Several types of chocolate may be used when baking cookies,pies, cakes, bars, and other sweet treats. The amount of cocoabutter and sugar can affect the texture and taste ofchocolate--from bitter to very sweet. Below is a quick guide tothe most popular kinds of chocolate used in baked goods.

=> UNSWEETENED CHOCOLATE - Unsweetened chocolate containsnothing but pure chocolate and cocoa butter. There's no sugaradded. This chocolate is dark in color and has a strong flavor.

=> UNSWEETENED COCOA POWDER - Unsweetened cocoa powder is purechocolate that's had a majority of the cocoa butter removed.

=> SEMISWEET AND BITTERSWEET CHOCOLATE - Semisweet andBittersweet chocolate contains at least 35% pure chocolate.Cocoa butter and sugar have been added. This type of chocolateis often used in cookies and can be used interchangeably.

=> MILK CHOCOLATE - Milk

chocolate contains at least 15% of purechocolate, and is mixed with cocoa butter, sugar, and milksolids. It has a creamy texture and is often used to makechocolate candy.

=> WHITE CHOCOLATE - White chocolate is unique in that itcontains no pure chocolate. However, it does have cocoa butter.Other ingredients are sugar and milk solids. When buying whitechocolate for baking, be sure to check the label first to avoidconfusing it with other similar looking white baking products.

=> SWEET CHOCOLATE - Sweet chocolate contains at least 15% purechocolate. Other ingredients are sugar and cocoa butter. Usesweet baking chocolate when you want your baked goods to have arich chocolate flavor, without the bitterness of other types ofchocolate.

About the author:

Donna Monday Brownies, Cheesecake, Fudge and more . . .http://www.best-brownie-recipes.com