Semi-sweet Chocolate Victim of Middle Chocolate Syndrome

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It's sad but true. Semi-sweet chocolate is not as popular as milk chocolate or as healthy as dark chocolate. Stuck between these two more famous types of chocolate, it's often ignored.

Sure, we all know it's the key to our favorite cookie. But how many of us really know semi-sweet chocolate? Have you ever taken the time? No? Shame on you!

But you can change that. Start today, learn more about it. Help it get the recognition it so richly deserves.


Semi-sweet vs Bittersweet

Both are delicious and contain the same ingredients. A minimum of 35% chocolate liquor (pure liquid chocolate) and less than 12% milk solids. Sugar (sweetener) and extra cocoa butter are added.

But the proportions are different. Semi-sweet has more sugar and averages 35 to 45% chocolate liquor. Bittersweet has less sugar and averages more than 50% up to a maximum of 99% chocolate liquor.

Semi-sweet is sweeter than bittersweet but not as dark. So it's chocolate flavor isn't as strong. It's the perfect choice, if you've moved beyond milk chocolate but aren't quite ready for dark chocolate.

Develop a taste for it and you're halfway to loving the darker healthier (70%) chocolate!

It's available in candy bars, baking squares or chips.


Substitute for Semi Sweet Chocolate

Let's say you find a delicious chocolate recipe that you can't wait to try. Your mouth is watering as you search the cabinets. You find everything you need except the semisweet chocolate.

N-o-o-o-o! You just have to make this recipe. So you search again. All you find is unsweetened cocoa powder and baking chocolate. Would you know what to do?

Substitute!

If the recipe calls for 1 cup (6oz)

  • combine 6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder, 4 tablespoons margarine, and 7 tablespoons sugar
    • or
  • combine 2 squares (2oz) of baking chocolate with 1/2 cup sugar. Reduce margarine by 2 tablespoons

Use those dormant math skills (you know...the ones you thought you'd never need) to convert to the amount needed for your recipe.

Chips and squares can be used interchangeably, ounce for ounce. Be sure to break the squares into small pieces when substituting them for chips. If you don't, you'll have Texas-sized chocolate chips!



Ok, now you know more about this ignored chocolate. It's sort of dark and a slightly sweet chocolate treat. Shouldn't you give it a chance to prove that it's just as delicious as those other two?





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