What national day is today? It's Milk Chocolate Day — treat yourself to a Hershey Kiss

Milk chocolate — nearly everyone loves it and everyone has a favorite, go-to candy.

For nearly 150 years, the world has been enjoying milk chocolate. In 1875, Daniel Peter revolutionized the chocolate industry by combining powdered milk, developed by Henri Nestlé, with cocoa liquor to create the first milk chocolate. The resulting product was a delicious and smooth chocolate that quickly became a favorite among chocolate lovers around the world.

Let's dive into some trends around milk chocolate:

Google Trend search: Chocolate reigns

According to Google Trends, these are the most searched topics related to chocolate:

• Chocolate

• Milk

• Chocolate milk

• Candy

• Hershey's

• The Hershey Company

• Dark chocolate

• Milka

• Caramel

• Calorie

It's pretty clear that milk chocolate from the Hershey Company dominates the U.S. market (and, they're just across the river in Hershey, Pennsylvania.)

Milk Chocolate candy rankings (IMO)

So, this begs the question: What's your favorite milk chocolate candy? A classic bar, maybe with almonds? Or a KitKat? A Goodbar? The possibilities are endless.

But, I'm sure you're all curious about my favorite milk chocolate candies, so here they are:

1. Hershey Kiss (simple, easy, small treat)

2. M&M's (a go-to for dinner in the past, with some Goldfish #GirlDinner)

3. KitKat (who doesn't love a wafer wrapped in chocolate, and if you haven't tried the Ruby Chocolate flavor yet, please do!)

4. Reese's Cup (just the normal one please, and they have to be refrigerated)

5. Ghirardelli milk chocolate caramel (pronounced carm-ul)

And, frankly, there's just too much good chocolate out there to even really rank my favs. But, I must stress that if you travel to Europe, please, please, please try the chocolate there. It's so much better — and they even have better flavors of KitKats! And, even the flavors in Japan are awesome!

Milka Chocolate: Top search in New Jersey

I admit, I never heard of this brand. So, let's dig in:

Milka is a Swiss chocolate brand that was first created in 1901 by chocolatier Philippe Suchard. The company has been owned by Mondelez International since 2012. It'sknown for its signature lilac packaging and its creamy milk chocolate. The brand is sold in bars, novelty shapes, and chocolate-covered cookies and biscuits.

I haven't tried them, but now I need to search for Milka bars near me.

Chocolate and Pie: My favorite of all time

I'm not much of a fruit/veggie pie person, but my mom makes this pie for my birthday almost every year. You won't be disappointed. Hint, it's best served warm and gooey, with whipped cream.

Toll House Chocolate Chip Pie

Ingredients

• 1 unbaked 9-inch (4-cup volume) deep-dish pie shell *

• 2 large eggs

• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

• 1/2 cup granulated sugar

• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar

• 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter, softened

• 1 cup (6 ounces) NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels

• 1 cup chopped nuts (optional)

• Sweetened whipped cream or ice cream (optional)

How to make it

• Preheat oven to 325° F

• Beat eggs in a large mixer bowl on high speed until foamy. Beat in flour, granulated sugar and brown sugar. Beat in butter. Stir in morsels and nuts. Spoon into pie shell.

• Bake for 55 to 60 minutes or until the knife inserted halfway between the edge and center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack. Serve warm with whipped cream, if desired.

Note: If using a frozen pie shell, use deep-dish style, thawed completely. Bake on a baking sheet; increase baking time slightly.

Source: https://www.verybestbaking.com/recipes/nestle-toll-house-chocolate-chip-pie/

Need a caffeine boost? Try chocolate

According to candystore.com, one ounce of milk chocolate has the same amount of caffeine as one cup of decaffeinated coffee. And that's a good thing, since I don't drink coffee!

Caffeine is a naturally occurring stimulant found in the leaves, fruits, and nuts of many plants, including coffee, guarana, tea, yerba mate, and cacao.

A safe amount of caffeine for adults is about 400 milligrams per day, which is equivalent to about four cups of coffee. Milk chocolate and decaf coffee contain about 35 milligrams of caffeine per serving, so they're unlikely to have a significant effect on most people.

Well, it's time to go get my caffeine boost with a sweet treat made from milk chocolate. Will it be a classic Kiss or something with crunch. Who knows?

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Milk Chocolate Day 2023: Sweet celebration July 28