Chocolate for Breakfast: Ghirardelli Intense Dark 72%

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and also my favorite.  Today I'm sharing how to make Ghirardelli Intense Dark 72% chocolate part of a complete breakfast.  Don't tell me chocolate for breakfast is strange--I promise that if you love chocolate at night, you'll love it even more in the morning.

Do you remember those cereal ads that used to run in the nineties during kids' shows--the ones that always said the cereal being advertised was "part of this complete breakfast?"  I never considered cereal a meal, even as a kid, and I always wondered: what ELSE is part of this complete breakfast?

If you've ever wondered the same thing, today is your lucky day.  I'm going to scrap the cereal completely, and show you my ideal complete breakfast.

There has to be coffee, and I chose iced because spring has finally sprung in Boston.  But the centerpiece of the meal, and a wonderful match for any coffee, is Ghirardelli Intense Dark chocolate.  This chocolate is rich, creamy, and sweet, but not too sweet.  It's slow melting, flavorful, and easy to break up into perfectly portioned squares.  In my opinion, it takes about four squares of this stuff to fill the chocolate quota of a complete breakfast, but of course you could always have more.

Chocolate and coffee is just a snack.  To make a whole meal, you need some fruit and cheese.  The season's best blackberries are in stores right now, and they go wonderfully with dark chocolate.  The tart, juicy berries and smooth, luscious chocolate make the perfect pairing.  I also enjoyed some ricotta with a few blackberries on top and a drizzle of honey.  In my opinion, ricotta is the new yogurt.  It's delicate, creamy flavor complements the chocolate and the blackberries perfectly.  If you haven't tried ricotta with berries, honey, and dark chocolate, you are missing out on one of my favorite combinations.

There you have it--my complete breakfast.  I enjoyed it on a leisurely Sunday morning, after having a bit too much sangria the night before, and it really hit the spot.  However, this breakfast is so easy and quick that you could enjoy it during the week, too--why not treat yourself on a Tuesday?  No day that starts with Ghirardelli dark chocolate, blackberries, ricotta, and coffee can ever end up being bad.

What's your favorite food, drink, or activity to enjoy with Ghirardelli Intense Dark chocolate?  I would love to know, and so would Ghirardelli--you can upload a photo of your perfect pairing on Ghirardelli's website or share one on Instagram with the hashtag #IntenseDark.  On Ghirardelli's website, you can also find recipes, explore more pairings, and download tasting and party planning guides (forget wine tasting--why not have a chocolate tasting, or better yet, include both?).

One more important thing: if "plain" Intense Dark chocolate isn't enough for you, Ghirardelli's Intense Dark line also comes in seven other flavors: Sea Salt Soiree, 86% Midnight Reverie, 60% Cacao Evening Dream, Cabernet Matinee, Hazelnut Heaven, Toffee Interlude, and Cherry Tango.  I've tried the Midnight Reverie and it's also delicious--a great choice if you want plenty of robust chocolate flavor without too much noise from added sugar.  Next on my must-try list is the Sea Salt Soiree, since salty + sweet is my love language.  Which flavor are you most excited to try?  I'd love to hear about it, and about your perfect pairing ideas, in the comments below!

Disclosure: This post was sponsored by Ghirardelli, but as always, all opinions (and the idea to have it for breakfast) are my own.