There are plenty of reasons to love craft chocolate! You can use it for baking and cooking. It’s also a satisfying treat for snacking. Oat milk chocolates and dark chocolates tantalize the taste buds with their creamy notes and rich, fudgy flavors. There are a variety of chocolate types to savor, including plant-based chocolate. So, what is white chocolate and how does it stack up against some other favorites?
If you’ve ever tasted white chocolate before, you know it’s built a little differently than other chocolate types. We’ll explain why white chocolate is unique in the culinary world and how to distinguish it from other treats. You’ll learn more about your other choices in chocolate and the benefits of baking with quality vegan ingredients, like our new oat milk white chocolate.
Ingredients in White Chocolate
Classic chocolate varieties like milk chocolate and dark chocolate contain what are referred to as “cocoa solids.” This is the part of the cocoa bean with the rich taste you’ll find in dark chocolate bars. White chocolate does not have cocoa solids as an ingredient. Instead, the main ingredient in white chocolate is cocoa butter. Sugar and milk powder combine with cocoa butter for a distinct creaminess you won’t find in the other chocolate treats. Along with these typical white chocolate ingredients, the bars and confections also contain vanilla.
Browse Our Decadent Dark & Milk Bars
When Was White Chocolate Invented?
There are conflicting yet interesting stories about the history of white chocolate! Some people say it was made to use excess milk powder or cocoa butter after the first World War. Others think an everyday cook created it in their home kitchen. Most culinary enthusiasts can agree that Nestle started making white chocolate commercially in the year 1936. The confection featured condensed milk, then added cocoa butter to create its distinctive coating.
Is It Really Chocolate?
There’s always been a debate about this confection! Critics of white chocolate say it’s not real chocolate because it doesn’t have cocoa solids in it. Legally, it meets the definition of chocolate in the countries that regulate it, like the United States.
There are guidelines for white chocolate. Officially, authentic white chocolate should include at least 20% cocoa butter. It shouldn’t have any additional fats in it, such as palm oil or vegetable oil. This just makes it chocolate candy. Real white chocolate should have less than 55% sweeteners in its recipe. Outside of the United States, chocolate may have its own culinary definition. If you’re curious about it, you can check out legal definitions and guidelines for chocolate by country.
Is White Chocolate Vegan?
Traditional white chocolate is not vegan because a main ingredient used to make white chocolate is dairy milk. There are a lot of people out there that do not consume dairy, but love the taste and texture of white chocolate, which is why we decided to create a plant-based white chocolate. Our oat milk white chocolate uses, wait for it…oat milk powder instead of dairy milk powder, which makes TCHO’s Choco Blanco 35% vegan and 100% plant-based. Our plant-based white chocolate is creamy and indulgent, a one-of-a-kind experience that reminds you of traditional white chocolate yet elevates the flavor in a way only TCHO can. We hope you enjoy!
Getting to Know the World of Chocolate
Chocolate is a diverse confection. If you like plant-based treats, you’ll find plenty of delicious flavors here at TCHO. We let you enjoy the lighter side of things with tasty flavors like plant-based oat milk chocolate with vegan toffee and sea salt. It truly is an out-of-this-world experience! If you’re okay with going bold, we recommend the fudgy taste of dairy-free dark chocolate truffles from Ghana. Or experience a totally new taste with cacao truffle-filled dark chocolate with fruity notes from Peru.
If you like chocolate with a little pick-me-up, we have a rich and bold coffee truffle-filled plant-based oat milk chocolate. Choose your journey! There are so many ways to explore chocolate and its many personalities. From snacking to baking, we have plant-based craft chocolate to satisfy you and your curiosities. We can’t wait to take the adventure along with you!
