Try Caramelized White Chocolate for a Real Game-Changer

White chocolate often gets a bad rap. Especially these days when everyone is either touting the health benefits of dark chocolate or claiming that darker chocolates are just "better" than lighter styles like milk or white. But really, white chocolate is one of the most versatile chocolates you can work with, and many of the people who think they do not like white chocolate have never really tasted the amazing luxury white chocolates that are out there.

First, let's talk about what white chocolate is and then I'll show you how to take it to the next level of luxury by caramelizing it.

What is White Chocolate?

Much commercial white chocolate that you come into contact with is actually a "white coating" chocolate, which means it actually contains little or no actual cocoa butter. On the other hand, high quality white chocolate is cocoa butter, flavored and sweetened, and with the solids that give chocolate its brown hues removed. So, the good stuff has a rich, buttery vanilla flavor, with hints of chocolate on the finish, and is not bland, waxy, or bright white. It doesn't leave a film on your tongue like coating "chocolate" or inexpensive white chocolates like bars or chips you might get at your grocery store.

Once you start eating and baking with good white chocolate, you will appreciate its luxurious qualities. Valrhona sells a white chocolate called Ivoire that is 35% cocoa butter, and Callebaut has a white that is 32%. Both of these will give you amazing results in your baking. Try real white chocolate in white chocolate mousse, white chocolate cheesecake, white chocolate frostings or custards; and add chips or chunks to cookies or brownies or bars. You can even make a super stable whipped cream substitute with a whipped white chocolate ganache, which just tastes like Chantilly cream, but will hold up without collapsing or weeping.

Why Caramelize White Chocolate?

Now that you know a little more about white chocolate, I'll let you in on a secret: One of the best things you can do with white chocolate, especially if you think you don't like it, is caramelize it. Cooking white chocolate carefully will caramelize the sugars and milk solids, and give you a toasty caramel flavor that is perfectly delightful. Even better? It is super easy to do! You can caramelize white chocolate in three ways, your oven, your stovetop, or even the microwave.

Some notes before you begin:

• Use the best quality white chocolate you can find. If you cannot source Valrhona or Callebaut, the best white chocolate at your grocery store is likely to be either Guittard or Lindt, which will be in chip or bar form in the baking aisle. Be sure whatever product you use is labeled white chocolate and not "white coating" or "coating chocolate."
• Be very careful that you do not get any water in your chocolate during this process or it will seize and go grainy, and there is no salvaging it.
• During the caramelization process the chocolate will go through a stage where it looks lumpy and curdled or like it is drying out, but push through: It will smooth out with longer cooking and the closer you get to the final product.

How to Caramelize White Chocolate 3 Ways

Caramelized white chocolate can have a light tan color, to a peanut butter hue, to a color closer to milk chocolate. The color will indicate how deep a caramel flavor you have in your final product. If you just want a hint of that caramel flavor, stop cooking when it is just a tone or two off of cream color. For most applications, the color of peanut butter is a good indication of great caramel taste. And if you want a more sophisticated deeper flavor that might bring a hint of bitterness, go a bit darker.

The closer you get to your desired color, the more frequently you should be stirring and the closer you should watch it so it doesn't burn.

1. Oven Method

Slow-roasting your chocolate in your oven takes patience, but the results are wonderful. You simply set your oven to 250 degrees F, chop the chocolate or add the discs to a sheet pan in a single layer, and roast, checking and stirring every ten minutes until you have a golden-brown caramel color that you desire. This can take as long as an hour, so be patient!

2. Stovetop Method

Place your chopped chocolate or discs in a nonstick pan over low heat, and stir frequently, being sure to fold the chocolate from the bottom up over the top to ensure even caramelization. Cook this way, stirring almost constantly the closer you get to your desired color, and as soon as you reach that color, remove from the heat and from the pan so that it doesn't continue to cook. This takes about 20 to 30 minutes.

3. Microwave Method

Begin with the chopped chocolate or disks in a heat safe bowl. Microwave in 1-minute increments stirring between every heating. As the chocolate begins to color, go down to thirty-seconds increments, and when you are close to your desired color, go down to fifteen-second zaps. This method will take between five to 10 minutes, depending on the power of your microwave. It is fastest, but also riskiest, with the most danger of burning.

How to Store Caramelized White Chocolate

You can store the chocolate in a jar, just pour it in, and then re-melt to use. Or, for easier storage, spread the caramelized white chocolate in a thin layer on a parchment or silicone mat lined sheet pan and put in the freezer for fifteen minutes to become solid, and then break into chunks and store in a ziptop bag. If you want it to stay a bit more spreadable, you can stir in a bit of milk or cream while it is still warm.

How to Use Caramelized White Chocolate

Once you have your caramelized white chocolate, you can use it in any recipe that calls for either white or milk chocolate. It is especially good in ice cream, bread pudding, fudge, and cake.

Want to have a really elegant and fun dessert project, especially with Valentine's Day around the corner? Make a caramelized white chocolate fondue, with a board of wonderful things to dip into it, from standards like cubed pound cake to strawberries, to marshmallows and fun cookies, to some great creative dippers like shortbread fingers or pretzel sticks.

Caramelized white chocolate is actually ideal for fondue because it balances the dipper flavor and doesn't overwhelm like darker chocolates can. Think bright acidic fruits like tangerines or blackberries, mild cookies like shortbread or cinnamon graham crackers, sophisticated dunkers like dried figs, or something fun for the kid in your like marshmallows or mini Nutter Butter cookie bites.

If you want to experience the joy of caramelized white chocolate but don't have the time or inclination to make your own, or want to taste it before committing, Valrhona makes three light chocolates with caramel notes, Dulcey, Orelys and Caramelia, all of which are available in either baking bars or feves (discs), and are a great way to begin to experiment with those caramelized chocolate flavors.

However you choose to use your caramelized white chocolate, one thing is for sure. It will help flip the script on this much misunderstood secret weapon of your baking pantry.

More: Browse All White Chocolate Recipes