FAQs For Homebakers

“Baking chocolate” describes chocolate intended for use in recipes, but it isn’t one single type. It can be milk, semisweet, bittersweet or unsweetened, in chips, bars or wafers. Some eating chocolate can work well in baking too. The important things are the chocolate’s ingredients, cacao percentage and how it behaves in your recipe. Choose the type your recipe specifies, rather than assuming every chocolate bar will give the same result.

Semisweet and bittersweet chocolate both contain sugar. The terms describe styles of chocolate, but they don’t have one universal cacao percentage. In Guittard’s home-baking bar range, you can choose 64% cacao semisweet, 70% cacao bittersweet or 100% cacao unsweetened chocolate. The unsweetened bar has no added sweetness from sugar, so it is best used in recipes that specifically call for it.

The cacao percentage tells you how much of the chocolate comes from the cacao bean, including cocoa butter and cocoa solids. It doesn’t measure cocoa solids alone. A higher percentage doesn’t automatically mean better chocolate, and percentage alone won’t tell you exactly how it tastes. The beans, chocolate-making process and other ingredients all contribute to flavour. Use the percentage alongside tasting notes and your recipe’s guidance.

Dutch-process cocoa, also called Dutched or alkalised cocoa, has been treated with an alkaline solution to reduce its natural acidity. The process also changes its colour and flavour. Guittard Cocoa Rouge is an unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder with a rich, deep-red colour and a robust, fudge-like chocolate flavour. It brings depth to cakes, brownies and pastries made with Dutch-process cocoa.

Not automatically. Natural and Dutch-process cocoa differ in acidity, which can affect how a recipe works with bicarbonate of soda or baking powder. For dependable results, use the type your recipe specifies. Where a substitution is possible, follow guidance from the recipe’s author rather than replacing one with the other by guesswork.

Not as a simple weight-for-weight swap. Chocolate and cocoa powder contain different proportions of cocoa butter, and sweetened chocolate also contributes sugar. Changing one for the other can alter texture, richness and sweetness. Choose a recipe written for the ingredient you have, or use a substitution tested for that particular recipe.

Keep chocolate in a cool, dry place away from sunlight, strong smells and changes in temperature. Reseal opened packs well and follow the storage instructions and best-before date on the packaging. A pale coating can be chocolate bloom, caused by changes in cocoa butter crystals or by moisture affecting sugar at the surface. Bloom isn’t the same as mould, but appearance alone isn’t enough to judge every storage problem. Don’t use chocolate showing signs of spoilage, an unusual smell or damaged packaging.

"Cacao" refers to the raw, unprocessed beans and their components, such as nibs or butter, while "cocoa" typically refers to the processed version, including cocoa powder. The terms are often used interchangeably, but cacao generally signifies a purer, less processed product.

Start with what you’re making. Guittard baking chips are designed to hold their shape while softening in the oven, adding distinct bites of chocolate to cookies, brownies and cakes. Baking bars can be chopped into pieces or melted into recipes, and are also suited to tempering. Our organic chocolate wafers offer a smooth melt for dipping, coating and baking. Each format gives you a different way to bring chocolate flavour to your creation.

Baking chips are designed to keep their shape, even as they soften in the oven. That gives you little bites of chocolate throughout your cookie rather than chocolate spreading through the dough. For more irregular pieces of chocolate, try chopping a baking bar. The finished texture will depend on the chocolate, the size of the pieces and your recipe.

Sometimes, but they won’t always behave in the same way. Chips work particularly well when stirred through dough or batter. If your recipe calls for melted chocolate, a baking bar or suitable wafer is often the more straightforward choice. Match the chocolate type as well as the weight. Milk chocolate chips, for example, aren’t a direct replacement for an unsweetened baking bar.

Follow your recipe first. A brownie made with melted chocolate needs a different starting point from one made with cocoa powder. For recipes calling for semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, choose the corresponding baking bar and melt it into the mixture. Baking chips can add extra bites of chocolate when folded through the batter. If the recipe calls for unsweetened chocolate, use that rather than substituting a sweetened bar.

