Types of Chocolate? Just 3

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How many different types of chocolate are there? Just 3.

White, milk, and sweet chocolate, different types for different tastes.

Each contain cocoa products, but in different proportions.

But which type of chocolate is the healthiest?

Here are the three kinds of chocolate we can't seem to get enough of!

White Chocolate

Yes, it's chocolate but just barely. It's all about the cocoa butter.

Cocoa butter is a major component of the cocoa bean. The cocoa bean is the source of chocolate. So it's chocolate.

It just doesn't have any cocoa solids (chocolate liquor) in it.

It's white because it lacks cocoa and no coloring can be added to it.

FDA regulations require that white chocolate contain...

• at least 20% cocoa butter by weight
• at least 14% total milk solids by weight
• not more than 55% nutritive carbohydrate sweetener (sugar) by weight

Optional ingredients include...

• additional cocoa butter
• nutritive carbohydrate sweeteners-sugar
• dairy ingredients-cream, milkfat, butter, milk, skim milk, concentrated buttermilk, malted milk
• flavorings, spices or seasonings that do not imitate the flavor of chocolate, milk or butter
• antioxidants
• emulsifiers
• whey

Very popular but not very healthy because of a lack of cocoa solids.

Choose a bar that has those healthy antioxidants added.

Milk Chocolate

America's favorite type of chocolate. Who doesn't like it?

It's chocolate liquor (liquid chocolate, unsweetened) with one or more dairy ingredient and one or more sweetener.

And maybe one or more of the other optional ingredients.

Milk chocolate must contain...

• at least 10% chocolate liquor by weight
• and at least 12% total milk solids by weight

The optional ingredients are nearly the same as in white chocolate. No buttermilk, malted milk, whey or antioxidants are added.

When it comes to types of chocolate, this one's extremely popular. But only slightly healthier than white chocolate.

The chocolate liquor provides the healthy cocoa solids, but the percent of cocoa tends to be low.

Look for dark milk chocolate. It's cocoa content is much higher.

Sweet Chocolate

Sweet chocolate is dark chocolate. It's soon to be America's favorite (I hope!).

It's made by blending chocolate liquor with one or more of those sweeteners. One or more of those other optional ingredients can be thrown in.

It's required to contain...

• not less than 15% chocolate liquor by weight
• less than 12% milk solids by weight

These two types of chocolate,  semi-sweet and bittersweet, are included in the sweet chocolate category. They must contain...

• not less than 35% chocolate liquor by weight
• less than 12% milk solids by weight

The optional ingredients are the same as white chocolate with the exception of whey and antioxidants.

Dark sweet chocolate should be your first stop on the road to healthy chocolate. Learn to love it.

Then gradually work your way through semisweet on up to bittersweet. Why?

Because bittersweet contains higher levels of cocoa, as high as 99%. This type of chocolate is also called extra dark, very dark, intense dark, extra strong dark (I think you get the picture), etc.

It's where you find the healthy stuff (70% cocoa or more).

3 Types of Chocolate: Hundreds of Products

There are only 3 varieties of chocolate but we humans have devised thousands of uses.

Your favorite treat can be made into ...

• ice cream
  
• baked goods
  
• candy
• beverages
  
• a supplement
  
• a coating
• art
• and more

Those 3 basic varieties can also be subdivided into special types or categories of chocolate...

• organic
• vegan
• raw
• Kosher
• fair trade
  

Technically, only 3 types but the number of variations are unlimited!

Enjoy all the different kinds of chocolate. But if you want the type of chocolate that's the healthiest, pick bittersweet with at least 70% cocoa. Don't stop there, try darker and darker and really taste chocolate!

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