Reddit mentions: The best baking chocolates

It's pretty fun, because (1) there are endless new toys to acquire (if you're into that!), and (2) it's actually fairly budget-friendly after you get the initial hardware out of the way (ex. KitchenAid mixer etc.)...I mean, a 50-pound sack of flour is like twenty bucks, and you can make a zillion loaves of breads & cookies out of that! I do get a few premium ingredients for specific recipes here & there, but mostly I just use run-of-the-mill ingredients & get really great results!

It's also really fun amping up both the quality of your results & the experiencing of your cooking & baking time. For example, I cook these amazing five-hour carnitas in the oven, which is one of the things that got me into using leaf lard (which then turned into other incredible things, like lard-based oatmeal cookies). But then the off-the-shelf tortillas were disappointing with those stellar carnitas, so I picked up a cast-iron tortilla press (for smashing, not baking!). I then combined that with a lard-based tortilla recipe and oooooh yeah that's an awesome combination of textures, flavors, warmth, and happiness, hahaha! So going down rabbits holes is quite fun with baking!

I do a lot with my 8-cavity mini-loaf pan, which surprisingly freeze well! Banana bread & pumpkin bread with sweet cream cheese spread, cornbread, chocolate chocolate-chip bread, the list is endless! I also bake excellent homemade Twinkies in various flavors on a regular basis. I was never an overly-huge Twinkie fan, but one of my favorite bakeries makes them in a million flavors with a million different fillings & coatings (chocolate-dipped, white-chocolate dipped & dark-chocolate striped, peanut-butter filled chocolate twinkies, raspberry cake coated with coconut, etc.). So endless variations are also quite fun with baking!

If you want to build up your skills on the more technical side, Bigger Bolder Baking is a fantastic website to check out. If you want a few top-notch (I'm talking like "WOW!") recipes to try out right off the bat:

• Chocolate-chip cookies with this specific dark chocolate (only for very special occasions, because $$$)
  
• Glossy fudge brownies with this specific pan ($$$ but will last forever) & this particular cocoa powder ($$$, but the economics actually aren't bad, once you calculate out the price-per-batch, haha!)
  
• Sour-cream pancakes (without blueberries) - great way to test your Danish dough hook!
  
  You'll discover a lot of little tricks over time. For example, which those chocolate-chip cookies above, whipping the cream & sugar & butter & eggs into something that literally resembled whipped cream is a really great trick to know about...most people just stir those together until combined, but they will actually change color, texture, and consistency when whipped long enough! Side note, if you have a KitchenAid, I highly recommend getting a SideSwipe blade (available on Amazon, be sure to get the right blade for your mixer!).
  
  On that topic, I also recommend getting a coated dough hook & an 11-wire whisk. Wait until you try homemade marshmallows! (super easy with that whisk attachment!) When it gets cold out, I cut those bad boys into 2" chunks, skewer them, heat up some water for the delicious Stephen's hot cocoa powder mix, and then torch the marshmallows. That combination came out so good that I started hosting annual hot chocolate parties, lol!
  
  You can get as creative as you want to with baking, too...like with cakes, you can airbrush them, do drip cakes, mirror glaze cakes, you can torch the tops of cupcakes, make cake pops, the list is endless! Depending on what stage you're at in life, especially in my case as a working adult with a family, I don't get a lot of opportunity for creative outlets due to a lack of free time (and energy, tbh lol), but my family has to eat, and baking is a fun way to amp up your enjoyment in life by making cool stuff you can eat & having fun doing it!
  
  Plus pretty much everything is actually really easy, no matter how complicated it looks...you're just following someone else's step-by-step directions, that they have painstakingly figured out for you through probably dozens of iterations to get it perfect (as Stella did when perfecting her lacy brown-butter cookies!), and that mostly boils down to (1) mix stuff in a bowl, (2) bake it, (3) don't burn it, (4) let it cool down & "set". That little four-step process yields amazing no-knead bread, pan pizzas, twinkies, cookies, brownies, you name it!

I ususally augment the Neiman Marcus $250 cookie recipe slightly:

1 cup butter

1 cup dark brown sugar, packed

1 cup granulated sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 ½ cups oatmeal

2 cups flour

½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

4 ounces semisweet chocolate chips

8 ounces Delightfulls Filled Baking Morsels w/ Peanut Butter (they're much less expensive at my local grocery store, but not everywhere carries them)

Use a food processor on the oatmeal to get it to a flour-like consistency.

Mix the rest together as normal, butter + sugars, then eggs, vanilla. Mix flour, salt, baking powder and soda. Stir the dry into the wet. Add chips, add oatmeal.

