Milk Chocolate
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
What are the Best Milk Chocolate Brands?
How Is Milk Chocolate Made?
The production process begins as workers harvest the football-shaped pods that grow on cacao trees. Once harvesting is complete, the woody shells are split, and the cream-colored beans are collected. Workers discard the husk, and the beans are fermented.
Fermentation reduces the natural bitterness of the cacao beans and adds complexity to the flavor. The fermented beans are then dried, roasted, ground, and pressed. Pressing the beans separates the cocoa butter from the fermented chocolate liqueur.Milk chocolate is a blend of cocoa butter, sugar, chocolate liqueur, and condensed or powdered milk.
How To Make Hot Chocolate And Chocolate Milk
To make chocolate milk mix at home, combine 2/3 cup sugar (or an equivalent amount of sugar substitute), 1/3 cup cocoa powder, and a pinch of salt. Then blend the ingredients and store the drink mix in an airtight container.
For chocolate milk, measure 1-2 Tbs of drink mix for every 8 oz of milk. But before adding the milk, dissolve the sugar crystals with 1-2 Tbs of warm water. You can also use this easy recipe to make hot chocolate. After heating your milk, add 1-2 Tbs of chocolate milk mix per cup. For dairy-free indulgence, consider making your hot chocolate with almond, coconut, soy, or oat milk.
How Does Milk Chocolate Compare To White Chocolate?
You can use milk and white chocolate interchangeably in many recipes, but their composition is quite different. White chocolate is made with a sweet blend of cocoa butter and sugar. It's a chocolate-free confection. To be classified as true chocolate by FDA (Food and Drug Administration) standards, a product must contain at least 25% chocolate solids and 10% chocolate liquor.
Chocolatiers make milk chocolate with (non-alcoholic) chocolate liquor, cocoa butter, and sweetened condensed (or powdered) milk. All milk chocolate in the U.S. must contain a minimum of 10% chocolate liquor and 12% milk.
The average American enjoys about 12 pounds of chocolate each year, but not necessarily for dessert or commemorating special occasions. At CVS, you'll find the irresistible flavor of milk chocolate in low-carb protein bars, trail mix, supplements, and more.
Does Milk Chocolate Have Caffeine?
Yes, milk chocolate may have caffeine. But most people find the relatively small amount of caffeine in milk chocolate doesn't cause any noticeable effect. That's likely because the average 3.5 oz chocolate bar has a total caffeine content of roughly 12-21mg. That's less caffeine than the average cup of decaffeinated coffee.
By comparison, regular coffee has between 65 and 100 mg of caffeine per cup. Although most people are not adversely affected by the amount of caffeine they might take in while indulging in an occasional chocolate bar, caffeine is not well-tolerated by everyone. If you've been craving something sweet and satisfying, but caffeine is not an option, sticking with white chocolate would be the better choice.