What if? A nutritious chocolate

I was reading labels--again.

This time it was on the back of some chocolate chips, left over from the time I demonstrated my new Cookies and Milk cookies.

I was thinking....

What if? I could improve chocolate?

What if? the amount of cocoa butter could be reduced? Cocoa butter, although a vegetable oil, is 60% saturated, mostly long chains of saturated fat.

What if? some short-chain saturated, some mono-unsaturated and other poly-unsaturated fatty acids could be used, easier to digest and easier to assimilate. And all from a fresh natural source?

What if? I could use some of my stabilized cream to improve the nutritive status of chocolate?

What if? I could add vitamin A; thiamin; riboflavin; niacin; pantothenic acid; vitamin B-6; folate; vitamin B-12; retinol; and choline?

What if? I could also include trace minerals such as calcium; phosphorus; potassium; iron; magnesium; selenium; zinc and copper?

What if? the end result was softer? smoother? and less calories?

What? Less calories? Well yes, because the part of the stabilized cream also contains water, and there are no calories in water.

And one third less sugar. The package I was reading said that sugar was the largest ingredient. I just cut the sugar content by one third.

What if? it had even more chocolate taste. How? because I found that the chocolate taste is not dependent upon the sugar content. It can be enhanced with protein. Yes, protein. It makes the chocolate taste last longer in the mouth. In fact, the chocolate taste feels more potent when not overwhelmed with sugar.

What if? I could add some of these proteins?

So I did: tryptophan; threonine; isoleucine; leucine; lysine; methionine; cystine; phenylalanine; tyrosine; valine; arginine; histidine; alanine; aspartic acid; glutamic acid; glycine; proline and serine.

So what kind of chocolate is this? Maybe an adult's type of chocolate. Smooth, rich in chocolate taste without the sugary after-taste. Potent in a delectable way. And less calories as well, 43 less calories per 60 gram serving. Easier to digest, with a nutritional component as well.

Since we already consume 3 billion pounds of chocolate in the US [1], why not make chocolate that tastes better, stronger, is leaner and better for us?

[1] http://www.sfu.ca/geog351fall03/groups-webpages/gp8/consum/consum.html

To recap: Increased protein, additional minerals and vitamins. Reduced saturated fats and sugar. Increased taste, reduced calories and absence of sugary aftertaste. All because someone asked What if?