Cook at 375 for... I don't have an exact time. Halfway through I usually swap the top and bottom racks and rotate the trays though. The cookies harden a ton after a few hours. If you're not eating them immediately, take them out after 12ish minutes, when they are still a bit mushy. They'll harden into perfect chewy deliciousness. If you like them crunchy, leave them in an extra 5ish minutes until they start to brown.

The blended oatmeal makes for a great chewy consistency. The best part is those peanut butter filled chips though. You can play with the ratio of those to normal chips. I do about 2/3 PB filled because you still get some chocolate with them. I've been through dozens of recipes and these take the cake hands down. Everyone LOVES them.

Source: https://www.chipmonkbaking.com/blog/2019/7/24/keto-chocolate-orange-cookie-recipe

Low-Carb Chocolate Orange Cookies! These delectable cookies mimic orange slices dipped in chocolate. The combination of decadent dark chocolate with the sweet, citrusy flavor of oranges will definitely leave you wanting more! Best of all, they have no sugar, they’re gluten free, and they have just 1 net carb per cookie.

​

Full recipe below but you can check out pictures and tips / extra info on the original blog post:https://www.chipmonkbaking.com/blog/2019/7/24/keto-chocolate-orange-cookie-recipe

​

INGREDIENTS

• 1 stick (113g or 8 Tablespoons) Unsalted Butter
  
• 3/4 cup Lakanto Monk Fruit Sweetener (Buy on Amazon Here)
  
• 1 Large Egg
  
• 1.5 cups Almond Flour (Buy Nature’s Eats Blanched Almond Flour on Amazon Here)
  
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract (most groceries stores sell McCormick which works great)
  
• 1 teaspoon Orange Extract (most grocery stores sell McCormick which works great)
  
• 1 teaspoon Orange Zest / Orange Peel (Walmart carries this)
  
• 1/2 teaspoon Fine Salt
  
• 1/2 teaspoon Xanthan Gum (Buy Anthony’s Brand on Amazon Here)
  
• 1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder
  
• 1/4 cup (45g) Unsweetened Chocolate (Lily’s Dark Chocolate Baking Chips, Pascha 100% Cacao Chips, and Baker’s Unsweetened Baking Chocolate Bars all work)
  
• Red & Yellow Food Coloring (as needed)
  
  ​
  
  INSTRUCTIONS
  
  Cookies
  
  

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Microwave the butter for 30 seconds to melt, but it shouldn't be hot.
   
2. Place the butter into a mixing bowl and beat with the sweetener and salt. Add the vanilla extract, orange extract, and egg, mix together. Add food coloring to get orange color
   
3. In separate bowl, combine dry ingredients (almond flour, xanthan gum, baking powder, and orange zest)
   
4. Beat in the dry mixture into wet mixture (do this in stages; mix in half then the other half)
   
5. Using a cookie scooper (4 tsp size; 2 1/4" diameter), place scoops of dough onto a baking pan lined with parchment paper
   
6. Press the balls of dough down until they are flat like a cookie. Bake for 12 minutes (at 6 minutes, take pans out, rotate positions, and put back in the oven)
   
   Chocolate Coating
   
   
7. Place your chocolate in a small, microwave-safe bowl. Place in microwave and zap it for 30 seconds at a time until the chocolate is fully melted. Make sure to do this in 30 second increments or you could burn the chocolate.
   
8. Using a spoon or spatula, scoop the melted chocolate and drizzle it on to the top of the cookies. Let the chocolate and cookies cool, and serve. Keep in an airtight container (best if kept refrigerated).

If you are craving chocolate, look for baker's chocolate or cacao powder. I included links for the two that I use:

https://www.amazon.com/Bakers-Unsweetened-Baking-Chocolate-KOSHER/dp/B00Q9EX6IY

https://www.amazon.com/HERSHEYS-Cocoa-Natural-Unsweetened-Cacao/dp/B005CUM0J2/ref=sr_1_4_s_it?s=grocery&ie=UTF8&qid=1524666194&sr=1-4&keywords=hersheys+cacao+powder

With the first one (baking chocolate), I melt it, then add a little honey to it (since it is extremely bitter, as is). Then, I either dip nuts (almonds or macadamia nuts) in the chocolate honey mix to make my own nut clusters or dip fruit into this mixture. Drizzling the chocolate over the fruit (if you only want a hint of chocolate) works well too. While it does have some "sugar" in it because of the honey, it is a lot less than what you get at the store. Plus, you are able to control the sweetness, so you only have enough sweetness to make it edible to your tastes.

With the second one (cacao powder), it is great for "smoothies" or in Greek yogurt, as was mentioned before. A really tasty combo is the cacao powder with peanut butter (powder) and your milk of choice (with strawberries).

