What are Chocolate Chips?
Chocolate chips are small, round, processed dollops of chocolate that are uniform in size and used for baking. Baking chocolate chip cookies is the most well-known use for chocolate chips. However, chocolate chips may also be baked in muffins or cakes and can also be sprinkled on top of a warm cake to form a sort of instant chunky frosting. The main types of chocolate chips include bittersweet, semisweet, milk and white.
Bittersweet chocolate chips are dark in color and contain more cocoa than the other varieties of chocolate chips. They have some sugar added but are not very sweet. Bittersweet chocolate chips are the perfect choice when a rich, intense chocolate flavor is desired.
Semisweet chocolate chips are the most common type available today. They contain cocoa butter and a mix of unsweetened chocolate and sugar. Semisweet chocolate chips are much sweeter than the bittersweet variety, but not overly sweet. The semisweet variety of chocolate chips is versatile and can be used in many recipes.
Milk chocolate chips are quite sweet and creamy in texture. They are lighter in color than semisweet chocolate chips due to the milk solids. White chocolate chips also contain milk solids and are extremely sweet. White chocolate is technically not chocolate at all since no cocoa beans are used in it. White chocolate chips are often used for color and flavor contrast in deserts using other types of chocolate chips or chocolate.
Chocolate chips are uniformly round in their size and have a peak on top. Mini chocolate chips have the same look but are smaller in size. They are good for smaller cupcakes or mini desserts. Chocolate chunks are larger rectangular pieces of chocolates and not chip-shaped. They make a chunkier chocolate chip alternative in favorite desserts such as chocolate chip cookies.
Unlike chocolate baking squares and other chocolate that melts easily, chocolate chips are made to hold their shape when baked. Chocolate chips have hardly any cocoa butter and that is why they do keep their shape. Chocolate chips are not usually good for melting as they may be lumpy and some types may even have a gritty texture after melting. All types of chocolate chips should be stored in a cool, dry area.
Written by Sheri Cyprus
