Welcome to our series featuring Food Holidays: September 23rd, 2022. Today is National White Chocolate Day. Even though I usually don’t care for White Chocolate or Dark Chocolate. I wouldn’t mind having a couple White Chocolate Macadamia Cookies. Especially if they came from the Cookie Store in North East Mall in Hurst, Texas. Because they add Coconut to there Cookies. Would you like to go walking at the Mall. Once we finish I will treat us to a Soda and a Cookie or two.
White Chocolate seems like a paradox. I have a question for you how can White Chocolate and Dark Chocolate exist at the same time on the same Cookie or in the same Ice Cream? All we can say is, this does happen and I am so glad it does. National White Chocolate Day on September 22nd is proof-positive that this delicious combo rates its own holiday.
Although the FDA officially recognized White Chocolate as being Chocolate in 2004, the question of its authenticity is still being hotly debated even today. We say, there’s no time for arguing when we could be celebrating National White Chocolate Day by finding the nearest Cookie, Cake or Liqueur that includes luscious White Chocolate basking in non-debatable sweet creamy goodness!
NATIONAL WHITE CHOCOLATE DAY ACTIVITIES
- Instead of the usual non-fat, no-Sugar-or-Cream Coffee you dutifully make each morning, just for this one day, try melting a few White Chocolate Chips into a cup of Cocoa for a new alternative. You’ll thank yourself tomorrow, when your Coffee tastes better than ever.
- White-Chocolate-covered Pretzels create the perfect snacking treat: giving us creamy, sweet, salty, crunchy in one treat. If you’ve never had White-Chocolate-covered Pretzels, may we suggest you us this holiday as permission to dig in?
- Truffles are considered one of the most decadent of all sweet treats, if you’re new to Candy-making, Truffles are the 101 level. Truffles are made by simply warming a White Chocolate mixture shaped into balls, then rolling each ball in Coconut Flakes, Chopped Nuts, and Sprinkles. You can also dip the White Chocolate Balls into Melted Chocolate before rolling them in toppings. If you need a quick-but-thoughtful gift idea, this DIY is the best gift.
WHY WHITE CHOCOLATE ISN’T CHOCOLATE:
The official definition of Chocolate (in the U.S.) says Chocolate must include a certain percentage of Cocoa solids the source of Dark Chocolate color and aroma which are not present in White Chocolate.
Why is White Chocolate called Chocolate?
White Chocolate does contain Cocoa Butter, which may have been the deciding factor in the FDA’s decision to grant White Chocolate the official Chocolate status. After a mere 10 years of presentations, pleading, and pressure from Chocolate manufacturers.
How to recognize a real White Chocolate when you see one:
There are real and not-so-good versions of White Chocolate out there, so look for products with a creamy pale yellow color with no food coloring added, containing at least 20% Cocoa Butter. Less may extend its shelf life, but how long is White Chocolate likely to sit on a shelf anyway?
WHY WE LOVE NATIONAL WHITE CHOCOLATE DAY
- Brown food isn’t incredibly exciting, even when it’s Chocolate. Pairing White Chocolate with, Chocolate, creates an exciting color contrast. An example would be when we write “Happy Birthday to Me” in White Chocolate on a Dark Chocolate Cake.
- White Chocolate is what makes those novelty Coffee concoctions so delicious. White Chocolate is a lusciously creamy addition to anything from Cookies to frosting. White Chocolate fulfills one simple but critical need: what to pair with Macadamia Nuts!
- White Chocolate does tend to be sweeter than Darker Chocolate, so it just takes a smidgen in your favorite dessert recipe to elevate it to Viennese-Coffee-house status.
Five facts to know about Chocolate:
- White Chocolate originates from the Cocoa (Cacao) Plant, but it is not ‘Chocolate.’
- Did you know according to the FDA, to be called ‘Chocolate’ a product must contain Chocolate Liquor, which is what gives Chocolate the biter intense Chocolate flavor and color to Dark Chocolate and Milk Chocolates.
- Did you know White Chocolate contains Cocoa Butter, Milk solids, Sugar, Lecithin and flavorings (usually including Vanilla). Cocoa Butter is the fat from Cocoa Beans, extracted from the Cocoa Beans during the process of making Chocolate and Cocoa Powder. Cocoa Butter has very little ‘Chocolate’ flavor.
- Cocoa Butter is one of the ingredients used to make real Chocolate, which gives Chocolate the ability to remain solid at room temperature, yet melt easily in the mouth.
- Cocoa Butter is one of the most stable fats known, containing natural antioxidants that prevent rancidity and give it a storage life of 2 to 5 years. It is used for its smooth texture in foods (including Chocolate) and in cosmetics and soaps.
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates
