What is Blonde Chocolate and How To Make One
September 6, 2022
If you are like me and don’t know that a blonde chocolate exists, then we are definitely late to the chocolate party! But better late than never, right? Let me introduce you to blonde chocolate aka caramelized white chocolate that tastes heavenly!
What’s interesting is, blonde chocolate is literally white chocolate that has been caramelized. You can easily make one by melting white chocolate and cooking it until it looks toasty! Bakers all over the world love using it especially with warm spices, enhancing flavors with caramel tones.
According to the internet, blonde chocolate was discovered when Valrhona pastry chef Frédéric Bau was melting white chocolate in a bain-marie in mid-2000’s, and accidentally left it on heat overnight. He then realized, upon returning, that there is a brown chocolate that looks (and tastes) delicious waiting for him. This process is called a Maillard reaction (similar to caramelization) where the amino acid from the milk content, sugar, and heat enters a biochemical reaction. The brand then perfected the recipe and sold it on a large scale.
Since then, multiple imitations have emerged claiming to be the best blonde chocolate. But don’t be fooled. It is still best to purchase at your local craft chocolate shop, such as the Fruition Chocolate in New York or maybe try out from the original source at Valrhona, for assured best quality.
Alternatively, you can also easily make your own blonde chocolate at home. All you need is an oven, baking sheet, white chocolate, a rubber spatula, and lots of patience! The process may take 1 to 3 hours depending on the type of white chocolate and oven used. Adding salt is optional, but it will surely balance out the sweetness! And make sure to only use high quality white chocolate with at least 30% cocoa content. Cheap chocolates have a lot of sugar content, making the melted mixture really clumpy.
Check the simple recipe below.
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Blonde Chocolate Recipe What you need:
What to do: Pre-heat oven to 250F. Finely chop the white chocolate and spread evenly in a baking sheet in a single layer. Put it in the oven and time for 10 minutes. Then take out and use the spatula to drag around the chocolate to even it out. Return to the oven and repeat the process until the mixture is completely roasted up to 50 minutes, making sure to stir every 10. The final color should be almost the same as that of a peanut butter. When you’ve finally achieved that liquid gold stage, transfer to a parchment and let cool. You may use the liquid version as an ingredient for baking, or the solid version for snacking! |
Recipe Notes
Avoid mixing water in the whole process as it can affect the chocolate quality and stop caramelizing. If ever you see white streaks when the blonde chocolate solidified, that is totally normal! And if you any oil separating from the chocolate during the melting process, that is okay as well. That is the cocoa butter separating from the chocolate which you can always recombine by using a hand mixer or a food blender after the melting process.
Blonde chocolate can be used for your baking needs. By simply replacing your regular chocolate, you could already create a new recipe already! Or, you could also eat it on it's own. I like to add it to my coffee for an extra oomph!
Making your own blonde chocolate soon? Share yours on social media and tag me on Facebook and Twitter so I can check them out!
What recipe do you want to learn next? Comment down below and let’s learn together!
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