The Real Difference Between Milk Chocolate And Dark Chocolate

Chocolate is one of life's little pleasures thanks to its indulgent flavor. If you've ever been lucky enough to visit a chocolate factory like Maison Cailler where you could see and learn about the chocolate-making process and try some of the delicious products at the end, then you might have a basic understanding of what differentiates types of chocolate. Otherwise, every time you've taken a bite of chocolate, you might have wondered what gives your preferred kind of chocolate its edge.

Chocolate is made with chocolate liquor, which is what is produced when cocoa beans are ground until they liquefy. The liquor is made up of cocoa solids, which give the chocolate a bitter taste, and cocoa butter. That's why chocolatiers can manipulate how much cocoa solids and cocoa butter they use to make different kinds of chocolate ranging from white to dark (via Crystal Chocolatier). This is also why dark chocolate is a lot healthier than other kinds. It tends to have a lot less milk and sugar to make it sweeter, therefore it has less saturated fat and calories (via Well and Good).

If you've noticed percentages on chocolate bars, probably dark chocolate bars, then you should know it represents the amount of chocolate liquor and added cocoa butter. Milk chocolate must contain at least 12 percent milk and at least 10 percent chocolate liquor. However, some higher-end milk chocolate contains up to 30 to 40 percent cocoa. The rest of the chocolate is made up of sugar and occasionally emulsifiers or vanilla. The added sugar and milk are what minimize the bitterness of the chocolate and make it sweet and delicious. It's also a great kind of chocolate for eating since it does taste so good and melts in the mouth so easily (via Bon Appetit).

Dark chocolate, on the other hand, has a lot less added sugar than milk chocolate. Whether you choose bittersweet or semisweet dark chocolate, both have less sugar than milk chocolate. Both kinds of dark chocolate contain at least 35 percent chocolate liquor, and the name (semi- or bittersweet) is typically decided by the brand of chocolate. Some dark chocolates can reach up to 80 percent cocoa, though it is quite bitter and brittle. Dark chocolate that has 65 to 70 percent cocoa is great for baking without overpowering whatever you're making.