The Million-Dollar Chocolate Recipe

Of all the chocolate in the world, my favorites are M&M's® candies. No contest. I like 'em plain. Just me, the chocolate and the crunch. [Although...I tried the chocolate mint variety over the holidays, and I like them for a change.] I'm partial to Green. She's a sassy gal, and I like her style. M&M's® were introduced to the market the same year I was born, so I tend to think my enjoyment comes from that special bond.

M&M's® are made by Mars, Inc., a company owned by the Mars family. In Las Vegas, I visited M&M's® World, the Ethel M Chocolate Factory (named for the matriarch of the clan), and the nearby cactus garden.

What's this got to do with a very expensive chocolate recipe?

Over the holidays, my husband and I took a few days off to enjoy Colonial Williamsburg in Virginia. It's a living history museum which has recreated the capital city of Virginia from the Revolutionary period with many of the buildings dating from the 1700's. One of the buildings recently reconstructed is Richard Charlton's Coffeehouse. In the early days, coffeehouses were like the Starbucks company of today, serving coffee, tea, and wait for it...hot chocolate!

Not the 12-ounce economy size, milky sweet. R. Charlton's chocolate is the 2-ounce tiny, demitasse- cup size. Filled with rich, thick, hot, smooth, and lightly spiced liquid excellence.

As in all things in the Colonial city, the historians obsess about the details. In the notes of the coffeehouse from over 200 years ago, they found the original recipe for the chocolate served, describing the preparation and spices used. A call went out to the major chocolate makers of the world. Can you reproduce this recipe for us?

Forrest Mars (of Mars, Inc. fame) took a look at the recipe, visited Virginia and was fascinated that chocolate had been such a large part of our United States history. He immediately set out to reproduce the recipe and supply the chocolate to the coffeehouse. Of course, seeing the business potential, he also created an Historic Division in Mars, Inc. to produce the American Heritage® Historic Chocolate in its several historic forms for purchase by the public.

And appreciating the work of the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, he and his wife donated millions of dollars to reconstruct R. Charlton's Coffeehouse, and they continue to contribute to the Colonial city today. Now we can enjoy Colonial chocolate right in the coffeehouse where it was served.

Although I enjoy Colonial chocolate now and then, I stand by my M&M's®. The candies often find their way into my writing (M&M's® play an important role in the The Master's Plan), and I always keep a supply on hand when I take a break from writing.

Do you like M&M's®, and do you have a favorite color? Comment and let us know!