Chocolate in Baking

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      To know me is to appreciate my passion for chocolate. Since I began Handle the Heat in 2009, I have shared hundreds of chocolate recipes.

      However, in all that time, I had yet to create a comprehensive guide to chocolate online… until now.

      Are you ready to dive in?

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      Sprinkle of Science

      Types of Baking Chocolate

      Let’s start by categorizing chocolate based on sweetness levels. Before we do that, it’s important to note that the FDA defines chocolate liquor as “food made from finely grinding cacao nibs.” It contains no alcohol, consisting of about 55% cocoa butter and 45% cocoa solids. When you see percentages on chocolate packaging, it indicates the amount of chocolate liquor or cacao.

      Type of Chocolate | % of Chocolate Liquor

      -----------------|----------------------------

      Unsweetened | 100%

      Bittersweet and Semisweet | 35% minimum

      Milk | 10% minimum

      White | 0%

      Unsweetened Chocolate

      This is pure chocolate liquor/cacao without any added sugar, emulsifiers, flavorings, or milk. It is also referred to as baking chocolate.

      Best uses: Choose unsweetened chocolate when you want to manage the sweetness in a recipe or want to add extra fat for dense, rich textures, like in my Ultimate Fudgy Brownie recipe.

      My favorite: Baker’s Unsweetened Baking Chocolate

      Bittersweet and Semisweet Chocolate

      Bittersweet chocolate is sweeter than unsweetened but darker and more bitter than semisweet chocolate. There are no U.S. regulations that differentiate bittersweet from semisweet; both must contain at least 35% cacao. Both of these types are categorized as “dark chocolate.”

      Typically, bittersweet chocolate contains about 70% or more cacao, while semisweet contains around 60%, although this can vary by brand. Generally, chocolates with over 85% cacao are too bitter to substitute for bittersweet or semisweet in recipes.

      Best uses: Semisweet chocolate is my go-to for everything from cookies and cakes to frostings and pies, as reflected in many of my chocolate recipes. Bittersweet has its place, particularly in recipes that include significant amounts of sugar, cream, or ingredients that dilute the chocolate flavor, such as in my French Silk Pie.

      My favorites: Ghirardelli Bittersweet Baking Bars and Ghirardelli Semisweet Baking Bars, or Trader Joe’s Dark Chocolate and Bittersweet Chocolate Pound Plus (great value for frequent bakers!)

      Can I Substitute Bittersweet for Semisweet? Or Vice Versa?

      Generally, replacing bittersweet chocolate with semisweet or vice versa will work in most recipes, mainly affecting taste. This does not apply to other types of chocolate.

      Milk Chocolate

      Milk chocolate must contain at least 10 to 15 percent cacao and is combined with dry milk powder, resulting in a sweeter and less intense chocolate flavor compared to semisweet chocolate.

      Best uses: The sweetness and mild flavor of milk chocolate are ideal for recipes where a less intense chocolate flavor is desired. Melting milk chocolate (like for dipping strawberries) can be trickier than dark chocolate due to its higher milk-fat content, which makes it harden faster and seize up (learn more about this below). Its lower melting point complicates tempering (learn more about tempering chocolate here). If you usually find milk chocolate too sweet but want to create a s’mores-themed recipe, look for a brand that lists “chocolate” as the first ingredient rather than milk or sugar.

      My favorite: Endangered Species Milk Chocolate (this bar is creamy, has a more balanced sweetness at 48% cacao, and may even convert milk chocolate skeptics!)

      Can I Use Milk Chocolate Instead of Semisweet?

      Not always. In addition to differing sweetness levels, milk chocolate contains more added milk and sugar, leading to a lower melting point than darker chocolates. It behaves differently in recipes.

      If it’s simply a matter of switching semisweet chocolate chips for milk chocolate in brownies, cookies, muffins, etc., only the taste and a bit of texture will change. For most other recipes needing melted chocolate, it’s advisable to use the chocolate specified in the recipe.

      White Chocolate

      What is white chocolate? White chocolate isn’t actually chocolate since it lacks cocoa solids. Quality white chocolate should contain cocoa butter as the main fat, with its primary ingredients being at least 20% cocoa butter, 14% dry milk powder, a maximum of 55% sugar, vanilla, and soy lecithin. High-quality white chocolate should have a creamy appearance.

      Best uses: In recipes containing nut