White chocolate is not really chocolate.
- Just like tomatoes aren’t really vegetables.
- Lentils aren’t really beans.
- Koalas aren’t really bears…
Life’s confusing, isn’t it?
Sometimes people are surprised to find not a single white chocolate recipe on this entire chocolate-covered blog. White chocolate has just never been my favorite thing… because I want it to taste like chocolate and am mad when it doesn’t!
Plus, most white chocolate chips aren’t vegan, and they are full of unhealthy trans fats (partially-hydrogenated oils) and artificial ingredients.
Many of you have asked if I could come up with recipes that include chocolate’s paler cousin. But to do that, I first had to figure out how to make my own healthy white chocolate.
Thankfully, it turned out to be really, really easy!
I read up about white chocolate on Wikipedia and checked out the candy bars at the grocery store. Research! (To make research fun, all you have to do is get out of the library and head to the chocolate aisle. Who knew?)
They all consist of the same basic ingredients: cacao butter, milk solids (dry milk), sugar, and salt… Pretty much, as long as you have the one magic ingredient, the white chocolate is so easy to make it can hardly even be called a recipe.
White Chocolate Chips
(can be sugar-free)
- 2-inch cube cacao butter (30 grams, or 2 tbsp after melting)
- scant 1/8 tsp pure vanilla extract
- stevia or powdered sugar to taste (2 tbsp if powdered sugar)
- 1 tbsp raw cashew or macadamia butter (can omit; it’ll just be less creamy) (15g)
- very tiny pinch salt
- optional: If you can find it, I highly recommend adding 1/2 tsp dry milk powder—such as soy or ricemilk powder—to the ingredients for optimum creamy texture, as this is one of the basic ingredients in every white chocolate bar I looked at during my aforementioned research. However, knowing that a lot of people would have trouble finding the powder, I also tried omitting it. And then I tried adding protein powder instead (increasing to 1 tsp). Omitting or adding the protein powder instead will yield a texture that’s a little different than store-bought white chocolate, but both ways still work! (Just please don’t add liquid milk. I tried that too, and it doesn’t work.)
Melt the cacao butter (either in the microwave or on the stove). Turn off heat, then stir in all other ingredients. Pour into candy molds or a plastic container, and freeze until it hardens. Healthier and vegan white chocolate chips. Yay!
Question of the Day:
Are you going to vote tonight?
I never got around to early voting, so I will be going tonight. Unfortunately, my roommate’s and my opposite votes are going to cancel each other out… we jokingly thought about just staying home!
Link of the Day:
YAY FIRST COMMENT! Lol. Thanks so much for this recipe Katie! Now I can combine this recipe with your Macadamia Nut Cookie recipe!
I was thinking of that too… or the blondies or banana bread. I actually already tried using them for the chocolate bar pie, but that idea definitely needs some work. It was… not very good!
That’s a great idea! Those cookies are awesome…
Real white chocolate has cocoa butter and is therefore chocolate. Fake, cheap stuff – the baking chips – has vegetable shortening instead and is not.
I’ve actually read that no white chocolate is considered chocolate because it lacks cocoa solids/ cocoa licqueur. I guess maybe it depends on the definition you’re using. Now I just googled “is white chocolate really chocolate” and it seems people are split.
Cocoa butter IS a cocoa solid.
Victoria,
Katie is right. Cocoa solids are the low- fat reddish or brown solids that are taken from a cocoa bean during the separation of cocoa butter and cocoa solids. Cocoa butter, on the other hand, is the fat component that is extracted during this process. They are distinguishable by color, texture, chemical properties, and in the fact that cocoa solids contain caffeine, whereas cocoa butter, when separated correctly and completely, does not. Just because cocoa butter becomes solid at certain temperatures does not mean that it “IS a cocoa solid” as you have said, it simply means that it is a solid by physical property. I would suggest doing more research before coming so hard at Katie, who clearly knows what she is talking about! Thanks for an awesome recipe Katie and doing such great research!
Thanks, Alex! 🙂
But no worries… I never mind going back to check if someone thinks I made a mistake, as sometimes it turns out that I did.
If this is coming down hard on somebody…I have no idea what you people do for day jobs. Perspective…
Sorry Victoria, but I agree with Alex. Your repeated insistence without even bothering to check first was just weird.
I don’t mean to start a war, Katie. You can delete my comment if you want to.
Oh my god. This is ridiculous. Victoria was hard on Katie. Are you kidding me? If you thought that was mean I dont know how you survived high school, unless youre not in high school yet, which I suspect.
Please Katie tell your followers to CALM DOWN. They are making this blog difficult to read.
I agree. Attacking anyone who expresses a contrary opinion is not cool. Victoria was not hard. She just expressed an opinion. And I can see that she has a blog dedicated to chocolate too so she is not just saying things. My dad works in a chocolate factory and he considers white chocolate as “chocolate” too. There is really no right or wrong in this. Katie, I would also request you to please ask readers to stop fighting among themselves. You are a sweet person and your blog is a feel-good place.
I think the everyone needs to calm down a touch here. It’s a great recipe! I personally love white chocolate, but can rarely find a vegan version! This will make it so much easier!
