What’s Your Chocolate Type?

photo by Zsuzsanna Kilian

by Chewy

     We all know the health benefits of chocolate and most of us are endeavoring to find creative reasons for fitting it into our food regimens . Just thinking about chocolate can improve one’s mood (could this be a Pavlov effect?) and I feel that recreational imagery of chocolate products should be included in any meditation discipline. Now that we have been given free rein to indulge (after you’ve factored in that whole “moderation” and “balanced” mantra) it now boils down to what type of chocolate will satisfy.

     That precious fruit of the cacao plant, cocoa is mixed with fat (another yummy ingredient) and sugar to produce what we know as the confection, chocolate. Besides the ability to raise serotonin levels, some forms also contain anti-oxidants that could potentially reduce the risk of heart disease. Ironically, chocolates are sometimes delivered up in heart shaped boxes. And who hasn’t tried to soothe a broken heart with a healthy dose, or overdose, of Hershey products! Women have cognitively known these benefits for centuries, but finally the science has caught up and validates the stance.

     Guilt having been assuaged, we can now contemplate the types of chocolate available and determine how best to use them.

Unsweetened Chocolate

I’ll never forget the day my husband came home with a chocolate bar, unwrapped it, took a bite and declared, “There’s something wrong with this chocolate!”. Reading the wrapper I pointed out to him that he had bought bakers or unsweetened chocolate. Lesson: This will NOT satisfy your sweet tooth. A pure chocolate liquor from ground chocolate beans, it has a bitter taste. Seasoned bakers recognize this variety as the basis for many baked goods where other ingredients (sugar, spices, etc.) temper the bitter and form a symbiotic relationship. A good example would be chocolate fudge.

Milk Chocolate

Probably the most popular in this country, it is created by adding milk powder. In cooler climes, such as Europe , they add extra fat which makes for a richer, creamier product that wouldn’t have a snowballs chance in Tahiti of staying intact in warmer places (i.e. it melts at a lower temperature). This one you can eat ”raw” and it can stand on it’s own.

Dark Chocolate

Lacking milk as an additive and not as sweet, there are subclasses to this type. Semi-sweet chocolate has a lower sugar content then dark chocolate and can be your go to cookie chip. Bittersweet chocolate is Europe’s version and has slightly less sugar than semi-sweet. Try throwing a few chips, chunks, or shavings into any milk chocolate baked item  to boost that chocolate blast.
 
White Chocolate

Technically not a chocolate, the cocoa liquor is removed from milk chocolate to create this very sweet confection. A great alternative for vanilla lovers, it provides a sweet smooth consistency with hints of dairy. When I think of white chocolate I think cheesecake as in white chocolate cheesecake.

With so many choices it isn’t difficult to attain our RDA (Recommended Daily Allowance) of chocolate. Good health to you!