Keep your bowl and utensils completely dry, and use gentle heat. Chop baking bars into small, even pieces so they melt more evenly. In the microwave, heat in short bursts, stirring between each one. Alternatively, place a heatproof bowl over gently simmering water, without letting the bowl touch the water. Keep steam and splashes away from the chocolate, and remove it from the heat while a few small pieces remain, stirring until smooth. Take particular care with milk and white chocolate, which can scorch easily.

For ganache, start with chocolate that melts smoothly, such as a suitable baking bar or wafer. Match the chocolate type to your recipe, as dark, milk and white chocolate can need different proportions of cream.

Guittard’s organic chocolate wafers are also suited to dipping and coating. If you want a firm, glossy chocolate shell rather than a soft coating, tempering may be needed.

Usually not when chocolate is being melted into cake batter, brownies or ganache.

Tempering is useful when chocolate itself forms the finished surface, such as dipped chocolates or decorations. It controls how the cocoa butter crystallises, helping chocolate set with a glossy finish and a satisfying snap. Use tempering instructions suited to your particular chocolate rather than one temperature guide for every type.

A little water or steam getting into melted chocolate can cause it to seize, turning it thick and grainy. Excessive heat can also damage chocolate, so the cause matters.

Seized chocolate isn’t necessarily wasted, but it may no longer be suitable for tempering or making a thin coating. Depending on the problem, it may be possible to use it in a sauce or ganache with an appropriate recipe. Avoid adding a random splash of water or oil, as that changes how the chocolate behaves.

Four varieties in our home-baking range are identified by Guittard as free from all 14 major allergens:

• Semisweet Chocolate Baking Chips 46% Cacao
• Akoma Organic Extra Semisweet Chocolate Chips 55% Cacao
• Extra Dark Chocolate Baking Chips 63% Cacao
• Santé Mini Chocolate Chips 72% Cacao, made with coconut sugar

From rounded semisweet chocolate to deep, extra-dark cocoa flavour, these chips bring delicious bites of chocolate to buttery cookies, fudgy brownies and favourite family bakes.

This claim applies to these four products, not the entire Guittard range. Always check the current packaging and product information, particularly when baking for someone with a food allergy.

No. Milk Chocolate, Choc-Au-Lait White, Butterscotch and Green Mint baking chips contain milk. Super Cookie chips are made on equipment also used to make milk chocolate and are identified by Guittard as unsuitable for people with milk allergies.

Guittard identifies Semisweet 46%, Akoma Organic 55%, Extra Dark 63% and Santé 72% chips as free from all 14 major allergens, including milk. Check the current packaging for your chosen product rather than assuming that every dark chocolate chip is dairy-free.

Guittard’s published allergen policy identifies a peanut- and tree-nut-free manufacturing facility for its retail baking chocolates. Products in our UK home-baking range covered by this information include:

• Baking chips: Semisweet 46%, Akoma Organic Extra Semisweet 55%, Extra Dark 63%, Santé 72%, Super Cookie 48%, Milk Chocolate 31%, Choc-Au-Lait White, Butterscotch and Green Mint.
• Baking bars: Semisweet 64%, Bittersweet 70% and Unsweetened 100%.
• Organic chocolate wafers: Milk Chocolate 38%, Semisweet 66% and Bittersweet 74%.
• Powders: Cocoa Rouge Unsweetened Cocoa Powder and Grand Cacao Drinking Chocolate.

Whether you’re folding chips through cookie dough, melting chocolate for a rich cake or adding cocoa to brownies, there’s a choice of flavours and formats to explore.

Peanut- and tree-nut information is separate from milk and other allergens. Some of these products contain milk or are made on shared milk-chocolate equipment, so they should not all be described as dairy-free or free from all 14 major allergens. Always check the current product information and packaging before use.