approximately 16 (1/4 cup) servings

Nutritional Information:

• 155 calories
• 11g fat
• 2g sat fat
• 0g trans fat
• 0mg cholesterol
• 58mg sodium
• 12g carb
• 3g fiber
• 6g sugar
• 4g protein

Cacao vs. cocoa

I ran out of Hersey’s 100% cacao yesterday and when I stopped at Marc’s where I usually shop, it didn’t have any, so I picked up Baker’s 100% cocoa.  Today I looked up the difference, and as I thought the cacao and cocoa aren’t not the same.  It’s in the processing which destroys many of the antioxidants.  Also the cocoa, even dark, has over twice the fat content of the cacao, according the the labels.

https://blog.paleohacks.com/cacao-vs-cocoa/#

So I’ll have to swing by another store and look for the cacao.  But the cocoa, the article says, is better for baking, which I rarely do anymore.

“What Are The Health Benefits Of Raw Cacao?

• Lowers insulin resistance

• Protects your nervous system: Cacao is high in resveratrol, a potent antioxidant also found in red wine, known for its ability to cross your blood-brain barrier to help protect your nervous system

• Shields nerve cells from damage

• Reduces your risk of cardiovascular disease

• Reduces your risk of stroke

• Reduces blood pressure

• Reduces your risk of cardiovascular disease: The antioxidants found in cacao help to maintain healthy levels of Nitric Oxide (NO) in the body. Although NO has heart benefiting qualities, such as relaxing blood vessels and reducing blood pressure, it also produces toxins. The antioxidants in cacao neutralizes these toxins, protecting your heart and preventing against disease.

• Guards against toxins: as a potent antioxidant, cacao can repair the damage caused by free radicals and may reduce the risk of certain cancers. In fact cacao contains far more antioxidants per 100g than acai, goji berries and blueberries. Antioxidants are responsible for 10% of the weight of raw cacao.

• Boosts your mood: cacao can increase levels of certain neurotransmitters that promote a sense of well-being. And the same brain chemical that is released when we experience deep feelings of love – phenylethylamine – is found in chocolate.

• It is rich in minerals: magnesium, iron, potassium, calcium, zinc, copper and manganese.
• https://www.foodmatters.com/article/raw-cacao-vs-cocoa-whats-the-difference

Chocolate pudding

I stopped using sugar from the bowl or canister about 2 years ago and changed to local honey. We haven't given up sugar, because we still eat restaurant and store purchased desserts. But today I made chocolate pudding from scratch using honey. It was quite good. Just milk, cornstarch, dark chocolate (cocoa, 100% cacao natural unsweetened), a little sprinkle of salt, honey, vanilla, and I added some butter which wasn't in the recipe. It was very good, more chocolate tasting than the box or store bought.

Boxed dry chocolate pudding mix (both Jello and Godiva) contains: sugar, modified cornstarch, cocoa processed with alkali, sodium phosphate and tetrasodium pyrophosphate (for thickening) contains less than 2% of natural and artificial flavor, salt, artificial color mono- and diglycerides (prevents foaming), red 40, Yellow 5, Blue 1.

Sodium phosphate is a salt, but it is also what is used when preparing for a colonoscopy. Tetrasodium pyrophosphate is used as a buffering agent, an emulsifier, it’s more salt, and is used in toothpaste and cat food but can promote algae growth in water. Yuk. I won't even analyze the dyes, but I can assure you, that by using 100% cacao ( which has to have a lot of processing to make it useable) the dark color was richer than the box mix.

Lovely tradition

Chocolate deviled eggs

At first I thought, "How ridiculous!" but then lots of chocolate desserts contain eggs. Chocolate just follows me around. When I got home from Meijer's on Tuesday, I found in my grocery bags Devil's Food donuts, chocolate peanut butter Cheerios, and chocolate peanut butter flapjack single serving cups. Watch out for other shoppers throwing things in the cart when you're not looking.

Ingredients

6 hard boiled eggs

3 Tablespoons cream cheese

3 teaspoons unsweetened, dark cocoa powder

1 ½ Tablespoons confectioner’s sugar

1 ½ Tablespoons heavy cream

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

pinch of salt

Directions

Peel and halve eggs. Remove yolks and mash in a bowl.

