The Best Chocolate

You never really need an occasion to eat chocolate. Whether you just need something sweet after dinner or a little pick-me-up snack in the afternoon, chocolate is the perfect treat. It’s also a great gift to bring over to a friend’s house and an ideal accompaniment for holidays. There are so many types of chocolate available on the market today, so how do you know which one to grab?

Chocolate is often categorized by the ratio of ingredients it contains, such as cocoa, sugar and milk. For example, milk chocolate is one of the most popular varieties found in stores today. When you think of a chocolate bar, it’s usually made with milk chocolate. Dark chocolate is an increasingly popular variety because of its potential health benefits.

White chocolate is a misnomer because it is actually not chocolate at all. It doesn’t contain a key chocolate ingredient. However, it tastes and behaves like chocolate, and is often found in chocolate bars. If you’re a baker, you’re likely familiar with baker’s chocolate, which usually comes in semi-sweet or bittersweet varieties. Often, many types of baking chocolate contain little or no sugar (as the sugar is added separately into the baked good).

In addition to considering what kind of chocolate you want to get, think about the flavor profile you want to enjoy. Chocolate is often mixed with nuts, such as peanuts, hazelnuts and almonds. You can also find it with dried fruit such as cranberries. And for those that love herbs, chocolate and mint is a popular combination. Don’t forget about cookies, wafers and other crunchy baked goods that are often mixed in with chocolate.

• For many shoppers, serving size is a critical factor in their buying decision. Do you want to have chocolate that is packaged in individual servings or do you want a bulk package where you can take however much you want?
• If you’re giving chocolate as a gift, be sure to look for packaging that is beautiful and eye-catching. Many chocolatiers devise packaging that is designed specifically for gift-giving, making the experience of receiving chocolate all the more exciting.
• As with anything you consume, be sure to pay special attention to the ingredients list. All chocolate will need to have cocoa and sugar, in addition to cocoa butter and possibly milk. Avoid chocolates that have ingredients such as vegetable oil or palm oil in addition to unnecessary preservatives. Keep in mind that ingredients are listed by quantity, so the first couple of ingredients will have the largest quantity in the chocolate.
• Some chocolate brands describe the chocolate as raw, which can be misleading. Cacao is fermented and processed in order to turn it into the kind of chocolate that we are familiar with, so it is actually not raw in this case. In some “raw” chocolate, manufacturers mix cocoa powder and cocoa butter, instead of grinding cacao nibs to make chocolate.
• For many shoppers, looking for ethically sourced products is key. When it comes to chocolate, you can find information about where the cacao is from on some chocolate packaging. If this is of importance to you, go with chocolate that states it is ethically and responsibly harvested and traded.