White chocolate lovewrs may be surprised to know their favourite sweet treat isn’t technically chocolate at all. There’s a simple bit of science that explains why this is.
It is made using only the butter or fat from the cocoa bean. White chocolate contains none of the cocoa solids that give dark and milk chocolates their signature flavour and colour.
White chocolate is made by mixing cocoa butter, milk powder, sugar, lecithin and sometimes vanilla. Due to the absence of cocoa mass, white chocolate has significantly lower polyphenol content and antioxidant activity compared to milk and dark chocolate.
This is why nutritionists often discourage people from overindulging in white chocolate. The ‘healthiest’ chocolate is often said to be dark chocolate with a high concentration of cocoa.
Despite not being the healthiest, a white chocolate treat is enjoyed by millions worldwide. But many don’t know it actually made by mistake by Nestle back in the 1930s.
The company website shared the story of how it added cocoa butter to Nestrovit – a food supplement for children – in order to make a solid tablet form of milk.
In doing so, the chocolate firm accidentally invented white chocolate. Shortly after, Nestlé realised it could make non-medicinal versions of Nestrovit, the Milkybar many know and love today was the first white chocolate bar put of shop shelves in 1936.
White chocolate is made with cocoa butter, sugar and milk, making it high in saturated fat. While white chocolate contains a good amount of calcium, it isn’t a healthy food because it doesn’t supply significant doses of other essential nutrients to make up for the high calorie, sugar and fat content.
That high sugar content makes white chocolate the sweetest variety compared to dark or milk chocolate. The milk component often leads to a much creamier taste from white chocolate as well.
While white chocolate may lack the cocoa solids found in other types of chocolate, it has its own unique, rich, and sweet flavour profile that makes it a favourite among many chocolate lovers.
White chocolate, which is usually widely available all year round, does have its place on the shop shelves though – despite not actually being chocolate. BBC Good Food reported that white chocolate is best used in desserts and bakes, but due to its light flavour, it’s often overwhelmed.
This is particularly true when it’s combined with cream, which can become the predominant flavour. They advise using white chocolate “very simply” and to avoid adding in any extra sugar as the chocolate is usually “sweet enough on its own”.