Chocolate Lovers' Quick Guide to Health

Here a few useful ideas on how to begin eating right and getting the benefits a well-balanced diet of chocolate can bring you. We highly recommend these recipes from our friends at Hershey as a guide to beginning your own health regime.

Chocolate Festival Cheesecake

• Chocolate Crumb Crust (recipe follows)
• 3 packages (8 oz. each) cream cheese, softened
• 1-1/4 cups sugar
• 1/2 cup dairy sour cream
• 1/4 cup Hershey's Cocoa
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 3 eggs
• Assorted fresh fruit, sliced (optioinal)
• Sweetened whipped cream or whipped topping (optional)

1. Prepare Chocolate Crumb Crust.
2. Increase oven temperature to 450°F. Combine cream cheese, sugar, sour cream, cocoa and vanilla in large bowl; beat on medium speed of mixer until smooth. Add flour and eggs; beat well. Pour into prepared crust. Bake 10 minutes.
3. Reduce oven temperature to 250°F; continue baking 30 minutes. (Cheesecake may not be set in center.) Turn off oven; leave cheesecake in oven 30 minutes without opening oven door. Remove from oven to wire rack. With knife, loosen cake from side of pan. Cool to room temperature; remove side of pan. Refrigerate several hours before serving. Garnish with chocolate curls or sliced fruit and whipped cream, if desired. Cover; refrigerate leftover cheesecake. 10 to 12 servings.

Chocolate Crumb Crust: Heat oven to 350°F. Combine 1-1/4 cups vanilla wafer crumbs (about 40 wafers), 1/3 cup powdered sugar and 1/3 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa in medium bowl; stir in 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) melted butter or margarine. Press mixture onto bottom and 1/2 inch up side of 9-inch springform pan. Bake 8 to 10 minutes. Cool.

Chippy Chewy Bars

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine
• 1-1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 1-2/3 cups (10-oz. pkg.) Reese's Peanut Butter Chips, divided
• 1-1/2 cups Mounds Sweetened Coconut Flakes
• 1 can (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated milk)
• 1 cup Hershey's Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips or Hershey's Mini Chips Semi-Sweet Chocolate
• 1-1/2 teaspoons shortening (do not use butter, margarine, spread or oil)

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Place butter in 13x9x2-inch baking pan. Heat in oven until melted; remove pan from oven. Sprinkle graham cracker crumbs evenly over butter; press down with fork.
2. Sprinkle 1 cup peanut butter chips over crumbs; sprinkle coconut over chips. Layer remaining 2/3 cup peanut butter chips over coconut; drizzle sweetened condensed milk evenly over top. Press down firmly.
3. Bake 20 minutes or until lightly browned.
4. Combine chocolate chips and shortening in small microwave-safe bowl. Microwave at high (100%) 1 minute; stir. If necessary, microwave at high an additional 15 seconds at a time, stirring after each heating, just until chips are melted and mixture is smooth. Drizzle evenly over top of baked mixture. Cool completely. Cut into bars. About 48 bars.

NOTE: For a lighter drizzle, use 1/2 cup chocolate chips and 3/4 teaspoon shortening. Microwave at high 30 seconds to 1 minute or until chips are melted when stirred.

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