Once considered the food of the gods in ancient civilizations, chocolate has become the food of love during the month of February. The sweet, rich indulgence has earned this reputation not only from its wonderful flavor, but also from science.

“Chocolate is associated with the ‘bliss’ hormones,” says Sheri Caldwell, Hy-Vee store dietitian and culinary nutritionist. “It lights up the same areas in the brain when people are in love.”

And chocolate is good for your heart. A large new study last year confirmed regularly eating chocolate could cut the risk of heart disease and stroke by one-third, according to WebMD Health News.

If you’ve eaten at the J.C. Wyatt House in St. Joseph, you may have tasted one of the most intoxicating ways to enjoy chocolate. It’s chef Jeff Keyasko’s warm molten chocolate cake.

“It’s one of those recipes in my ‘secret arsenal,’” he says. “It’s easy, quick and everybody goes crazy for it. A chef I used to work with called it ‘my little black dress’ of desserts for this reason.”

It’s served warm with ice cream, making every bite a taste of gooey, chocolate bliss.

Ralph Filipelli, owner of Luna’s Fine Dining and Catering, is well known for another must-have chocolate delight: truffles. They are easy to make but taste like they are from a high-end confectionery.

If you must watch your weight or nutritional intake, you still can enjoy chocolate and not feel deprived. Ms. Caldwell recommends raspberry chocolate delights. Again, these are easy to make, but taste heavenly. They are made with pre-made phyllo shells, Greek yogurt and melted dark chocolate for a combination that’s yummy and good for you.

Finally, if you don’t have a sweet tooth or must stay away from sugar, you still can enjoy the benefits of chocolate with Ms. Caldwell’s recipe for chocolate chili. On a cold winter’s night, you can’t go wrong with a warm, spicy dish and chocolate bliss.

Warm molten chocolate cake

1½ cups bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate chips

1½ sticks unsalted butter

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup and 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

3 eggs and 3 egg yolks

Melt the chocolate and butter in a medium-sized bowl over barely simmering water. Stir with a rubber spatula until smooth, then set aside to cool for five minutes. Whisk the flour and sugar together in a small bowl. Whisk the eggs and yolks until homogeneous in another bowl. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease six ramekins, 4- to 6-ounce size, and place them on a baking sheet. Stir the eggs into the chocolate, then into the flour/sugar mixture and thoroughly combine. Fill the ramekins 3/4 full (I use a large ice cream dipper) with batter. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, and let them cool for about five minutes (the centers should look very underbaked and liquid) Transfer to serving plates, and top each with a scoop of ice cream (coffee ice cream is especially good with these).

— Jeff Keyasko, J.C. Wyatt House

Chef Ralph’s Famous Truffles

1 stick (4 ounces) butter

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup heavy cream

20 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips

Cocoa powder

Powdered sugar

Melt butter in a saucepan, add cream and vanilla and bring to a boil. Remove from heat, add chocolate chips and whisk until smooth. Chill mixture until firm, usually overnight. Scoop into bite-sized balls and coat with a 50/50 mixture of cocoa and powdered sugar. Coating also may be crushed nuts, coconut or most anything that you might like.

— Ralph Filipelli, Luna’s Fine Dining and Catering

Raspberry chocolate delights

1/3 cup dark chocolate chips

1 (1.90-ounce) package pre-baked mini phyllo shells

1 carton non-fat raspberry Greek yogurt

15 fresh raspberries

Melt chocolate chips on high in microwave, stirring every 20 seconds until melted. Spoon approximately 1/2 teaspoon chocolate in bottom of each phyllo shell, spreading up onto sides of shell. Chill in freezer for five to 10 minutes. Spoon raspberry Greek yogurt into phyllo shells. Top each shell with a raspberry. Drizzle melted chocolate onto top of raspberry yogurt mixture for garnish. NOTE: If you are going to serve them right away, you can use frozen raspberries, which are less expensive. But if you are making them ahead of time, use fresh. Sliced strawberries and strawberry yogurt can be substituted.

Chocolate chili

1 pound ground sirloin or ground 100-percent turkey breast

2 tablespoons olive or canola oil

4 cloves garlic, peeled and diced

1 medium onion, peeled and chopped

1 green or red bell pepper, seeded and chopped

1 16-ounce can reduced-sodium black beans, drained and rinsed

1 16-ounce can reduced-sodium red kidney beans, drained and rinsed

28 ounces diced tomatoes, not drained

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder

Place a 6-quart saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the meat. Brown the meat, breaking it up into very small pieces as it cooks. Drain. Remove the meat from the pan and reserve. Season with salt and ground black pepper, if desired. Return the pan to the stove. Add the oil to pan and heat over medium heat. Add the garlic, onion and pepper and cook until soft, about five minutes. Add the meat back to the pan, and stir in the beans, tomatoes, cumin and cocoa. Heat to boiling, then reduce heat and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes. Serves six.

— Sheri Caldwell, RD, LD, CLT, Hy-Vee store dietitian and culinary nutritionist