Most of us have certainly asked ourselves what white chocolate is actually made of. It differs not only in appearance and taste from dark chocolate, but above all in the manufacturing process.
What is white chocolate made of?
The white color of chocolate is not due to artificial coloring. In contrast to brown chocolate, it does not contain any cocoa powder, which is responsible for the brown color.
- To make chocolate, the cocoa beans are roasted, peeled and then ground. This creates a dark brown mass of cocoa that has a bitter taste.
- When this cocoa mass is pressed, cocoa powder and cocoa butter are obtained respectively.
- To make white chocolate, sugar, milk, and cream are added to the cocoa butter. On the other hand, apart from these ingredients, brown chocolate also contains cocoa powder, which gives it its dark color.
- All the ingredients are then heated for several hours and stirred at the same time. This process is called conching.
- In order to obtain the typical chocolate shape, the mass is then poured into a mould, cooled and packaged.
White chocolate versus dark chocolate
In order to be considered chocolate in the first place, white chocolate must contain at least 20 percent cocoa butter. This regulation is laid down in the so-called Cocoa Ordinance. In addition to the differences in appearance and taste, white chocolate also differs from the dark varieties in other ways:
- 100 grams of white chocolate have a total of 540 calories, milk chocolate with 536 calories per 100 grams almost as many.
- Dark chocolate, on the other hand, contains a little fewer calories (50 percent): 100g contain 496 calories.
- Not only does white chocolate have more fat and sugar than dark chocolate, it also causes blood sugar levels to spike faster, which in turn can trigger cravings.
- The high cocoa content in dark chocolate has a positive effect on our heart, as cocoa dilates the vessels and can therefore help to lower blood pressure. In addition, dark chocolate curbs the appetite for high-calorie foods, resulting in fewer cravings after eating them .
- So white chocolate is not much unhealthier than milk chocolate. However, small amounts of dark chocolate are much healthier than white or brown chocolate. Enjoy a small piece of white or milk chocolate every now and then, but it won’t be bad for your health.