web analytics

What is white chocolate?

White Chocolate
White chocolate is a chocolate confection made with cocoa butter, sugar, milk solids and vanilla, the same ingredients that you’ll find in milk chocolate with the exception of cocoa powder. Cocoa powder is what gives dark and milk chocolates their characteristic chocolate flavor and color. With white chocolate, you’re left with a very creamy and sweet product that has a strong flavor of milk and vanilla to it. The exact flavor of white chocolate will vary from brand to brand, and bar to bar, as the exact amount of each ingredient in white chocolate can vary a lot from manufacturer to manufacturer.

If you read the ingredients list on your white chocolate and see some kind of vegetable oil listed, you’re not dealing with real white chocolate and it won’t have the same luxurious texture as a product made with pure cocoa butter. Good quality quite chocolate will have a cacao percentage marked on the packaging, just as other chocolate bars will. This percentage indicates the amount of cocoa solids – cocoa powder and cocoa butter – in a chocolate product. For white chocolate, it simply indicates the amount of pure cocoa butter in the bar. A higher cocoa butter percentage generally means that the bar will be firmer, smoother and will often be slightly less sweet than other white chocolates.

White chocolate isn’t everyone’s favorite type of chocolate, but it can be absolutely delicious in some types of desserts and baked goods. It adds a nice amount of sweetness to white chocolate macadamia nut cookies (a classic and favorite of mine), for instance, and is an excellent contrast to tangy lemons, limes and even zesty berries in all kinds of desserts.

Share this article

5 Comments
  • Keira-Anne
    January 19, 2012

    Thanks for this post! I was curious to know if you’ve ever managed to find baking “cocoa” of white chocolate? I’d love to find white chocolate in a strong, powdered form.

  • michelle
    January 19, 2012

    Thank you for bringing notice to one of my all-time favorite ingredients! My whole blog is dedicated to white chocolate recipes….www.dreamingofwhitechocolate.com

  • Maureen
    January 19, 2012

    When I was a kid I absolutely hated white chocolate. I felt like I was buttering the roof of my mouth.

    I’ve advanced from there to getting decent white chocolate that makes my mouth sing.

    Great post.

  • Jemoiselle
    January 20, 2012

    Nicole! I am a new commenter, long time lurker of your site and may I just say WOW! You have the most wonderful site, awesome articles, and mouth watering recipes! I love how your site is organized, and what’s more, unlike me (tee hee hee) you update your site so very often, I wonder if and how you could have a job besides this! You are amazing! My hat is off to you my baking friend, I am RSS subscribed now and look forward to reading more from you, more often. Maybe someday I will follow your inspirational lead and keep my site updated LOL. Mine is more of a boredom killer though, nothing serious. Thanks so much for the effort you put into this, it shows. Yours,
    Jemoiselle

  • […] Is White Chocolate Actually ChocolateIs white chocolate really chocolateMy Observations – Is White Chocolates Really ChocolateAre White Chocolate Candies Actually ChocolateWhite Chocolate is Real ChocolateWhat is white chocolate […]

What do you think?

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *