To bake a scrumptious chocolate cake or delicious chocolate chip cookies, you're going to need some baking chocolate, or cooking chocolate as it's more commonly known in UK supermarkets. Choosing baking chocolate can be tricky, as many recipes ask for bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate.
These American varieties aren't readily available here, but we're going to explain the types of British baking chocolate and their American substitutes. Don't miss our ranking too, with quality milk, dark and white options from Belgian and Swiss brands like Callebaut and Lindt as well as affordable picks from Tesco and Waitrose. Moreover, we have partnered with Nutritionist Tara Corbett for reviewing and fact-checking the article so that we can deliver the best information to our users.
Quick List - Top Baking Chocolate
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Tara is a nutritionist and energy coach who helps clients lose weight, improve their eating habits, and get their energy back through their nutrition. Tara specialises in helping busy parents specifically improve their eating with ease and without overwhelm, and get back on track so the whole family can benefit.
Traditional baking chocolate is dark. It has around 20 to 30 grams of sugar per 100 grams, but some dark chocolates contain more – and there are sugar-free options too, nowadays. If an American recipe asks for semi-sweet, unsweetened or bittersweet chocolate, you should just use dark chocolate.
Picking the right sugar content comes down to personal taste, as low-sugar chocolate can be more bitter. However, it is easier to cook with, and there's a low chance of your cake burning around the edges.
Dark chocolate also has a higher percentage of cocoa, containing 50% to 90% of cocoa solids. The higher the cocoa percentage, the more nutritious it will be. Cocoa is a great source of iron, fibre, and magnesium while being a powerful antioxidant.
If you want a sweeter taste, pick milk chocolate. It's usually the best substitute for American recipes that ask for sweetened chocolate. It contains a lot more sugar than dark chocolate – around 50 to 60 grams – making it harder to set and cook with. It's often used in fillings or icing rather than the main recipe.
Cooking milk chocolate often contains around 35% cocoa solids, giving it a different taste to, say, Cadbury Dairy Milk, which has 20% to 25% cocoa solids. Again, this is to allow the chocolatey taste to come through in your baking, and it particularly complements baked goods that contain nuts or caramel.
Finally, there's white chocolate, which, though delicious, can be tricky to bake with. It's sweet and can contain over 60 grams of sugar. White chocolate burns at a lower temperature, so you have to be careful when melting the chocolate and making cakes that contain white chocolate chips.
White chocolate contains over 20% cocoa butter (instead of cocoa solids) and over 14% of milk solids. The cocoa butter and milk gives the chocolate a creamier taste that complements vanilla flavourings well. When baking, it also tastes great paired with raspberry or strawberry fillings.
Cooking chocolate often comes in a bar and has more cocoa butter than other chocolates, so it's easier to melt. Once melted, you can add it to butter and icing sugar to make a buttercream. You can also add it to your main mix to add flavour.
Chocolate chips are another popular baking choice that is great in cookies or muffins. They have a lower amount of cocoa butter, which stops them from completely melting in the oven. The chips solidify once cool, giving them that traditional chocolatey texture.
You can also buy chocolate chunks, which can be used instead of chips if you want more chocolate in your baked goods. Chocolate chunks can also be used to decorate cakes, too. Design a unique pattern on top to make your treats look visually pleasing!
If you are a lover of baking sweet treats, why not check out these guides on the best piping bags, mixing bowls and egg separators!
If you have a serious milk allergy, you might struggle to find baking chocolate, as even the chocolate that doesn't contain milk is normally produced in a factory that uses it - therefore, it may contain traces. You're probably better buying free-from or vegan chocolate to bake with unless it's not a serious allergy or it's a dietary preference.
Baking chocolates also contain soya, and some may contain traces of nuts, gluten, wheat and eggs. If you or someone you're baking for has an allergy or intolerance, always be sure to check the ingredients list. Allergens are listed in bold, so they'll be easy to spot.
Products | Image | Click to purchase | Key features | |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Lindt Smooth Dark Cooking Chocolate | ![]() | The Perfect Compromise Between Milk and Dark | |
2 | Callebaut Dark Chocolate Callets | ![]() | A Smooth, Fruity Flavour Loved by Professional Bakers | |
3 | Green & Black Organic Cooking Chocolate | ![]() | High Cocoa and Low Sugar With Organic Ingredients | |
4 | Dr. Oetker Extra Dark Chocolate Chunks | ![]() | More Chocolate in Every Bite | |
5 | Dr. Oetker Fine Cooks Milk Chocolate | ![]() | Rich and Tasty Milk Chocolate | |
6 | Tesco White Cooking Chocolate | ![]() | Milky White Chocolate With a Creamy Taste | |
7 | Waitrose Cooks' Ingredients Milk Chocolate Chips | ![]() | Classic Chocolate Chips Made With Fairtrade Cocoa | |
8 | Menier Chocolat Patissier | ![]() | High-Quality Chocolate With a Luxurious Taste | |
9 | Lily's Premium Dark Chocolate Baking Chips | ![]() | Low-Cal Chocolate Chips for Sugar-Free Baking | |
10 | Waitrose Cooks' Ingredients White Chocolate | ![]() | Belgian White With a Deep and Intense Cocoa Flavour |
Do you know Lindt make cooking chocolate? Lindt is one of the most popular chocolatiers in the world known for products with a unique taste, just like this one. It has slightly less cocoa than other dark varieties, so it'll still give your baked goods a strong and chocolatey taste but it won't be as bitter.
