EmailBest Reviewed
Baking Chocolate
- Best baking chocolate overall Callebaut Intense Dark Chocolate L-60-40NV *Est. $8
- Best supermarket chocolate Ghirardelli Bittersweet Chocolate Baking Bar *Est. $3
- Best gourmet dark chocolate Valrhona Manjari *Est. $4
- Best unsweetened chocolate Scharffen Berger Unsweetened Pure Dark Chocolate *Est. $9
- Best chocolate chips Guittard Classic Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips *Est. $2
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Scharffen Berger Unsweetened Pure Dark Chocolate
Best unsweetened chocolate
- Complex in flavor
- Far superior in taste and texture to other supermarket baking bars, such as Baker's
- Melts well
- Made from high-quality cocoa beans
- May be difficult to find
- Expensive
We located only one review of unsweetened chocolate, which appeared in Cook's Illustrated. Other reviews cover bittersweet chocolate from Scharffen Berger. We wish more publications reviewed unsweetened chocolate, which is so vital to many recipes.
According to the most credible reviews, Scharffen Berger makes the best unsweetened baking chocolate. Tasters call it fruity and nutty, with an undercurrent of caramel. Although Scharffen Berger costs more than supermarket unsweetened bars such as Baker's, reviewers say it's well worth it. If you don't want to spend nearly a dollar an ounce on baking chocolate, reviews find that the Ghirardelli Unsweetened Baking bar (*est. $2.25 for 4 ounces) is nearly as good and costs much less.
Our Sources
1. Cook's Illustrated MagazineDetails/Subscribe
Unsweetened chocolate is not eaten raw, so editors, with the help of four pastry chefs, bake it into brownies and prepare a chocolate sauce with it for this article. Scharffen Berger is among those brands reviewed.
Review: Tasting Unsweetened Chocolate, Editors of Cook's Illustrated, Nov. 2002
Dorie Greenspan, one of the world's foremost baking experts, provides a brownie recipe and tips. She says that she prefers bittersweet to semisweet and keeps Scharffen Berger on hand for baking.
Review: Baking with Dorie: Les Brownies, From America to France and Back Again, Dorie Greenspan, Aug. 23, 2007
3. NPR
Melody Joy Kramer and a panel of NPR employees conduct a blind test of 30 chocolate brands. Scharffen Berger chocolate bars are generally well liked.
Review: A Bittersweet Guide to the Best V-Day Chocolate, Melody Joy Kramer, Feb. 5, 2007
Emily Stone interviews Elizabeth Falkner, owner of San Francisco restaurant Citizen Cake, about her favorite chocolates. Falkner prefers Scharffen Berger for its intense flavor. Falkner has served as executive chef for Scharffen Berger corporate events.
Review: Chocolate Rosebud: Wisdom from Elizabeth Falkner, Emily Stone, Oct. 29, 2007
Baking Chocolate Runners Up:
3 picks by top review sites.
