HONOLULU (KHON2) — White chocolate has long been a subject of confusion with many wondering what it really is.
KHON2.com sat down with Dr. Nat Bletter, an ethnobiologist and award-winning chocolate maker who founded Madre Chocolate, to ask him to clear up the mystery.
Get Hawaii’s latest morning news delivered to your inbox, sign up for News 2 You
“When we talk about most mass-produced chocolates, the only part of white chocolate that comes from cocoa is the cocoa butter,” he explained.
Unlike dark or milk chocolate, which contain cocoa solids, white chocolate is made using the cocoa butter that is pressed out from cacao beans.
Dr. Bletter explained that cocoa butter, when separated from the ground cocoa beans, leaves behind the healthier, antioxidant-rich cocoa powder. The cocoa butter is then mixed with dried milk powder and sugar.
“It’s basically fat and sugar,” Dr. Bletter said. “That makes it pretty addictive, but it doesn’t have the health properties of dark chocolate.”
This leads to a critical point: while white chocolate is creamy and rich, it doesn’t offer the same health benefits as dark chocolate.