Add the cream cheese, cream and vanilla to the yolks and thoroughly mix. Add the cocoa, sugar and salt and continue to mix until well incorporated and smooth. A food processor will simplify this process.

Fill the whites with the mixture.

Garnish with shaved chocolate and a bit of sea salt.

Cocoa and sugar amounts may need to be adjusted slightly depending on personal taste and the percentage cocoa used. Accordingly, the amount of heavy cream may also need to be adjusted.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vEy8cDtrQyM&feature=youtu.be

More on my wonderful chocolate drink

Remember when I was blogging about the wonderful benefits of dark chocolate, for brain and body, including weight loss? Check back here, and here, and here, in case you've forgotten.  After reading about a drink to help cognitive function, I thought, how hard could that be to mix up, so I started making a dark 100% cacao drink (Hersey's brown ribbon container), one to one with Splenda.  But, also, peanut powder for cooking that is 85% less fat is now available, so today I mixed some of the peanut powder with my  chocolate drink, and Shazam!, it was good.  I don't know if it has any health or brain benefits; but I just love the chocolate peanut butter flavor.

Jif is not my peanut butter of choice (I buy Krema), however, it does have handy "to go" packages that are just right for my husband's trips to Haiti.  He misses the regular lunch time due to his schedule and eats peanut butter jelly in the dorm, and these are just perfect.

Welcome June!

Ah yes, but I now drink decaf. I never thought it could happen, that I would look forward to it, but I'm fine now. And I have my dark chocolate drink for the energy boost.

May is something we look forward all winter, and yet it goes by so quickly with all it's memories. We've had really hot, and really cold, and some all in the same day. We started out yesterday about 3 p.m. for a Conestoga event, quite warm, and within an hour I was so glad I'd brought along a jacket. Not only was it a cold front, but it came with rain.

Dark Chocolate is good for us

I have one or two cups of dark chocolate drink in the morning.  I make my own brew. Lately, I’ve been having the chocolate drink before my coffee.  Hersey’s dark chocolate powder, brown box, 100% cacao, adding half the sugar/sweetener recommended. I like it made with about 1/4 cup decaf coffee, with milk added. Yummy and energy inducing.

1) Dark Chocolate is Good for Your Heart

2) Dark Chocolate is Good for Your Brain

Dark chocolate increases blood flow to the brain as well as to the heart, so it can help improve cognitive function. Dark chocolate also helps reduce your risk of stroke.

Dark chocolate also contains several chemical compounds that have a positive effect on your mood and cognitive health. Chocolate contains phenylethylamine (PEA), the same chemical your brain creates when you feel like you're falling in love. PEA encourages your brain to release endorphins, so eating dark chocolate will make you feel happier.

3) Dark Chocolate Helps Control Blood Sugar

Dark chocolate helps keep your blood vessels healthy and your circulation unimpaired to protect against type 2 diabetes.

4) Dark Chocolate is Full of Antioxidants

Antioxidants help free your body of free radicals, which cause oxidative damage to cells. Free radicals are implicated in the aging process and may be a cause of cancer.

5) Dark Chocolate Contains Theobromine

Dark chocolate contains theobromine, which has been shown to harden tooth enamel. Theobromine is also a mild stimulant, though not as strong as caffeine.

6) Dark Chocolate is High in Vitamins and Minerals

Dark chocolate contains a number of vitamins and minerals that can support your health.

• Potassium
• Copper
• Magnesium 
• Iron

http://www.fitday.com/fitness-articles/nutrition/healthy-eating/6-health-benefits-of-dark-chocolate.html

http://my.clevelandclinic.org/services/heart/prevention/nutrition/food-choices/benefits-of-chocolate

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/07/chocolate-brain-blood-flow-thinking-skills_n_3721880.html

http://darkchocolatebrands.net/top-health-benefits-of-dark-chocolate.html#.VV-IYWfbL0c

Chocolate is better than kissing?

"Some say that eating chocolate is better than kissing, and scientists have dutifully tested this hypothesis . . . In 2007, a team led by Dr. David Lewis recruited pairs of passionate lovers, whose brain activity and heart rate were monitored first while they kissed and then while they ate chocolate (separately). . . although kissing set the heart pounding, the effect did not last as long as [eating] chocolate. The study also showed that when the chocolate started melting, all regions of the brain received a boost far more intense and longer lasting than the brain activity measured while kissing."

"Stuff matters; exploring the marvelous materials that shape our man-made world." by Mark Miodownik, 2013. p.86.

Itsy bitsy yummy snack muffins

I make these in several flavors but today it is chocolate oatmeal. I don’t like to measure, so I use a cake mix for the basic dry ingredients.

1 box of Devil’s Food cake mix (at Marc’s this is $1.19)

1/2 cup of coconut oil, melted

1 egg

1 cereal bowl (I didn’t measure) of cooked oatmeal (about 1 minute in the microwave) made with quick-cook oats, mixed with two scoops of dark chocolate powder and a little sugar

Mix the oatmeal, egg/shortening and cake mix; will be stiff.  Spray the mold/cups of a mini-muffin tin, put about a rounded teaspoon of batter in each and bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.

This makes about 30-36 little muffins, depending on how much batter you use.  I’ve also made this using mashed potatoes (can’t taste it); also tasty is yellow cake mix using apple sauce and chopped walnuts or dried cranberries. I’ve also used a spice cake mix with a jar of baby food carrots and raisins.

If you need them to be a little sweeter, sprinkle with powdered sugar.  Freeze, then take out 2 for dessert, and they won’t make you fat.

But make it dark chocolate

Dark chocolate helps with weight loss, and has also been shown to improve memory and cognition. Don’t waste the calories.  But buy the best and not white or milk chocolate.  There are some companies that produce a chocolate supplement, but I prefer to make my own.

http://samadimd.com/healthy-food/could-eating-cocoa-improve-brain-health-in-elderly

I think the secret to the positive attitude and energy is theobromine (food of the  gods). I no longer drink regular coffee, only decaf. Generally, caffeine and theobromine have very different effects on different people. Theobromine is relatively mild and helps elevate serotonin levels producing a really nice side effect of feeling good over a longer period of time. Caffeine is a stronger stimulant and acts relatively quickly as a wake-up drug. Compared to the caffeine, the theobromine has about one-quarter the stimulating power.

Other memory helps, including dark chocolate were listed in my Thursday Thirteen in January 2014.

Flavonoids found in many foods

Flavonoids are a group of plant metabolites thought to provide health benefits through cell signaling pathways and antioxidant effects. These molecules are found in a variety of fruits and vegetables. The abundance of flavonoids coupled with their low toxicity relative to other plant compounds means they can be ingested in large quantities by animals, including humans. Examples of foods that are rich in flavonoids include onions, parsley, blueberries, bananas, dark chocolate and red wine.

http://www.news-medical.net/health/What-are-Flavonoids.aspx

Quercetin and epicatechin are examples of flavonoids, essential pigments found in many fruits and vegetables.

Quercetin is the aglycone form of flavonoid glycosides such as rutin and quercitrin which are found in buckwheat, citrus fruit and onions. Quercetin is thought to have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects and to protect against some forms of illness such as cancer. However, the clinical evidence to support this claim is not yet available, despite promising initial research findings. Quercetin is found in various types of fruits, vegetables, teas, wine and many other food items.

Catechins are important flavonoids abundant in the leaves of the tea plant.* Examples include epicatechin, epicatechin gallate, and epigallocatechin gallate. When oolong tea or black tea is prepared, the leaves are allowed to oxidize. This causes conversion of some or all of the catechins to larger molecules and reduces the flavonoid content. White tea is tea that has undergone even less processing than green tea and therefore provides the highest catechin content.

http://www.news-medical.net/health/Quercetin-and-Epicatechin.aspx

http://www.ihealthdirectory.com/flavonoids-rich-foods/

*All teas from the Camellia plant are rich in polyphenols, antioxidants that detoxify cell-damaging free radicals in the body. Tea has about eight to 10 times the polyphenols found in fruits and vegetables, and the longer you steep the tea, the more flavonoids you'll get in your brew. Some believe white tea can reduce cholesterol and blood pressure and acts as a blood thinner and contibutes to bone density, all because of the falconoids (there are thousands of falconoids, and it’s a great word for Scrabble).

http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/health-benefits-tea
http://www.whiteteaguide.com/whiteteahealthbenefits.htm

DIY decaf white tea (because it can have a lot of caffeine): "Just brew a cup as normal, leaving the leaves in the hot water for about 30 seconds. Then drain the tea leaves and rebrew... The caffeine content is almost completely lost with the first brewing (in fact, just as much caffeine is equal to any commercial decaf!)." From a non-working website.

http://directorsblog.nih.gov/2014/11/04/could-flavanols-reverse-age-related-memory-decline/

Green tea extract and cognitive functions

Cocoa Sustainability—what is that?

This is Hershey’s statement about its farmers who grow the products:

Hershey’s 21st Century Cocoa Sustain ability Strategy seeks to modernize cocoa farming to increase farmer incomes, attract new farmers and improve cocoa growing communities. The 21st Century Cocoa Sustainability Strategy will also help accelerate Hershey’s commitment to purchase 100 percent certified cocoa by 2020 for all chocolate products around the world.

Hershey is currently focusing its initiatives in West Africa – Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana – because cocoa farmers there have the greatest need to improve their farms and raise living standards for themselves and their families. Hershey is working on similar farm improvement projects in Indonesia and Latin America, including an innovative project in Mexico to restore the disease-ravaged cocoa crop. . .

Hershey has already committed to source cocoa through three of the world’s most recognized cocoa certifying organizations: UTZ, Fairtrade USA and Rainforest Alliance. As Hershey’s buying volume increases, the company will be working with other well-established certification organizations to expand their capacity to certify more cocoa farmers globally.
Hershey-supported sustainability and certification programs will benefit more than 750,000 cocoa farmers by 2017.”  (statement originally reported in October 2012) http://www.thehersheycompany.com/pdfs/21st_Century-single_page_final.pdf

http://3blmedia.com/News/Campaign/Hersheys-21st-Century-Cocoa-Strategy

Some background: http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/activists-protest-hershey-times-square-calling-chocolate-giant-stop-child-labor-article-1.127762

http://3blmedia.com/blog/Larry-Graham/CSR/History-Commitment-West-African-Cocoa-Communities

Habitual chocolate users perform better

“Cocoa products are particularly rich sources of flavonoids, although this is influenced by the processing during manufacture (19). Due to a high antioxidant capacity, cocoa products have been promoted as having several beneficial properties (mainly cardiovascular). Even very modest consumption of chocolate may significantly contribute to total polyphenol intake (38). However, a recent clinical trial (39) did not find any beneficial effects of short-term (6 wk) dark chocolate and cocoa consumption on cardiovascular outcomes or on neuropsychological tests. In our study, we found that habitual chocolate users performed better in all cognitive tests and had significantly reduced risk for poor test performance in most tests, whereas the mean intake of chocolate among users was as little as <8 g/d. Moreover, a maximum beneficial effect on cognitive performance was gained at a mean intake of chocolate of ∼10 g/d. The real effect of polyphenols in chocolate may be even stronger, because not all chocolates are equally good sources of flavonoids and the type of chocolate consumed was not specified in our study. In the US and Europe, milk chocolate is the most popular form, but this contains less cocoa mass than dark chocolate and therefore contains fewer polyphenols (40).”

http://jn.nutrition.org/content/139/1/120.full

http://www.nutraingredients.com/Research/Cocoa-flavanols-may-improve-elderly-cognitive-function-Mars-study

http://collectingmythoughts.blogspot.com/2012/02/hot-chocolate.html

Must be dark chocolate, not milk chocolate. I use Hershey’s 100% cocoa with the brown label, not red.

The role of nutrition in Alzheimer’s Disease

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3393525/

It’s coded so I can’t copy the highlights, but the manuscript is available online.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4147716/

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23696698

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20381316

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3385589/

http://www.biostat.jhsph.edu/courses/bio621/misc/Chocolate%20consumption%20cognitive%20function%20and%20nobel%20laurates%20(NEJM).pdf

Correlation isn't causation, but consuming chocolate closely correlates with the number of Nobel laureates in each country in this study. "Chocolate Consumption, Cognitive Function, and Nobel Laureates" NEJM occasional notes, October 10, 2012. http://www.biostat.jhsph.edu/courses/bio621/misc/Chocolate%20consumption%20cognitive%20function%20and%20nobel%20laurates%20(NEJM).pdf

Coffee vs. Chocolate for caffeine

Woot! “A typical cacao bean contains less than 1/20th of the caffeine present in coffee . . .” Caffeine Content

According to Livestrong.com dark chocolate has heart and blood pressure benefits:

Health Benefits of Dark Chocolate

. . .  dark chocolate, which is packed with antioxidants known as flavanols. These antioxidants help the body's cells resist damage. Specifically, flavanols are believed to improve vascular health by lowering blood pressure and improving blood flow to the brain and heart. Flavanols can also help blood platelets be less sticky so that they don't form clots as easily. The higher the cacao content, the more flavanols the chocolate will contain. When choosing a dark chocolate, look for a high cacao content with the least amount of sugar or other ingredients that add calories.

