In defense of white chocolate

I know you’ve heard it (and maybe have said it): “White chocolate isn’t chocolate.”

Ten years ago, I would have agreed with you. And if you’re referring to white chocolate coating or melting discs/wafers, I’m not going to argue with you. But here’s something that old-Ginny never thought she would say: white chocolate can be a real treat.

What is white chocolate made out of?

White chocolate is made up of cocoa butter (the fat of cacao beans), sugar and milk (or a milk alternative, since those have gotten so trendy). Vanilla and an emulsifier are often ingredients, too.

Because white chocolate is made with part of the cocoa bean, it is still chocolate, even if it’s missing the cocoa solids (the other half of the bean and what cocoa powder is made out of).

It should also be noted that because of the higher fat content, white chocolate will melt faster than other chocolate.

What does white chocolate taste like?

When it comes down to it, white chocolate is mostly sweet. Ideally, it is creamier than dark and milk chocolate, because the high content of cocoa butter makes it fattier and therefore creamier. Any milk solids will also make it both creamier and sweeter.

Because it doesn't have the cocoa solids that milk or dark have, it doesn't have the flavor you get from the cocoa beans. I’ve seen some bean-to-bar white chocolates, but my taste buds aren’t that discerning. It really is about the smooth, silky texture for this one.

This can make it a bit of a blank canvas for other flavors and you can find some fun inclusions.

In lesser quality white chocolate, you can get that waxy texture. That often means there's other ingredients besides the cocoa butter, sugar, milk powder, vanilla and some sort of emulsifier. It’s often a fat like vegetable oil or hydrogenated palm kernel oil in place of or in addition to actual cocoa butter.

Hi, I’m a vegan; what white chocolate can I eat?

Like I said, milk alternative white chocolates exist. Oat milk and coconut milk are two popular options. Unfortunately, there aren’t as many options as vegan milk chocolates, but there still are a few!

Chocolate bar of the week

The white chocolate that can make fans of even the most intense dark chocolate devotee is Valrhona’s dulcey blonde. This is a caramelized white chocolate that melts beautifully and is perfect for baking. (Was this newsletter inspired by Bake Off’s Chocolate Week technical challenge? Absolutely. So save yourself some headache and skip the microwave caramelizing and try this chocolate out instead.)

Just a couple uses:

• My favorite ice cream place, Normal, uses it as one of the dips available for their soft serve ice cream. It is SO delicious, although I usually get the dark chocolate dip (which is Solstice Wasatch).

normal.club

View more on Instagram

• My favorite pie lady, Pie Party, uses it in her oatmeal cookies and they are phenomenal! All oatmeal cookies should use apricots and dulcey chocolate! I don’t make the rules.

• Peppermint bark season is just around the corner! If you have friends who are lukewarm on peppermint (there’s always someone), use dulcey, your favorite dark chocolate and a healthy pinch of salt for salted caramel bark.

• Do you have a hard time picking between caramel and chocolate as a popcorn topping? You don’t have choose now! This bar is a perfect topping for popcorn which leads me to our …

Recipe of the week

Chocolate and popcorn is a combination of two of my favorite things. Brittany McCready, a friend of this newsletter, shares her process for making

Dulcey topped popcorn

• 1/3 c. popcorn kernels

• 1/3 c. dulcey chocolate feves

• Salt to taste

Pop the popcorn (on the stove, in the microwave, in an air popper, whatever your preference is) and set aside to cool. Melt chocolate in the microwave in 10 second increments, stirring in between and stopping when it is mostly melted to avoid burning. Pour chocolate over the popcorn and sprinkle with salt, the Maldon variety if you’re fancy. Let it sit for a few minutes so the chocolate can harden and enjoy!

I’ve also enjoyed a similar treat with microwave popcorn and Solstice’s brown butter white chocolate (they put out three white chocolate bars for the holiday season) and that is also heavenly!

I realized it has been one year since the first issue! To celebrate, email me three things that you love (flavors, places, hobbies, etc.) and I’ll reply back with the name of a chocolate bar you should try! Thanks for sticking around, especially while I took a long break at the end of my pregnancy and through the first months of my son’s life. We’ll call it a maternity leave.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t wish you a happy Halloween! Last year I wrote about fancy chocolate versions of your favorite candy bar if you didn’t already get your fill of candy (or are looking for fine chocolate options).

Lastly, my coworker Kelsey Dallas recommended this candy quiz in her newsletter, State of Faith. She beat me (she scored seven; I scored six) but there are some interesting dark chocolate shout-outs!