HOW TO MAKE CARAMELIZED WHITE CHOCOLATE.

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Guess what’s trending? Caramelized white chocolate. Also known as Blonde chocolate, or toasted white chocolate. A new form of caramel made easy by slowly roasting the all-time favourite, white chocolate. This chocolate is delicious, with strong caramel, toasted nut and biscuit flavour and used to make a wide spectrum of desserts. From cookies to tarts, this is a chocolate flavour that never disappoints.

Ingredients in white chocolate

• Sugar.
• Cocoa butter.
• Milk products.
• Vanilla.
• Lecithin.

Similar to the regular caramel sauce, when white chocolate is heated the sugar and milk solids will melt and caramelize, changing its colour to brown.

White chocolate it lacks cocoa solids which is the key ingredient in chocolate. But it does contain cocoa butter, which provides the flavour and structure. A good quality white chocolate should have at least a cocoa butter content of more than 30%. With that said, when caramelizing white chocolate, look for one with high cocoa butter content.

The first few times I made caramel chocolate I run into a few mishaps. The first time, the chocolate turned out chalky and dry. Second time, I forgot to keep a timer on in my oven, and my chocolate got burnt. The chocolate turned dry because of less cocoa butter content, this is why it is important to use white chocolate with high butter content. However, one way of fixing chalky or dry chocolate is by adding a few tablespoons of unflavoured cooking oil or cocoa butter the first few minutes after it starts melting.

I have to admit before I started making my caramelized white chocolate, I never bothered to check the cocoa butter content in white chocolate. Nowadays I do, even when I’m not intending on caramelizing it. It is a good thing to indulge in quality chocolate, dont you think?.

To avoid burning, frequently stir the chocolate during the caramelization process after every 8-10 minutes at 120C.

How does caramelized white chocolate taste like?

I would say it’s a cross between caramel and butterscotch, with a nutty biscuit toasted flavour. It is like eating Dulce de leche mixed with toasted nuts and biscuits with a hint of butterscotch.

During caramelization, it smells like a roasted biscuit with milk.

How to use Caramelized White chocolate.

Similar to dark, milk, white and ruby chocolate, Blonde chocolate is used to make a wide spectrum of desserts.

1. Melt and mould it to make different structures and shapes.
2. To make sweets and candy.
3. Used to make different kinds of frostings and fillings. For example adding heavy cream to it will make ganache.
4. Can be used in breads as in babka and bread rolls.
5. To make tarts and puddings.

Here is a list of caramelized chocolate desserts I like to indulge in.

• Easy caramelized white chocolate cookies.
• Caramelized white chocolate cupcakes.
• Caramelized white chocolate Blondies.

Origin.

According to Eater’s Whitney Filloon, it was invented by a Chef at Valrhona who accidentally left some white chocolate heating in a water bath, he came back to golden-brown chocolate with the aroma of ” roasted Breton shortbread ”.

Valrhona started selling it commercially in 2012 as ”Blonde chocolate”.

What you need to make Caramelized White Chocolate.

• Good quality white chocolate. Should have cocoa butter content more than 30%.
• Baking tray.
• Spatula.

How to Make Caramelized White Chocolate.

Preheat the oven to 120 degrees Celcius. Take a bar of good quality white chocolate ( should have cocoa butter more than 30% ), cut into small-sized pieces, and spread it on the baking tray.

Pop it in the oven for 10 minutes, remove and stir it with a spatula. If it is chalky and dry , add a few tablespoons of unflavored cooking oil or cocoa butter and stir to mix . Place the tray back into the oven, and let it roast for another 10 minutes.

Do this several times until you reach the 45-minute mark or until the chocolate turns into a smooth golden brown colour.

Frequent stirring promotes caramelization while reducing the risk of burning. Remove from the oven and pour it into a chocolate mould, tray, cup, or in a jar, and let it cool. It should solidify back like it was before melting, with a different colour and flavour.

Brands That Sell Caramelized White Chocolate( Blonde Chocolate).

Valrhona, based in France is the number one distributor of Blonde chocolate mostly in Europe. Callebaut has also launched its Premium Caramelized white chocolate, Caramel Aura. Other brands include EHchocolatier, Lindt and Schaffenberger.

You can get caramelized white chocolate/ Blonde chocolate at local supermarkets or online shops.

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