Baking chocolate, or cooking chocolate, is chocolate intended to be used for baking and in sweet foods that may or may not be sweetened. Dark chocolate,

milk chocolate Milk chocolate is a solid chocolate confectionery containing cocoa, sugar and milk. Chocolate was originally sold and consumed as a beverage in pre-Columbian times, and upon its introduction to Western Europe. Major milk chocolate producers inc ...

, and

white chocolate White chocolate is a confectionery typically made of sugar, milk, and cocoa butter. It is pale ivory colored, and lacks many of the compounds found in milk and dark chocolates. It is solid at room temperature because the melting point of cocoa ...

, are produced and marketed as baking chocolate. However, lower quality baking chocolate may not be as flavorful compared to higher-quality chocolate, and may have a different

mouthfeel Mouthfeel refers to the physical sensations in the mouth caused by food or drink, making it distinct from taste. It is a fundamental sensory attribute which, along with taste and smell, determines the overall flavor of a food item. Mouthfeel is ...

Production

Modern manufactured baking chocolate is typically formed from

chocolate liquor Chocolate liquor (cocoa liquor) is pure cocoa mass (cocoa paste) in solid or semi-solid form. Like the cocoa beans (nibs) from which it is produced, it contains both cocoa solids and cocoa butter in roughly equal proportion. It is produced f ...

formed into bars or

chocolate chips Chocolate chips or chocolate morsels are small chunks of sweetened chocolate, used as an ingredient in a number of desserts (notably chocolate chip cookies and muffins), in trail mix and less commonly in some breakfast foods such as pancakes. ...

. Baking chocolate may be of a lower quality compared to other types of chocolate, and may have part of the

cocoa butter Cocoa butter, also called theobroma oil, is a pale-yellow, edible fat extracted from the cocoa bean. It is used to make chocolate, as well as some ointments, toiletries, and pharmaceuticals. Cocoa butter has a cocoa flavor and aroma. Its melt ...

replaced with other fats that do not require tempering. This type of baking chocolate may be easier to handle compared to those that have not had their cocoa butter content lowered.

Varieties

It is typically prepared in unsweetened, bittersweet, semisweet and sweet varieties, depending on the amount of

added sugar Added sugars or free sugars are sugar carbohydrates (caloric sweeteners) added to food and beverages at some point before their consumption. These include added carbohydrates (monosaccharides and disaccharides), and more broadly, sugars natural ...

. Recipes that include unsweetened baking chocolate typically use a significant amount of sugar. Bittersweet baking chocolate must contain 35 percent chocolate liquor or higher. Most baking chocolates have at least a 50% cocoa content, with the remaining content usually being mostly sugar. Sweet varieties may be referred to as "sweet baking chocolate" or "sweet chocolate". Sweet baking chocolate contains more sugar than bittersweet and semisweet varieties, and semisweet varieties contain more sugar than bittersweet varieties. Sweet and semisweet baking chocolate is prepared with a chocolate liquor content between 15 and 35 percent. The table below denotes the four primary varieties of baking chocolate.

Manufacturers

Manufacturers of baking chocolate include Baker's Chocolate, Callebaut, Ghirardelli, Guittard,

The Hershey Company The Hershey Company, commonly known as Hershey's, is an American multinational company and one of the largest chocolate manufacturers in the world. It also manufactures baked products, such as cookies and cakes, and sells beverages like milksh ...

, Lindt, Menier, and Valrhona.

References

Bibliography

* 136 pages. {{Chocolate Types of chocolate Baking

Production

Varieties

Manufacturers

See also

References

Bibliography