Choosing Types of Chocolate for Cooking and Baking

Posted by Michael Vyskocil Sep 18, 2009

In Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Willy Wonka’s candy-making secrets were unveiled to a small party of five ticket winners. But choosing the right types of chocolate for cooking and baking are far less clandestine. Below are some of the most common types of chocolates available in the supermarket. Read your recipe carefully and use the type specified in the recipe for the best results.

• Unsweetened chocolate is pure chocolate and cocoa butter (no sugar added). Often called baking or bitter chocolate, it is almost used exclusively for baking and cooking.
• Unsweetened cocoa powder is pure chocolate with most of the cocoa butter removed. It is most often used in baking.
• Semisweet chocolate is pure chocolate with added cocoa butter and sugar. Sometimes referred to as bittersweet chocolate, the latter is usually darker and less sweet than that labeled semisweet. Some European bittersweet chocolates are labeled dark chocolate. Use dark, semisweet, and bittersweet chocolate interchangeably in recipes.
• Milk chocolate is pure chocolate with added cocoa butter, sugar, and milk or cream. It has a creamier texture, lighter color, and milder flavor than semisweet chocolate.