White chocolate

Generality

White chocolate is a sweet food obtained by processing ingredients such as cocoa butter, sucrose and cow's milk or its derivatives (mainly powdered milk).

White chocolate has a very pale color and a consistency similar to that of milk chocolate, from which it is distinguished by the absence of cocoa powder.

Cocoa butter: it is a fatty substance obtained by processing cocoa beans. This ingredient gives the typical taste and organoleptic characteristics of the product, in which (by law) must be present in minimum quantities of 20% (in some white chocolates there are percentages that reach even 45%). In addition to white chocolate, cocoa butter is also present in other types of chocolate, lipsticks, cosmetics and some drugs.

Definition of White Chocolate (DIRECTIVE 2000/36 / EC): The product obtained from cocoa butter, milk or milk and sugar based products, which contains not less than 20% cocoa butter and 14% dry substance milk obtained from partial or total dehydration of whole milk, partially or totally skimmed milk, cream, partially or totally dehydrated cream, butter or milk fats; these must be present in quantities of at least 3.5%

Powdered milk: it is a product obtained from the dehydration of cow's milk; in white chocolate should not be less than 14% (both to characterize the taste and to ensure the right consistency).

Sucrose: or table sugar, it is always present in white chocolate since bitter or unsweetened white chocolate types do NOT exist on the market.

Regarding its composition, white chocolate is (like milk chocolate) more difficult to melt than dark chocolate but it can still be used in mousse, sauces and icing preparations.

White Chocolate in a Cup - Hot Chocolate

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Nutritional characteristics

While cocoa powder and dark chocolate - thanks to the high quantity of polyphenolic molecules - are considered useful foods for the body, white chocolate does NOT boast any antioxidant value. However, for its part, white chocolate does NOT contain stimulant nervine molecules (such as theobromine), instead present in cocoa and black chocolate. For this reason, just like milk, it is more suitable for children and people sensitive to caffeine.

White chocolate is rich in simple sugars (sucrose), an aspect that makes it unsuitable for those suffering from hypertriglyceridemia. At the same time, it contains high quantities of fatty acids which contribute to significantly increasing the overall energy supply; fortunately, while some types of black chocolate are allowed to add hydrogenated fats, in white chocolate these are NOT allowed. This does not mean that most of the lipids it contains are saturated, therefore not suitable for hypercholesterolemia.

White chocolate, containing milk powder, is not recommended in case of lactose intolerance or allergy to cow's milk proteins; on the other hand, thanks to this ingredient, it reaches notable concentrations of calcium, riboflavin (vitamin B2) and retinol equivalent (pro-vitamin A) compared to black chocolate.

Homemade white chocolate pastries

It is not that difficult to give life with one's own hands to goodies worthy of the most famous pastry shops. Just follow the advice of our Personal Cooker, Alice, who in this video recipe shows how to prepare black and white chocolate pastries.