The best excuses to eat more chocolate

Fudge yeah. No Images? Click here       This is chocolate's time. With 58 million pounds of chocolate bought during the week of Valentine's Day, today's email is dedicated solely to our dark mistress of sweets. Did you know dark chocolate, in particular, is proven to have significant health benefits? Eating it can lower our risk of cardiovascular disease, help protect us from sunburn, lower our levels of stress hormones and make our brains produce serotonin, which makes us feel happy. And that's why we love it all year long, not just on Valentine's Day. XO, Kristen   Photo: Kirbie's Cravings The ONE recipe to master for Valentine's Day Molten lava cake is an individually portioned chocolate cake that breaks open to reveal a soft, fudge-like center (which is really just perfectly under-baked batter).  Though it might seem like an intimidating recipe to master, it’s really not. Most recipes call for 4-ounce molds or ramekins, but a nonstick muffin tin will do just fine. And the ingredient list for the classic version is short and sweet: butter, chocolate, eggs, sugar and flour. If your heart melts for someone, make them a dessert that shows it. Check out 13 of our favorite molten lava cake recipes. GET THE RECIPES Left to right: Love And Olive Oil, Whole Bite Blog, Handle The Heat Chocolate + strawberries 4ever The chocolate-covered strawberry is a Valentine's Day classic, but there are so many riffs you can take on that flavor combination. Check out 15 of our favorite choices for pies, cakes, eclairs, trifles and more recipes that put chocolate and strawberries together 4 ever.   GET THE RECIPES   FYI, chocolate actually grows on trees   To be more specific, cocoa beans do. Cocoa pods grow in the tropics and when cracked open, they reveal white, fleshy seeds that eventually become the chocolate bars we eat. It's a fascinating process that you have to see.   WATCH HOW COCOA PODS BECOME CHOCOLATE   Eat on: How To Eat Chocolate For Breakfast And Feel Good About It Chocolate Sandwich Recipes, Because You Deserve Them 15 Healthy Brownie Recipes, Because Chocolate Is So Necessary    .     No moon dust. No B.S. Just a completely essential daily guide to achieving the good life. Subscribe here. Like what you see? Share it. Can't get enough? You'll also love: HuffPost Must Reads. ©2018 HuffPost | 770 Broadway, New York, NY 10003 You are receiving this email because you signed up for updates from HuffPost Feedback | Privacy Policy | Unsubscribe    . - - Preferences  |  Unsubscribe