A Calculated Whisk

Creative paleo and gluten-free recipes

  • Home
  • About Me
    • Photography Portfolio
  • Cookbook
  • Recipe Index
  • Paleo
    • Paleo Eating
    • A Paleo Pantry
  • Blogging

Chocolate for Breakfast: Ghirardelli Intense Dark 72%

April 7, 2014 By Becky 8 Comments

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and also my favorite.  Today I’m sharing how to make Ghirardelli Intense Dark 72% chocolate part of a complete breakfast.  Don’t tell me chocolate for breakfast is strange–I promise that if you love chocolate at night, you’ll love it even more in the morning.

Do you remember those cereal ads that used to run in the nineties during kids’ shows–the ones that always said the cereal being advertised was “part of this complete breakfast?”  I never considered cereal a meal, even as a kid, and I always wondered: what ELSE is part of this complete breakfast?

If you’ve ever wondered the same thing, today is your lucky day.  I’m going to scrap the cereal completely, and show you my ideal complete breakfast.

There has to be coffee, and I chose iced because spring has finally sprung in Boston.  But the centerpiece of the meal, and a wonderful match for any coffee, is Ghirardelli Intense Dark chocolate.  This chocolate is rich, creamy, and sweet, but not too sweet.  It’s slow melting, flavorful, and easy to break up into perfectly portioned squares.  In my opinion, it takes about four squares of this stuff to fill the chocolate quota of a complete breakfast, but of course you could always have more.

Chocolate and coffee is just a snack.  To make a whole meal, you need some fruit and cheese.  The season’s best blackberries are in stores right now, and they go wonderfully with dark chocolate.  The tart, juicy berries and smooth, luscious chocolate make the perfect pairing.  I also enjoyed some ricotta with a few blackberries on top and a drizzle of honey.  In my opinion, ricotta is the new yogurt.  It’s delicate, creamy flavor complements the chocolate and the blackberries perfectly.  If you haven’t tried ricotta with berries, honey, and dark chocolate, you are missing out on one of my favorite combinations.

There you have it–my complete breakfast.  I enjoyed it on a leisurely Sunday morning, after having a bit too much sangria the night before, and it really hit the spot.  However, this breakfast is so easy and quick that you could enjoy it during the week, too–why not treat yourself on a Tuesday?  No day that starts with Ghirardelli dark chocolate, blackberries, ricotta, and coffee can ever end up being bad.

What’s your favorite food, drink, or activity to enjoy with Ghirardelli Intense Dark chocolate?  I would love to know, and so would Ghirardelli–you can upload a photo of your perfect pairing on Ghirardelli’s website or share one on Instagram with the hashtag #IntenseDark.  On Ghirardelli’s website, you can also find recipes, explore more pairings, and download tasting and party planning guides (forget wine tasting–why not have a chocolate tasting, or better yet, include both?).

One more important thing: if “plain” Intense Dark chocolate isn’t enough for you, Ghirardelli’s Intense Dark line also comes in seven other flavors: Sea Salt Soiree, 86% Midnight Reverie, 60% Cacao Evening Dream, Cabernet Matinee, Hazelnut Heaven, Toffee Interlude, and Cherry Tango.  I’ve tried the Midnight Reverie and it’s also delicious–a great choice if you want plenty of robust chocolate flavor without too much noise from added sugar.  Next on my must-try list is the Sea Salt Soiree, since salty + sweet is my love language.  Which flavor are you most excited to try?  I’d love to hear about it, and about your perfect pairing ideas, in the comments below!

(function(d, s, id) { var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d.getElementById(id)) return; js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; js.src = “//connect.facebook.net/en_US/all.js#xfbml=1”; fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs); }(document, ‘script’, ‘facebook-jssdk’));

Disclosure: This post was sponsored by Ghirardelli, but as always, all opinions (and the idea to have it for breakfast) are my own.

Filed Under: breakfast, uncategorized Tagged With: blackberry, chocolate, coffee, dark chocolate, ghirardelli, ricotta, sponsored

« Slow-Cooker Carnitas Lettuce Wraps with Pineapple & Avocado Salsa
Blackberry Smash »

Comments

  1. Janie Penn says

    April 10, 2014 at 4:43 am

    I found 4 rather nearby stores that sell Ghirardelli chocolate!

    Reply
    • Rebecca Winkler says

      April 11, 2014 at 2:48 am

      Yay!! ๐Ÿ™‚

      Reply
  2. Jessica S. says

    April 8, 2014 at 2:05 pm

    That is a fancy and decadent breakfast. ๐Ÿ™‚ Yummy!

    Reply
    • Rebecca Winkler says

      April 8, 2014 at 4:33 pm

      Thank you, Jess!

      Reply
  3. Betsy Cohen says

    April 8, 2014 at 11:33 am

    I think your 'complete' breakfast is great for Sundays, Tuesdays and every other day that ends with the word 'day'! YUM!!

    Reply
    • Rebecca Winkler says

      April 8, 2014 at 4:32 pm

      Haha! Thanks, Betsy!

      Reply
  4. Claire Printz says

    April 8, 2014 at 12:37 am

    I ate chocolate for breakfast this morning, but felt pretty guilty about it. ๐Ÿ˜‰ It wasn't a beautiful, balanced, leisurely meal . . . it was more of "what can I grab really fast that will keep me going while I nurse the baby and feed my toddler?" And the answer was homemade coconut eggs, haha. I like your version of chocolate for breakfast much more!

    Reply
    • Rebecca Winkler says

      April 8, 2014 at 1:57 am

      Homemade coconut eggs sound pretty good to me! I think you should feel the opposite of guilty since you have a newborn baby and still found time to make your own candy ๐Ÿ™‚

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Hi, I’m Becky!

Welcome to A Calculated Whisk, where I share creative paleo and gluten-free recipes. Learn more about me here.

Connect with ACW on social media:

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Looking for something?

Subscribe via email and get a free e-book!

Instant Pot Recipes

Instant Pot Colcannon

Instant Pot Colcannon

Instant Pot Balsamic Short Ribs

Instant Pot Tomato Sauce (made with fresh tomatoes)

Instant Pot Short Rib Ragu

Instant Pot Short Rib Ragu

In a hurry? Try these 30-minute recipes:

Blistered Okra with Garlic and Cumin

Roasted Shrimp and Asparagus with Green Goddess Dressing (Paleo, Whole30)

Roasted Shrimp and Asparagus with Green Goddess Dressing

Pesto Shrimp Bake (Paleo, Gluten free)

Pesto Shrimp Bake with Squash and Tomatoes

Caprese Frittata

Caprese Frittata

my healthy aperture gallery
rodelle brand ambassador

Privacy Policy

All text and photographs (c) Rebecca Winkler 2013-2020 unless otherwise noted.

Copyright 2013-2020 Rebecca Winkler ยท Foodie Pro Theme by Shay Bocks ยท Genesis Framework ยท Powered by Wordpress