Edd Kimber, the Guardian's Chocolate Correspondent, shares his favourite cooking chocolates for baking, emphasising that the quality of chocolate used in baking significantly affects the final taste of cookies and cakes.
Why Quality Matters
Kimber notes that while any chocolate can be used for baking, the quality makes a real difference. He recalls serving his chocolate rye cookies to a friend, who later made her own version. "Mine were nice," she said, "but not as nice as yours." Kimber's contained about £40's worth of craft chocolate.
Although he admits this is "madness" and outside the remit of most, he explains that specific cooking chocolate often has more cocoa butter for easier melting and comes in convenient pastilles or buttons.
Top Picks from the Pros
The go-to for many professional chefs is Valrhona. Kimber loves their pastilles, particularly the Ghana 80% for rich chocolate baking, which he also enjoys as an eating chocolate. The Guanaja 70% is more readily available, and Valrhona offers variations from 29% to 85% cacao with different flavour profiles. For white chocolate cooking, he recommends the Dulcey, which is biscuity and caramelly.
For his breakfast brioches or Italian breakfast cake, Kimber uses Islands, which comes in 2kg bags and features micro chocolate buttons in 75% dark or 55% milk.
New Range and Versatile Options
Pierre Marcolini recently launched a cooking chocolate range from 45% to 82% cocoa. The small button shapes are ideal as inclusions in cakes or cookies, or for easy melting. Kimber also mixes them with salted popcorn for a snack.