It has more sugar than chocolate with a higher cocoa percentage, but it has less than milk chocolate. That means it'll still be manageable to bake with and won't overly sweeten your desserts. Plus, it contains natural vanilla to add a nice flavour. This is easily the best product on our list!
These are the perfect chocolate chips created by one of the world's largest chocolate manufacturers. They're made using a unique blend of cocoa beans to create a delicious flavour with fruity hints. They're dark chocolate, but they have a slightly lower percentage of cocoa solids to make them less bitter.
Loved and used by professional bakers and chefs, these are ideal for all kinds of chocolate work. You can use them to make chocolate chip cookies, melt them to use in your mix or even mould them into decorations. Not to mention that they are sustainably farmed to help the environment and vegan-friendly too.
If you're looking for traditional baking chocolate, this bar is a perfect choice. It'll give your baked goods a rich chocolatey taste as it contains 70% cocoa solids. It's also low in sugar, containing just 29 grams, so it's a great pick for chocolate cakes as the edges are less likely to burn.
This luxurious chocolate is made with organically produced, Fairtrade cocoa and is free from artificial flavours, colours and preservatives. High in cocoa butter too, it'll be easier to melt. The cocoa butter gives the chocolate its smooth texture!
Chocolate chips are great, but these extra-dark chunks spread out more when cooked, so you get more chocolate in each mouthful. That's heaven for all us chocoholics! You'll also have more chocolate without the extra calories, as these chunks have one of the lowest amounts.
They're high in cocoa, so they will maintain that strong chocolatey taste when baked. You could even melt these and use them as an alternative to bar chocolate. With their low-sugar content, it's certainly tempting.
Milk chocolate will give your desserts and biscuits a sweeter taste. This chocolate is particularly good for baking as it contains over 35% cocoa solids. That'll give it a stronger taste. It also has a slightly lower amount of sugar per 100 grams than on average, making it easier to cook with.
It melts well and maintains a smooth consistency, making it ideal for a ganache or glaze. Overall, this is a high-quality product with a delicious taste that'll complement all your chocolatey bakes. We bet that's got you licking your lips!
This milk bar contains over 32% milk solids – this is a high amount, so the chocolate will have a creamy taste. It's also lightly flavoured with natural vanilla to further complement it. You can get away with not adding extra flavouring, as it already contains vanilla.
The usual creamy taste for this chocolate might not be for everyone. It's one of those love-it or hate-it products. If you do like it, you won't have to waste much time, as this chocolate melts easily to form a smooth cream. It's also really cheap, which is great if you need several bars for a recipe.
What's better than classic chocolate chip cookies and cakes? Milk chocolate chips have that classic sweet and creamy taste that leaves you wanting more! These chips are also made using Fairtrade cocoa, which means the cocoa is harvested ethically in order for farmers and families to earn a sustainable income.
Again, these chocolate chips contain a lot of sugar compared to other milk chocolate products. If you've got a sweet tooth, they're the choice for you as they taste delicious and have a smooth texture.
Swiss chocolate is known for being high-quality with a luxurious taste. The company has a long history of making confectionery, so you know this chocolate is going to taste delicious! It contains 70% cocoa solids, which give your desserts and baked goods a rich taste.
Sadly, this chocolate isn't suitable for anyone watching their weight because it has the highest amount of calories on our list. But at least your treats won't be too sweet, as it only contains 27.9 grams of sugar.
Sweetened with stevia, these dark chocolate chips have no added sugar, so they're the perfect ingredient for sugar-free baking. Even if you're not trying to live a sugar-free lifestyle, they'll make sure your treats aren't too sweet. They also have slightly fewer calories than regular chocolate chips and are dairy-free.
Be careful when eating stevia, as it can cause stomach upset if eaten in large quantities. It's best to consume these chips in small doses. On the plus side, they really do taste similar to regular dark chocolate chips!
This Belgian white chocolate has a more intense cocoa flavour than other white chocolates. That's ideal for baking, as the taste of the chocolate will be distinguishable from the other ingredients. It contains fewer calories than some other white chocolate bars too, so it is better for anyone trying to cut down.
The bar is also fairly large at 180 grams, so you may only need one or even less for your recipe. Waitrose white cooking chocolate does contain additives, which some people might like to avoid. However, if you eat it in moderation, you should be safe.
Traditionally, cooking chocolate contained a lot less sugar to stop baked goods from becoming too sweet. It was often dark and had a much higher cocoa percentage, normally around 70%, to make sure the chocolatey flavour came through.
In recent years, the difference between eating and cooking chocolate isn't always as noticeable. We've seen a rise in the popularity of eating chocolates that contain high amounts of cocoa for taste reasons, but as we become more health-conscious, many eating chocolates have a reduced sugar content too.
There are still some differences, however, as cooking chocolate often contains fewer or no artificial flavourings and preservatives. It also doesn't have added extras like nuts or fruit, in order to give the baker full control over the flavourings and consistency.
Yes, baking chocolate is much the same as a regular chocolate bar meaning that it is edible. That said, baking chocolate does normally contain a higher percentage of cocoa meaning that it has a powerful taste.
Yes, baking chocolate can be melted either on the stove or the microwave.
Yes, baking chocolate can be used for hot chocolate. If you do decide to use it, you will want to add sugar and milk as well to ensure that it does not become lumpy.
No. 1: Lindt|Smooth Dark Cooking Chocolate
No. 2: Callebaut|Dark Chocolate Callets
No. 3: Green & Black|Organic Cooking Chocolate
No. 4: Dr. Oetker|Extra Dark Chocolate Chunks
No. 5: Dr. Oetker|Fine Cooks Milk Chocolate
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