We all love cookies and almost everyone has their favorite kind of chocolate cookies. But have you ever wondered – can you use normal chocolate for cookies. Let’s find out all about using normal chocolates for baking.
So can you use normal chocolate for cookies? Yes, normal chocolate can be used for baking cookies. But using normal chocolate to replace baking chocolate may cause some aversions in taste and the overall flavor of the cookies. Normal chocolate is made to be consumed by itself. And therefore it contains added sugar and other flavorings which give it its delicious taste. Adding pre-flavored and sweetened chocolate to your cookies will divert the taste and the flavors in the cookies in a different direction.
It will make the cookies too sweet. Using normal chocolate for baking will need you to tweak and change the recipe to keep the taste relatively closer to the actual recipe. Using baking chocolate will eliminate this challenge. You can simply stick to the original recipe and achieve amazing and accurate results. It also makes it easier for you to control the flavors and the sugar content in the cookies which makes for a happier and healthier outcome.
Normal chocolates are usually too delicate to withstand the process of baking, whereas baking chocolates are made for this very reason – to be able to be baked into food. There are many variants of baking chocolates namely blocks, bars, chips, wafers, cocoa powder; and sub-variants like bittersweet, semisweet, unsweetened, milk, dark, white. Choosing the right variant and sub-variant of chocolate is more important than you realize.
Try to stay true to the recipe as much as possible, for it will yield perfect results. Using the wrong type of chocolate will either result in the cookies turning soggy and moist if you use a chocolate bar instead of powdered chocolate, or it will turn dry and chalky if you use powdered chocolate instead of a chocolate bar.
Table of Contents
Health Benefits of Chocolate
- Powerful Source of Antioxidants
- Very Nutritious
- May Help Reduce Risk of Heart Disease
- Could Improve Brain Function
- May Help Protect Your Skin From the Sun
- May Improve Blood Flow and Help Lower Blood Pressure
Ingredients In Types Of Chocolate
| Chocolate Type | Ingredients |
| Unsweetened/Baking Chocolate | 85-99% Chocolate Liquor |
| Extra Bittersweet Chocolate | 75-84% Chocolate Liquor, Lecithin, Sugar & Vanilla |
| Bittersweet Chocolate | 65-74% Chocolate Liquor, Lecithin, Sugar & Vanilla |
| Semi-Sweet Chocolate | 50-64% Chocolate Liquor, Lecithin, Sugar & Vanilla |
| Dark Milk Chocolate | 38-45% Chocolate Liquor, Milk Solids, Lecithin, Sugar, & Vanilla |
| Milk Chocolate | 10% Chocolate Liquor, Milk Solids, Lecithin, & Vanilla |
| White Chocolate | 34-44% Cocoa Butter, Sugar, Lecithin, Milk Solids & Vanilla |
| Couverture | Minimum of 33% Cocoa Butter |
Basics Of Using Chocolate For Baking
Can Normal Chocolate Be Used Instead Of Baking Chocolate?
In one word, Yes. Normal eating chocolate is widely seen as a substitute for baking chocolate in most recipes. But most don’t consider the fact that normal eating chocolate already has a lot of sweeteners and sugar in them and we should balance it with adding less sweet to our recipes.
Also if you are considering eating chocolate for something a bit complex like a covering for your muffins or cake, or making ganache, then you should stick to baking chocolate as the balance of cocoa butter and other ingredients will perfectly suit this task, unlike normal eating chocolate.
Variants Of Baking Chocolate
Keep in mind that you shouldn’t bake with chocolate that is not consumable by itself. Having said that, 5 main forms of chocolate can be suitable for baking purposes – blocks, bars, chips, wafers, and Powder.
Chocolate Blocks
Chocolate blocks are a great direction to go if you are baking in bigger than usual quantities. But they do happen to be difficult to break down into usable-sized pieces. You can use a serrated knife to cut off pieces from the sides, then use a food processor or a knife to chop them into smaller pieces according to requirement.
Chocolate Bars
Chocolate bars are great for the preparation of cookies for they are quite adaptable as per the recipe. They are also really easy to cut into smaller pieces as required by the recipe. They can also be melted and incorporated into the cookie dough very easily.
