Origin and production

White chocolate first appeared in Switzerland in the 1930s. It was invented by Nestlé to use excess cocoa butter. It was first popularly distributed in America in 1948 with the introduction of Nestlé's Alpine White Chocolate bar, which contained white chocolate and almonds.

Composition and regulations

Because it does not contain any cocoa solids, one benefit of white chocolate is that it also does not contain any theobromine, which means it can be consumed by individuals who must avoid theobromine for medical reasons. Theobromine is only found in the cocoa solids and other ingredients of chocolate that give it the characteristic brown color. In contrast to white chocolate, dark chocolate contains the largest amount of theobromine, because it contains the largest amount of cocoa solids. The theobromine content of milk chocolate falls somewhere between white and dark chocolate.

Use in baking

White chocolate can be difficult to work with. When melted, the cocoa butter can occasionally split and create an oily compound that can be recovered by re-emulsifying. This can be done by melting a small amount of butter or chocolate and whisking in the "oily compound". As with chocolate, as soon as any water is introduced into the melted product it rapidly turns lumpy and grainy, i.e. split. Again, it can be saved by re-emulsifying.

Like chocolate, it may be purchased in large or small bricks, but these can often be difficult to work with as one must cut off chunks with a knife, often resulting in inaccurate portioning. Pastilles/Feves (small chips) are often a more precise way to use white chocolate.

White chocolate can be used for decoration of milk or dark chocolate confections or in any way chocolates might be used. Vanilla fudge is also marked as white chocolate fudge.