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Chocolate Chips Versus Bars

If a recipe calls for semisweet bar chocolate, is it OK to substitute semisweet chocolate chips instead?

If a recipe calls for semisweet bar chocolate, is it OK to substitute semisweet chocolate chips instead?

You might think chips are simply miniaturized versions of bar chocolate, but that isn't the case. Chocolate chips have less cocoa butter (i.e., fat) than bar chocolate, to ensure that they maintain their shape when baked. To find out if this would make a difference when the chips were melted, we gathered several of our recipes that call for melted semisweet chocolate, including Chocolate Pudding, Chocolate Ice Cream Sauce, and Devil's Food Cupcakes with Dark Chocolate Icing and made one batch of each with bar chocolate and another with chips. The results were startlingly clear. In the pudding, ice cream sauce, and icing, the chips produced a slightly grainy, overly thick, and viscous texture, while the bar versions were light and silky. However, the crumb of the cupcakes seemed to mask any textural difference between the two versions. Tasters did notice that the cupcakes made with chips were slightly sweeter. So the next time you're left with only morsels in your pantry, don't hesitate to whip up baked goods, but head to the store if your sights are set on something smooth and creamy.

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