Chocolate Chips
Although chocolate chip cookies are the most popular kind of chocolate cookies out there, they are not necessarily the best kind to bake cookies with. The specialty of chips is that they hold their shape even after being baked, this is due to the stabilizers that are used while making them. This does give the cookies a beautiful look, they don’t always taste as good, for the stabilizers that help them hold their shape causes them to taste waxy and compromise with the cocoa flavor that can be found in other forms of chocolate.
If you want to use chips regardless of the above, you should opt for the good and higher quality chips which are made of cocoa butter, cocoa solids, sugar, and milk.
Chocolate Wafers
Chocolate wafers are perfect to be used in recipes that call for melted chocolate. They are quite easy to melt down and can be used for various chocolate-flavored desserts. They are not formulated with any stabilizers which makes their taste that much more authentic and delicious when compared to chocolate chips. They are also available in different variants like white chocolate, semisweet, bittersweet, milk chocolate, etc, which makes it easier to control the flavors and sweetness as per preference.
Cocoa Powder
As the name suggests, cocoa powder has a flour-like texture which makes it ideal for baking cakes, brownies, etc. Cocoa powder is always unsweetened; if not, then it is a hot chocolate mix. You can use it to coat pans before baking. Cocoa powder is available in two variants- natural and dutch processed. The more common option is to go for the natural one for it is simple and a primary formula and won’t react to the other ingredients present in the recipe.
Dutch-process cocoa powder is made to react with alkaline to reduce its acidity which in turn makes it susceptible to mess with the other ingredients present in the recipe. This results in friable cakes and dusty cookies due to the low acidity. Do not use the dutch process cocoa powder unless the recipe specifies to do so.
But if it is garnished you wish to use cocoa powder for, which doesn’t involve any form of baking or cooking the cocoa powder, then both variants will work flawlessly.
Types Of Chocolate: Explained
You can technically switch up the chocolate varieties among different preparations, but there’s always a preference for every recipe.
Bittersweet Chocolate
Bittersweet chocolate has around 70% cacao and will work great in the preparation of desserts where the spotlight is on the chocolate itself. It is very similar to semisweet chocolate and can be swapped with each other without anyone even noticing. Hence it is a great alternative for semi-sweet chocolates.
Semisweet Chocolate
Semi-sweet chocolate has 60% of cacao in it and is great for baking. It is available in the form of blocks, bars, or chips. You can use any, depending on your personal preference or according to whichever recipe you are following. It is very adaptable to any and every ingredient. And like mentioned above, it is a great alternative to bittersweet chocolate and can be switched with it. Laymen like you and me won’t be able to tell the difference in their flavors, which are too similar for our underdeveloped palette.
Unsweetened Chocolate
Unsweetened chocolate is made just out of cacao solids and cacao butter, making it 100% in cacao content. It is available in various formats like in block, bar, wafers, etc. It is extremely bitter in taste because as its name suggests, it is unsweetened. It has a dark flavor and a friable texture. They are best when used in recipes that require sugar to be added to them. They can be melted and incorporated into recipes with ease. They are best for preparation on cakes and brownies, which generally will contain sugar or sugar substitutes that will make the flavors and the richness of the unsweetened chocolate come out.
Milk Chocolate
Milk chocolate has about 10% cacao content and is much sweeter than other forms of chocolate. It has a higher percentage of sugar and milk solids (a minimum of 12%). Due to its sweet taste and ability to melt with ease, it is great for no-bake or minimum bake recipes like smores, pancakes, etc.
Dark Chocolate
Dark chocolate has around 70% cacao content and is quite close to bittersweet and semi-sweet chocolates. It has a complex set for flavors and definitely not for everyone. It is for the chocolate connoisseurs and is an acquired taste for sure. It is best used for making mousse, glazes, puddings, etc.
White Chocolate
White chocolate is not made out of any cacao hence has a 0% cacao content. It is mainly made out of cocoa butter, milk products, and sugar. It has a very sweet taste and a milky flavor. It is great when used in recipes that contain nuts like hazelnuts, walnuts, pecans, etc, and fruits like cherries, coconuts, oranges, apples, etc.
Can You Use Normal Chocolate For Cookies? More Things to Know.
How To Store Your Chocolate
Make sure that the chocolate is stored in a cool and dark place away from any moisture, for that will cause it to bloom (but will still be perfectly fine for baking with or even direct consumption). Also, make sure to keep it away from any source of heat. There may be no requirement to store your chocolate in the fridge or the freezer if they have wrapping on them. If you are not using up the entire bar of chocolate at once, make sure to wrap it up properly so that no moisture can enter.
