White chocolate lovers, this is for you.
Until a little over a year ago, I despised white chocolate. I fell into the camp of people who didn't deem it a "true" form of chocolate and actually went out of my way to diss it. Then I met my boyfriend, the most devoted white chocolate lover I had ever laid eyes on. Case in point: The dude will happily call two Hershey's Cookies 'n' Creme bars dinner (for the record, I'd never allow that).
In the beginning of our relationship, I tried to ban his cherished treat. The first time we made chocolate chip cookies together, I was surveying the ingredients I needed to get at the store when he suggested I pick up white chocolate chips in addition to semisweet ones—he was hoping we could do a mix. "Sure," I cheerily replied—but I knew my real game plan. I returned to my apartment only with semisweet chips in hand, lying that the supermarket was out. The sad look on his face crushed me, and I silently vowed to at least make a small effort to reconsider the stuff.
Serendipitously, a fancy Seattle-based chocolatier sent me some bars a few weeks later to sample. I was honestly surprised an upscale company would be making white chocolate and spiking it with sophisticated flavors like citrus and cayenne. I hadn't tasted white chocolate in so long I didn't even know what to expect. It was sweet—but not overtly so, which is how I remembered it. And it had a complex, buttery flavor that floored me. Before I knew it, all that was left in my hand was the wrapper. I felt embarrassed—like a fraud. How could I have cast aside white chocolate for so many years?
Here's what I learned: White chocolate rules. I mistakenly saw it as many people do: a lesser, cheaper version of milk and dark. It's time to set the record straight with these facts.
white chocolate
1. It is actually real chocolate. People love pointing out, "It's fake chocolate!" Which is actually only partly true. White chocolate isn't just a processed fake version of chocolate; it's a derivative. Unlike milk and dark, white chocolate doesn't contain any ground cocoa beans (hence it's light color). The cocoa beans and cocoa butter are separated during processing and recombined for creating the milk and dark varieties. Instead, white chocolate is made up mainly of cocoa butter, which milk and dark also contain, only in much smaller quantities.
2. The good stuff is American-made. There are quite a few U.S. companies, like jcoco, Guittard, and Askinosie, who are making really great quality white chocolate. (Unlike milk and dark—Europe corners the market there.) For the truly magical stuff, check the label and make sure cocoa butter is the only source of fat in the bar. Skip ones with added oils. Do a color test: The bar should be off-white if made with pure cocoa butter.
3. White chocolate showcases—and doesn't overshadow—other ingredients. Not only does white chocolate pair ridiculously well with any type of fruit—especially tarter ones—its delicate flavor lets ingredients shine without overpowering them (I'm looking at you, dark chocolate). White chocolate also helps mellow out dark chocolate's bitter flavor in baked goods like brownies and cakes.
4. Nothing beats white chocolate frosting. Throughout my newfound love affair with white chocolate, I've made cookies, cakes, bark, and scones—all delicious, but white chocolate buttercream is a last meal contender. Do yourself a favor and go make some. Now.
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