85 Chocolate Lover's Recipes - Chef in Training (2024)

FAQs

Can I use 85% dark chocolate for baking? ›

You don't have to spend a ton to get a great chocolate bar for baking. Many of our top picks—like the Theo 85% Dark Chocolate Bar—are available at the supermarket.

Add sugar

This might be a no-brainer, but it sure is the easiest way to make dark chocolate taste less bitter. For starters, you can add a couple tablespoons of sugar to every 50 grams of chocolate, and adjust it to your taste. Melt the dark chocolate on low heat and stir constantly while you add the sugar in slowly.

You may need to use a little extra good quality milk chocolate to take the bitterness off. I've had to do this in the past and it tasted fine. Once you start getting above 43% cocoa solids the more bitter the chocolate because it is less adulterated.

What is the daily recommended amount of dark chocolate? The recommended “dose” is approximately 1 to 2 ounces or 30-60g, experts say. Indulge in anything more than that, and you may be consuming too many calories. A 1.45-ounce (41 gram) Hershey's Special Dark Chocolate Bar has 190 calories.

Aim for chocolate that is at least 70% cocoa. This contains more natural fiber, minerals, vitamins, and antioxidants, and fewer other ingredients, like refined sugar and additives. There is evidence that the nutrients and antioxidants in cocoa — particularly flavanols — may help: boost beneficial gut bacteria.

Just put the bowl of chocolate in the microwave, uncovered, for around 20 to 30 seconds. Take it out, check it and stir it after this, and if most of the chocolate hasn't melted by that point, put it back in the microwave and blast it again on the lowest setting in 5 to 10-second intervals.

A higher % (70-90%) means more cocoa and less sugar, giving a bitter undertone, darker colour, and grainy texture. 100% cocoa is very bitter and unsweetened chocolate used for cooking and baking. Health benefits are more in darker chocolate with higher % cocoa solids, as it has more antioxidants and less added sugar.

High-cocoa polyphenol-rich chocolate improves blood pressure in patients with diabetes and hypertension. Shin, J. H., et al. (2022). Consumption of 85% cocoa dark chocolate improves mood in association with gut microbial changes in healthy adults: a randomized controlled trial.

Add Sweeteners

Sugar is the most common option, but you can also consider alternatives like honey, maple syrup, or sugar substitutes for a different flavour profile or to meet dietary needs. The key is to add enough sweetener to counteract the bitterness without overwhelming the chocolate's rich flavour.

Because baking soda is a base, this switch will neutralize the acidity in the natural cocoa, improving your baked good's flavor. Note: If the recipe already calls for baking soda as well as baking powder, there's no need to make any change save substituting the cocoa.

What happens if you add too much cocoa powder? ›

It is starch that will absorb liquid.

That means that too much of it also means a dry-baked good. So to avoid your baked goods from coming out dry, either reduce the amount of flour (by the same amount of cocoa) or increase the amount of liquid in your formula, about 1/4-1/3 cup of liquids per 1/2 cup of powder.

Note: Butter isn't essential but it gives your ganache a more melt-in-the mouth texture. Your ganache is now ready to use.

Cocoa Bean Quality: The quality of the cocoa beans used is paramount. Fine-flavored cocoa beans, such as Criollo and Trinitario varieties, are often considered superior due to their complex and nuanced flavors.

While bittersweet chocolate will yield a wonderfully rich ganache, I find that it's slightly too bitter for most desserts. You can sweeten it slightly by adding a tablespoon of granulated sugar to the heavy cream. As the cream warms, the sugar will dissolve and blend beautifully into the ganache.

Dark chocolate – in particular, dark chocolate with 86% cacao solids or more – doesn't start to melt until it reaches 46°C. It will take more time over the heat to get your chocolate up to this temperature, which naturally means the risk of burning is higher, so take extra care when melting dark chocolate.

Baking Chocolate

These are bars with about 60 percent cocoa, 40 percent sugar and no added cocoa butter. This variety of chocolate is intended (as you might guess) for baking.