Does Cooking Chocolate Have Any Health Benefits?
Chocolate with a low to no sugar content is the best for consumption for you are getting more of the benefits of the cacao than getting the harmful side effects of consuming too much sugar. Sometimes chocolates promise to be a certain type but when you venture into the ingredient list, you see that they have used additives or other cheaper ingredients. This is more common than you would think. So it is best to investive yourself and gets good quality chocolate.
The most superior quality of unsweetened chocolate can go up to 100% cacao content. And hence it is healthy and good for your health. You will need to add sugar to this kind of chocolate, or you can even substitute sugar with healthier sweeteners- natural or artificial.
Is Cooking Chocolate A Good Vegan/Gluten-Free/Dairy-Free?
As you move upwards on the quality scale of the chocolate, the probability of it being gluten-free, vegan, and dairy-free also goes upwards for the ingredients are more likely to be derived from vegan sources. These chocolates usually have a few ingredients like a small amount of sugar and cocoa solids along with some cocoa butter. Cocoa butter may put you in some doubt, although we can assure you that it is the butter derived from cocoa beans, making it 100 % vegan. The higher the quality and the more minimalistic the chocolate, the more is the scope of them being dairy-free and vegan. Some inexpensive chocolates are formulated with whey or milk.
Chopping And Melting Your Chocolate, Made Easy
Sometimes chocolates are available in form of wafers and bite-sized pieces, these can be melted without chopping first. But if you are required to buy chocolate in larger sizes like in bar or block forms, then you will definitely need to chop them down before melting them successfully without burning them. Chopping the chocolate into tiny pieces will help distribute the heat evenly and will aid in the melting process more effectively.
If you are a regular user of chocolate, then it is only practical to chop all of it at once and store it. This will help you save up on a lot of time and melting chocolate will be a swifter job.
Make sure you have the proper tools required to chop chocolate. The most fundamental choices are;
- A serrated knife
- A chocolate chipper
- A chef’s knife
Using A Serrated Knife
Serrated knives are great for chopping down chocolate which comes in bar or block formats. It makes the job easier and quicker with the usage of minimal energy. You do not need to apply a lot of force to chop the chocolate while using the serrated knife. You can simply begin at one corner and start chopping until all of the chocolate is chopped up in tiny even pieces.
Using A Chefs knife
You can very well use a chef’s knife to chop chocolate just as easily and as precisely. Although you should make sure that the knife is sharp and heavy. You can simply apply sturdy pressure on it, starting at the corner and it should cut just as easily as any other method. You can rotate the chocolate to start at every corner until the entire chocolate has been chopped.
Using A Chocolate Chipper
A chocolate chipper is very useful when it comes to chopping down large blocks of chocolate. It is especially useful for people who need to chop chocolate in bulk. It is built like a large rake which has 5 blades on the bottom, facing upwards. You can simply just push the chocolate through it, and it will chop it for you.
Normal Chocolate Vs. Cooking Chocolate
You may feel no need to find the difference between cooking chocolate and normal chocolate, but knowing the various aspects in which these two variants are different will help you choose the right chocolate for your delicious recipes.
One of the significant differences between the two is the sugar levels in each. Cooking chocolate is generally sweeter than normal chocolate. Many times cooking chocolate is entirely sugar-free. It also has a high concentration of cocoa in it, much higher than that in normal chocolate. It is hence the perfect kind of chocolate to be used for baking. It helps you regulate how sweet you want your baked items to turn out.
Normal chocolate, due to the added sugar in it, is generally not preferred for baking for it can mess with the sweetness levels, making it extremely sweet. Even if you try to balance out the sweetness by using less sugar in the rest of the recipe, it doesn’t guarantee the perfect sweetness for it may not have enough sugar this time around.
Due to the lower content of sugar in cooking chocolates, it is considered a healthier version of normal chocolate.
It is more likely for cooking chocolates to be vegan. This is a really good thing for vegans and people who are intolerant to dairy. Normal chocolate will usually contain milk. Cooking chocolates can go up to 100% pure cocoa solids, which is the utmost quality of the chocolate. You cannot go any further upwards when it comes to quality. Normal chocolate is mixed with various additives that lower the cocoa content bar.