Also, Surely you’re all here to read Katies lovely recipes and posts? If the readers comments are “making the blog hard to read”, I think you’re spending too much time reading the wrong part..
Focus on the positive posts =] not the petty comments! Katie really shouldn’t have to ask her readers to play nice! We’re all grown-ups here! We’re fully capable of being nice all on our own =]
(not trying to offend anyone here, just stating an opinion)
You are absolutely right of course, and if people were as mature as this, then there would be no problems. And yes, I agree that we need to focus on the positives. The thing is, often a lot of reader queries get answered in the comments section, and I like to read through the comments to see if a particular query of mine has already been answered before asking it (and more often than not, i find the answer I am looking for). So its not really a good choice to stop reading comments. And when people start attacking anyone who expresses a contradictory opinion, it makes it difficult for the rest of us not to get irritated. For instance, in this particular case, I would have been really interested to know if white chocolate is indeed chocolate or not. My dad works in a chocolate factory and he says it is, but I have heard many saying its not. I would have been interested to hear from Victoria and Katie as they both are experts on chocolate in their own way. But some over-zealous readers just jumped in and started saying things like Victoria was coming down “too hard” on Katie, which was ridiculous according to me. I agree that it’s not Katie’s job to tell readers to play nice, but if she does, the blog will be much more pleasant and informative. And who else can do it better than her? I agree it’s not her job, but it doesn’t mean she shouldn’t interfere at all. It’s not like just because you are on Katie’s blog, you have to agree with her no matter what she says, right? As long as the commenter is being respectful, I don’t see why anyone else should rush to Katie’s defense. What could have been an interesting discussion on chocolate turned out to be a slinging match here and that could have been avoided. That’s all I wanted to point out (By the way, no offense taken and none intended either)
Harsha, if only everyone could express themselves so eloquently =]
According to the FDA, “chocolate” must contain 10% cocoa mass (including cocoa nibs which is absent from white chocolate or cocoa butter). So, technically speaking you are technically wrong. No nibs, no chocolate. It’s like saying that water is tea, you need water to make tea but water without the tea leave extracts is definitely not tea. Just saying…..
Nice detective work Katie!! These would be so delicious in oatmeal or pumpkin bars. I love white chocolate with dried cranberries too. Perhaps healthy cranberry bliss bars? Tis the season!
I am in love with this idea! I’ve already had three of those bars since they came out last week, but I know they must be terribly unhealthy. If it’s something you’re interested in trying out, Katie, I’m sure there are many of us who would love you even more for it!
You are my heroe, seriously .
I cant believe this! Amazing, will try this for sure
Greetings from Belgium !
Can you recommend a brand of food grade cacao butter, or suggestions for where you can buy it? I’ve never seen it in my local stores — and I’ve been looking — I miss white chocolate! Thank you!!
I wrote more in this link: https://lett-trim.today/white-chocolate-chips-calories-and-nutrition-facts/%3C/a%3E%3Cbr /> But the brand I found is Artisana, at Whole Foods.
I’m not old enough to vote, but my mom is leaving to right now.
Don’t ever, ever, EVER, stay home on election day! It doesn’t matter who someone else voting for! If you don’t vote you are giving up one of your most powerful rights! Why would anyone give up the chance to affect their own future? Think about all the people in the world who wish they had the opportunity we have!
I’m sorry to rant, I just really hate it when people suggest not voting. 🙁
Oh no, we weren’t being serious… we just thought it was funny. We also debated putting up two signs in front of our house. You know, to confuse the neighbors ;).
Lol, that would be funny! I get it now. I thought you probably were joking but there are some people who aren’t. Some topics just make me explode! 😉
I guess it was confusing the way I had it worded originally. I said “seriously” but meant it in a joking way… I love the fact that I get to vote (not just for the president, but for other things and people as well).
I love white chocolate…
But I think, for me, getting cocoa butter is even more expensive than buying vegan white chocolate chips (which are pretty expensive where I live, too)…
BUT, the good thing is that you can determine how much sugar – if you use sugar at all! – is in your white chocolate. 🙂 I like the idea of stevia-sweetened chocolate.
Lol – I LOVE your voting theory!
I think white chocolate is okay, but I much prefer dark chocolate. And I voted absentee ballot already! Makes today a little simpler.
I literally almost started jumping up & down when I saw this recipe. All the possibilities! Personally, I’m not a fan of white chocolate by itself, but when it’s combined with regular chocolate, pretzels, M&Ms, etc. it’s amazing.
I don’t vote, because I’m only 13 and, honestly, it saddens me how both canidates say stupid things & twist the truth to benefit only themselves. 🙁 Obviously, I will never go into politics.
Hey, I thought I was the only thirteen year old reading this blog! In fact, I thought I was the only 13 year old vegan on the planet. Now I feel a lot less weird.:)
It IS sad how politicians and candidates say stuff just to be president.
Good to know that I’m not alone! Lol! I’m not exactly vegan, but I do avoid dairy and eggs for allergy reasons. Nice to meet (is it called meeting if we haven’t actually seen each other???) someone my own age! 🙂
I’m a 14 year old vegan 🙂 I was when I was 13 too though. This recipe sounds yummy! I can’t wait to try it 🙂