The Food Channel, Chicago, an online source for food expertise and original content, has released the “Top Ten Chocolate Trends for 2012.”

“We’ve done a Dessert Trends report for years,” said Kay Logsdon, editor of The Food Channel. “As we looked at desserts this year, so much of it was chocolate that we just decided to dig a little deeper.”

The report identifies make-at-home Craft Chocolates as a top trend, along with Spreadable Chocolate and Chocolate Pairings. It looks at the health factors that are influencing the world of chocolate and the way chocolate is popping up in unexpected places, like at the breakfast table.

Each trend has a recipe example created in the kitchens of The Food Channel. Recipes include Biscuits and Chocolate Gravy, Chocolate Blackberry Bark, Chocolate Cinnamon Cream Pie, Gluten-free Chocolate Cookies and more.

The report is available at www.foodchannel.com/articles/article/chocolate-trends-2012.