Ever wondered exactly what is white chocolate? Chefs often use white chocolate in baking, however, there is much conversation about what it actually is. Are the rumors that it is not actually chocolate true? Let´s find out.
What is white chocolate exactly?
White chocolate is a delicious, ivory-colored confectionary made from cocoa butter. It is a regulated product that must contain a minimum of 20% cocoa butter and a minimum of 14% total milk solids. That is how you can differentiate between the real ones and less quality ones.
Is white chocolate real chocolate?
Legally yes, white chocolate is chocolate because it contains cocoa butter which is a cocoa bean product. However, sometimes you will find products that look like white chocolate that contain no cocoa butter at all. These imitations are definitely not chocolate, and they legally cannot call themselves such.
Good quality white chocolate is so delicious. It has a rich yet delicate flavor profile that is much less pronounced than dark or milk chocolate. High levels of cocoa butter give it a very creamy and smooth texture.
Join my Newsletter to receive an EXCLUSIVE Spring Recipe e-Book!
Related reading: What is white chocolate
What makes white chocolate white?
It is white because it is made from cocoa butter which is a pale ivory color. To be exact, white chocolate is not pure white, it is a pale ivory color. The mild color and taste make it a versatile ingredient in baking and can be the perfect base for other flavors eg. making raspberry or pistachio ganache.
Related recipe: Raspberry Tart with raspberry ganache filling
What is the best white chocolate?
Have you ever eaten white chocolate that tasted sickly sweet, and fake? Low-quality white chocolate can contain deodorized cocoa butter and flavorings which makes it taste artificial and overly sweet. Quality white chocolate contains high percentages of non-deodorized cocoa butter and retains its natural cocoa butter aromas, taste, and texture. To buy the best white chocolate, look for a percentage of cocoa butter above 28% that most quality brands offer.
Related reading: What is white chocolate
What does white chocolate taste like?
So what is the flavor of white chocolate exactly? It has a rich yet delicate flavor profile that is much less pronounced than dark or milk chocolate. It is very creamy with a smooth texture. You might notice tiny flecks of real vanilla extract in the bars, which give it the most amazing light vanilla flavor.
White chocolate vs Milk and Dark chocolate
Milk chocolate has a much more pronounced chocolate flavor than white chocolate because it contains cocoa solids. However, it is still relatively mild when compared to dark chocolate. Dark chocolate is made from sugar, cocoa butter, and cocoa solids. It is always rich in cocoa taste. The higher the percentage of cocoa solids, the more intense the chocolate flavor in dark chocolate is.
Related reading: What is white chocolate
Is white chocolate vegan?
Vegan food must not contain meat, eggs, dairy, or any animal products. Regular white chocolate contains dairy and is not vegan, and neither is milk chocolate. Dark chocolate is naturally vegan. Interestingly though, legally vegan white chocolate is not white chocolate as it does not contain dairy.
What to pair white chocolate with
White chocolate tastes amazing with so many flavors. Pair white chocolate with fresh fruit like strawberries, raspberries, and citrus. Another popular flavor combination is white chocolate and pistachio, or white chocolate and macadamia. Matcha and white chocolate also taste delicious together, as do white chocolate and cardamom.
Related reading: What is white chocolate
White chocolate covered strawberries
Make these super easy white chocolate-covered strawberries that can be the perfect dessert or sweet treat! Fresh strawberries are dipped into molten white chocolate; every bite gives you a taste of delicious ripe berries and sweet chocolatey goodness!
Recipe: White chocolate-covered strawberries
White chocolate sauce
Learn how to make white chocolate sauce that comes together in under 5 minutes using 2 ingredients! The best Starbucks copycat recipe! White chocolate sauce is a wonderful addition to your coffee, pancakes, vanilla cakes, ice cream, pies, or any pudding.
Recipe: White chocolate sauce
White chocolate & Ruby Bonbon
Make this white chocolate ruby chocolate bonbon, an easy, yet impressive homemade chocolate confectionery. Can you believe that you can make these homemade bonbons in less than half an hour? Bonbon making is rather simple with impressive results. It is also a super fun activity, people tend to fall in love with the process, at first sight, try it!
Recipe: White chocolate ruby chocolate bonbon
White chocolate matcha cookies
Make these white chocolate matcha cookies! The cookies are made with matcha powder (Japanese green tea) and white chocolate chips are the ultimate chewy, gooey, and buttery cookies for matcha tea fans, in fact, they can easily turn matcha haters into matcha lovers!
Recipe: White chocolate matcha cookies
White chocolate raspberry tart
White chocolate is so versatile, it can be turned into this wonderful naturally pink raspberry ganache. Make this mini white chocolate raspberry tart that is an ideal balance between buttery, melt-in-your-mouth shortcrust pastry, and silky raspberry ganache full of natural raspberry flavors.
Recipe: White chocolate raspberry tart
More White Chocolate Desserts
This is the ultimate list of the 31 white chocolate desserts to serve this year. Easy white chocolate recipes, no-bake white chocolate desserts, cakes, cupcakes, and macarons are all ready and waiting to be made. Read on to find your new favorite dessert with white chocolate.
Go to the recipes: White chocolate desserts
More from Spatula Desserts
Our guide to the best easy baking recipes contains a wide range of simple dessert recipes and easy baking ideas that you and your family will love. If you’re looking for easy baking recipes for kids or dessert recipes with few ingredients, this list has you covered.
Go to the recipes: Best Easy Baking Recipes
Best Spring Desserts
These are the best Spring desserts to make this year! I chose these easy Spring dessert recipes because they are full of fresh spring flavors and colors, and each recipe has step-by-step tutorials on how you can successfully make them yourself.
Go to the recipe: Top 31 Best Spring Desserts
Best Biscoff Recipes
My round-up of the 25 best Biscoff recipes is will satisfy your Biscoff cravings. I have included all the best, trusted, and reliable Lotus Biscoff recipes so you can bake with confidence.
Go to the recipe: Top 25 Best Biscoff Recipes
Best Raspberry Desserts
Our guide to the Best Raspberry Desserts is packed with easy raspberry dessert recipes that will have you looking forward to baking with the delicious, tart, and tangy flavor that raspberries provide. We chose these desserts with raspberries because of their thorough step-by-step recipes, beautiful photos, and bold involvement of the raspberry flavor.
Go to the recipes: Best Raspberry Desserts
Best European Desserts
Our guide to the Best European Desserts contains the most famous desserts from Europe, including countries like France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and Poland. And what's more, our list of European desserts includes recipes and tutorials on how you can make them yourself without having to travel anywhere except your kitchen!
Go to the recipes: Best European Desserts
This post was originally published as What is white chocolate on Spatula Desserts.
Leave a Reply