White chocolate is mild, milky, and sweet—and often gets passed over for dark and milk chocolate.
Cooking Tips
Don’t Hate on White Chocolate; Caramelize It
Heating this much-maligned chocolate darkens it and imbues it with nutty, butterscotch-y flavor.
By Published Nov. 29, 2022.
But heating white chocolate to caramelize its sugar transforms it into a confection that no one can resist. Caramelization darkens the chocolate, imbuing it with nutty, butterscotch notes. It’s perfect for melting into hot chocolate, adding to blondies or cookies like chocolate chips, or incorporating into ganache for topping cakes or cupcakes.
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Most recipes for caramelized white chocolate call for baking the white chocolate at a low temperature, stirring frequently, but we found that this can create a gritty texture and the chocolate can easily burn.
A simpler, more foolproof approach? Using a multicooker.
How to Caramelize White Chocolate
1. Break about 3 ounces high-quality white chocolate into ½-inch pieces and add to 8-ounce Mason jar.
2. Seal jar tightly with lid and set in multi-cooker filled with 4 cups water.
3. Cook on high for 45 minutes for more subtly flavored “blonde” chocolate or 1½ hours for more richly caramelized “brunette” chocolate.
4. Release pressure and remove jar from cooker with heat-protective gloves. Using a spoon or butter knife, stir chocolate vigorously until smooth, about 4 to 6 minutes. (The chocolate may be crumbly at first—just keep stirring.)
5. Add warm to hot drinks, or pour onto silicone baking mat and let cool until hardened, then cut into pieces and store in airtight container.
