Once a year the Bellbrook Chocolate Shoppe opens their doors to guests to join them for a  rare opportunity to taste all the sweets in the kitchen of their place at Cross Pointe Center.  This is the 16th year and it takes place on Saturday, Sept 23rd from 7-9pm. Tickets are $20 and can be purchased at the door and will provide mammograms for the under/served and under/insured.

Owner Betty Blose attributes the popularity of her chocolates to the fact that they are handmade with her “signature” blend of milk and dark chocolate to create varieties that include creams, truffles, enrobed and molded items. It’s the only blend sold at the family’s Centerville store, and they use this rich chocolate to create everything from chocolate heart-shaped boxes filled with strawberries dipped in chocolate and cakes made of layers of shortbread cookies, iced with chocolate, to their Bellbrook pretzel, a pretzel rod dipped in caramel, rolled in toffee pieces and finally dipped in chocolate.

Although it seems too good to be true, dark chocolate can actually be good for you! When consumed in moderation, this delicious treat has some powerful health benefits. Following are three of the major reasons to indulge:

1. It can help prevent heart disease: Like tea, dark chocolate contains flavonoids, which are compounds that act as antioxidants. Flavonoids protect cells from harmful molecules—called free radicals—that are produced when the body breaks down food or is exposed to sunlight or smoke. Free radicals can cause cell damage that leads to heart disease. Flavonoids can also lower blood pressure and reduce LDL cholesterol (i.e., the bad cholesterol) by up to 10 percent.

2. It can improve your mood: Dark chocolate stimulates the production of endorphins, chemicals in the brain that bring on feelings of pleasure. It also contains the chemical serotonin, which acts as an anti-depressant.
3. It can protect your skin: German researchers found that the flavonoids in dark chocolate absorb UV light, help protect and increase blood flow to the skin, and improve skin’s hydration and complexion.

For all of its health benefits, though, dark chocolate does contain a lot of calories. So, experts recommend sticking to no more than three ounces of the sweet stuff per day.

Sources: About.com, CNN.com, eHow.com