White chocolate facts for kids
White chocolate is a sweet treat that looks creamy and white. It is different from milk or dark chocolate because it does not contain cocoa solids. Instead, it is made mostly from cocoa butter, which is the natural fat from the cocoa bean. Other main ingredients include milk and sugar.
What is White Chocolate Made Of?
White chocolate gets its unique taste and texture from a few key ingredients:
- Cocoa butter: This is the fat that comes from the cocoa bean. It gives white chocolate its smooth, melt-in-your-mouth feel.
- Milk: Milk solids and milk fat are added to give it a creamy texture and flavor. This can be in the form of powdered milk.
- Sugar: This makes the chocolate sweet.
- Vanilla: Often, a little vanilla is added for extra flavor.
- Lecithin: This is an ingredient that helps keep the chocolate smooth and prevents it from separating.
Why is it White?
White chocolate is white because it does not have the dark parts of the cocoa bean, called cocoa solids. These cocoa solids are what give dark and milk chocolate their brown color and strong chocolate flavor. Cocoa butter, on its own, is a pale yellow or off-white color. When mixed with milk and sugar, it becomes the white color we know.
Rules for White Chocolate
Different countries have rules about what can be called white chocolate. For example, in the United States and the European Union, white chocolate must have a certain amount of cocoa butter and milk. This helps make sure that the chocolate you buy is real white chocolate.
- It must have at least 20% cocoa butter.
- It must have at least 14% total milk solids.
- It must have at least 3.5% milk fat.
- In some places, it must have less than 55% sugar.
See also
- Chocolate
- Chocolate blanco para niños (in Spanish)