According to the Live Well web site by Jillian

Caffeine in Coffee

Eight ounces of generic brewed coffee averages 95 milligrams of caffeine, according to the National Nutrient Database. The range is 102 to 200 milligrams. A 16-ounce cup of coffee -- the “grande” or medium size in most coffee shops -- contains 200 to 300 milligrams of caffeine. A coffee shop’s standard 1-ounce shot of espresso averages 75 milligrams of caffeine, while generic brewed espresso averages 40 milligrams. A 16-ounce vanilla latte contains 150 milligrams of caffeine.

Decaffeinated Coffee

Decaffeinated coffee does contain some caffeine. In a study published in the October 2006 issue of the "Journal of Analytical Toxicology," University of Florida researchers found that 16-ounce cups of brewed regular decaffeinated coffee, a medium coffee at most coffee shops, contained anywhere from 3 to 13.9 milligrams of caffeine.

Caffeine in Chocolate

A 1-ounce square of unsweetened baking chocolate contains 23 milligrams of caffeine. A large 3.5-ounce bar of very dark chocolate, which contains 70 percent to 85 percent cocoa, averages 80 milligrams of caffeine. Regular dark chocolate, with 50 percent to 69 percent cocoa, contains around 70 milligrams in a 3.5-ounce bar. The same amount of plain milk chocolate contains 20 milligrams of caffeine. Hot cocoa averages 9 milligrams of caffeine per 8-ounce cup.

From comments at Jillian’s site.

“Journal of Chromatographic Science, Vol. 46, pp 892-899 (2008)

Standard Reference Material 2384 Baking Chocolate from the National Institute of Standards & Technology (Gaithersburg, MD), 90 % cocoa solids, was determined to have 26 mg/g (2.6% by weight) theobromine and 2.4 mg/g caffeine.

Food Research International, Vol 42, pp 707–716 (2009)

Chocolate with 60% cocoa solids (from a leading Croatian chocolate manufacturer) was determined to have 9 mg/g (0.9% by weight) theobromine and 0.8 mg/g caffeine.

Even taking the lower, latter figure for caffeine content, this translates into 23 mg of caffeine in 1 oz (28.35 g) of chocolate containing 60% cocoa solids (e.g. bittersweet baking chocolate). “

Like everything else on the internet, people disagree on the amount of caffeine in chocolate—some claiming there is none naturally, that it is added.

Q. How much caffeine is in Chocolate?

A. The small amount of caffeine present in chocolate occurs naturally in the cocoa bean, unlike the caffeine in soft caffeine drinks which is added during the manufacturing process.

Here caffeine are some comparisons that may be helpful:

Coffee 8 fl. oz. 65-120 mg

Cola-type soft drinks 12 oz. 30-55 mg

Milk Chocolate 1 oz. 5-10 mg

Dark Chocolate 1.4 oz. 7-50 mg

The amounts of caffeine in specific HERSHEY'S chocolate products are listed on the Chocolate Products Caffeine page.

Maybe I’ll go with this explanation:

“Chocolate derived from cocoa beans is a weak stimulant. It contains two stimulating methylxanthines (a class of alkaloid molecules), a significant amount of theobromine (and theophylline) and a small amount of caffeine. The slight stimulatory effect of chocolate is it seems as much due to the combination of theobromine and theophylline than caffeine.

Generally, caffeine and theobromine have very different effects on different people. Theobromine is relatively mild and helps elevate serotonin levels producing a really nice side effect of feeling good over a longer period of time. Caffeine is a stronger stimulant and acts relatively quickly as a wake-up drug. Compared to the caffeine, the theobromine has about one-quarter the stimulating power.

However, chocolate contains too little of these compounds to create a similar effect to portion equal to coffee. A typical cacao bean contains less than 1/20th of the caffeine present in coffee (from zero to 1000 parts per million of caffeine per bean).”