There’s nothing that compares to the rich flavor and velvety texture of chocolate! It satisfies our cravings, tastes great and is special enough to give as a gift (think Valentine’s Day, anniversaries or birthdays).

One of its forms — dark chocolate — is actually good for us. Scientists say dark chocolate contains high levels of naturally occurring compounds that are believed to help reduce cholesterol.

But that doesn’t mean you can eat all the dark chocolate you want! It’s best to eat one small square of plain, dark chocolate daily — and avoid dark chocolate bars with caramel, marshmallows and nuts that are high in fat and sugar.

Chocolate actually comes from the tropical cocoa bean called cacao. It’s available in many forms to use in cooking, baking or to eat on its own:

• Chocolate liquor – dark brown paste made from the cocoa bean’s ground nib (the cocoa bean does not contain any alcohol)
• Cocoa butter – the natural vegetable fat that is removed from  cocoa beans
• Unsweetened chocolate (also called baking or bitter chocolate) – hardened chocolate liquor that contains 50 to 58 percent cocoa butter
• Bittersweet, semisweet and sweet chocolate – dark chocolates that contain different amounts of sugar, vanilla and lecithin (an ingredient that reduces the thickness of chocolate)
• Milk chocolate – chocolate that contains 12 percent dry milk and 10 percent chocolate liquor. Important: Never use milk chocolate in a recipe that calls for dark chocolate.
• Cocoa powder – dried, powdered chocolate liquor with some of the fat removed; contains 10 to 22 percent cocoa butter
• Liquid chocolate – a mixture of cocoa powder and vegetable oil that doesn’t contain as much cocoa butter as unsweetened chocolate

Wonder why white chocolate isn’t on the list? Because it’s not a real chocolate! White chocolate is made with sugar, cocoa butter, milk solids, lecithin and vanilla — but no chocolate liquor.

If you like to cook or bake with chocolate, you can substitute the following for certain chocolate ingredients:

• For 1 ounce of unsweetened chocolate: Use 3 tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa plus 1 tablespoon of butter
• For 1 ounce semisweet chocolate: Use 1/2 oz of unsweetened chocolate plus 1 tablespoon of granulated sugar
• For 6 ounces semisweet chocolate chips: Use 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon of unsweetened cocoa, 1/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons of granulated sugar and 3 tablespoons of butter

It’s easy to satisfy any sweet tooth with the varieties of chocolate available and the many methods of turning chocolate into a great treat.