Imposter, you say? Yes, it isn’t really chocolate at all. Genuine chocolate contains cocoa solids. These solids remain after cocoa butter (the fatty component) is removed from the cocoa bean during processing. Cocoa butter accounts for about 52% of the weight of a cocoa bean! It is the cocoa butter itself that is one of the main ingredients in white “chocolate”. Well, most white chocolates anyway as we will divulge in a minute.
The other ingredients in white chocolate are sugar, non-fat dry milk, milk fat, soy lecithin, and vanilla extract.
Nestlé first concocted white chocolate in the 1930s when the famous Swiss company decided they had a surplus of cocoa butter and sought a way to use it. They created a product called “Milkybar” and it spread throughout Europe. Other chocolate producers soon caught on to the clever way to use the excess cocoa butter.
White chocolate is high in saturated fat, so you will want to consume it in moderation. And, even though it does contain a good bit of calcium and antioxidants such as polyphenols and flavonoids, the benefits are outweighed by the high dose of calories, sugar, and fat.
You must read the label when shopping for white chocolate. One type of Ghirardelli white chocolate we examined (not the one pictured below, however) contained absolutely no cocoa butter! But it did have: cane sugar, vegetable oil, (hydrogenated palm kernel and palm oil, glyceryl lacto esters), nonfat dry milk, whole milk powder, soy lecithin, salt, and natural flavor. You might be wondering how much cocoa butter can be included in white chocolate? Well, it has to have a minimum of 20% or it cannot technically be called “white chocolate” which runs counter to the product just described above.
When the level of cocoa butter exceeds 20%, the manufacturer will generally loudly and proudly announce the cocoa butter content on the front of the package. You will find proclamations of 28%, 30%, and 33% on some white chocolate bars. The higher the cocoa butter content the richer and creamier the white chocolate will taste.
And now we come to what you might consider to be the weirdest thing about white chocolate — the cocoa butter’s natural aroma and taste are undesirable. Manufacturers deodorize the butter and add flavoring to make it palatable. If you are feeling adventurous, there is a brand of white chocolate available on Amazon that has not been deodorized and retains its natural flavor. White chocolate nerds believe this is the finest white chocolate in the world. El Rey 34% Icoa White Chocolate Bar – 3 pounds for $62. Hmmm.
Technically speaking, white chocolate is a confection. It is sweeter than milk chocolate. Many people find the texture agreeable and the taste delightful. The color contrast between the white and milk chocolate can make an interesting visual impression for a special dessert.
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