Just Because You Can Eat Baking Chocolate Doesn't Mean You Should

You're whipping up a batch of fudgy brownies and a shard of leftover baking chocolate is sitting on the counter calling out your name. But be warned; just because you can eat baking chocolate doesn't mean you should gobble it up without a care. Take heed and save it for another recipe, because while it may look yummy on the outside, you'll be met with nothing but bitterness and regret if you try to indulge in it.

Baking chocolate is made from unsweetened cocoa solids and cocoa butter, which means there's no sugar or dairy in there to offset the natural bitterness of the cocoa. Yes, some baking chocolates do include a small measure of sugar but they taste nothing like a bar of milk chocolate that includes an abundance of milk and sweeteners to give it that dreamy and delicious texture. This means baking chocolate is best used as an ingredient within a recipe that contains additional components, like sugar and flour. 

As baking chocolate has an intense flavor, even a little fraction gives baked goods a rich and chocolatey quality, making it perfect for gooey puddings like chocolate lava cake. As there's no sugar in the mix, it also gives bakers plenty of control when it comes to sweetening their bakes to their preference; they can add as much or as little as they like but still get that full bodied hit of chocolate in their confections. Baking chocolate also melts well, making it useful for preparing a glossy ganache or glaze.

If your recipe calls for baking chocolate, you shouldn't swap it for a regular bar of chocolate that you'd snack on. As eating chocolate contains sugar and usually more cocoa butter and dairy additions like milk, this will upset the flavor balance of your baked goods, whether they be chocolate chip cookies or a decadent 2-layer chocolate cake. Regular chocolate doesn't melt as seamlessly as baking chocolate so you won't be able to incorporate it in the same way into batters and doughs either.

That said, you can swap baking chocolate for a high-quality dark chocolate as long as it has cocoa solids of 80 to 100%. As dark chocolate contains less sugar than the milk chocolate or white chocolate you'd find in a candy bar, it makes a useful substitute. However, there still may be some differences in the finished texture and flavor of your bake. The one mistake you must never make is to swap baking chocolate for cocoa powder alone. Cocoa powder does have a concentrated chocolatey flavor but it's also free from the fat that comes from cocoa butter, resulting in cakes and cookies that have an unusual consistency and crumb. For the best results, stick to the chocolate source in the recipe (and save that baking chocolate for your baking, not your stomach).