For sweet drink cravings, I tend to add Sweet Leaf drops (liquid Stevia) to my water. They have one called Lemon Drop that tastes like sweet lemonade. There is also a Root Beer that would taste just like root beer, if you add sparkling water.

Since I am on Metformin and Ovasitol, I think that cut out a lot of the carb/sugar cravings. So, I haven't been eating traditional sweets as often. Once your taste buds get used to less sugar, an apple/a banana with nut butter can taste like a dessert...same thing with just plain fruit. If I do eat the nut clusters that I mentioned above, I will eat a few clusters and be satisfied because of the fat content in the nuts.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Full instructions on my site- https://veggiechick.com/pumpkin-chocolate-chip-cookies/

• 1 1/2 cups gluten free all-purpose flour (I recommend Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free All-Purpose Baking Flour)
  
• 3/4 cup almond flour (not almond meal)
  
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  
• 1/4 teaspoon ground sea salt
  
• 1 flax egg (1 tablespoon ground flax seeds + 3 tablespoons water- see instructions below)
  
• 1/2 cup pumpkin puree in can (not pumpkin pie filling)
  
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
  
• 1/2 cup organic white sugar (choose organic to ensure it’s vegan) 
  
• 1/4 cup coconut sugar
  
• 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
  
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  
• 3/4 cup vegan mini chocolate chips (I like Enjoy Life brand)
  
  

  INSTRUCTIONS
  

  
  

1. Cover 2 medium baking sheets (or 1 medium/1 small) with parchment paper and preheat your oven to 350 F (or if using a convection oven, preheat to 325 F).
   
2. Next, prepare the ground flax seed. I prefer to start with whole flax seeds. To begin, grind 1 tablespoon of whole flax seeds using a coffee grinder. Then add the ground flax seed to a small bowl. Add 3 tablespoons of water, stir and let sit for about 5 minutes until thickened. 
   
3. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine the gluten-free flour mix, almond flour, baking soda and salt. Stir with a large spoon until combined.
   
4. To a large bowl, add the canned pumpkin, coconut oil, white sugar, coconut sugar, pumpkin pie spice, and vanilla. Stir, then add the flour mixture and stir until combined. Fold in the chocolate chips until evenly combined. 
   
5. Cover the bowl loosely with a towel and place in the fridge to cool for at least 30 minutes. Remove from the fridge and using a cookie scoop (or a small spoon and your hands,) scoop out roughly 1 1/2 tablespoons of the cookie dough and place on the parchment paper, spaced out between them (they won’t spread much so you only need about an inch or two between each cookie.) Continue to drop all cookie dough, about 21-22 cookies between the 2 cookie sheets. Press down a bit on each cookie with a small fork to flatten (about halfway).
   
6. Bake at 350 F for 14-15 minutes, or until the edges and bottoms are browned (the center will still be a little soft). Remove from the oven and let cool at least 15 minutes; they will firm up as they cool. Makes about 22 cookies.
   
7. Store in an airtight container for 4-5 days in the fridge, or freeze up to one month.

Also you can add their chocolate chips to a peanut butter cookie recipe if nuts are safe for you. I put them in lots of things and use the milk/dairy free chocolate to melt down and pour into chocolate molds for Easter candy, halloween candy, and for Christmas. I melt them and drizzle them on our dairy free gluten free soy free Krispy treats. It is a fabulous find.
https://www.amazon.com/Enjoy-Life-Semi-Sweet-Chocolate/dp/B000VK5VTO/ref=sr_1_1_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1474721549&sr=8-1&keywords=enjoy+life+chocolate+chips

Recipe is located at https://www.certainlyketo.com/keto-chocolate-eclair-ice-cream-bars/

Sorry I have to post in two comments because the recipe is long.

We have a Strawberry Shortcake one too.

These bars are kind of like the Good Humor bars. This is a great end of the summer treat that would be great any time of the year.

Ingredients

• Chocolate Center:
  
• ½ cup heavy cream
  
• ¼ cup half and half
  
• 2 oz. unsweetened bakers chocolate
  
• Liquid stevia(to taste)
  
• Ice Cream Base:
  
• 1 cup heavy cream
  
• ¼ cup half and half
  
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
  
• Liquid stevia (to taste)
  
• Outside Crumb Coating:
  
• Vanilla Crumbs
  
• ¼ cup almond flour
  
• 1 Tbsp. butter (melted)
  
• ½ tsp. vanilla extract
  
• Liquid stevia (to taste)
  
• Chocolate Crumbs
  
• ¼ cup almond flour
  
• 2 Tbsp. cocoa powder
  
• 2 Tbsp. butter (melted)
  
• Liquid stevia (to taste)

tha 100% cocoa from Ghirardelli is awesome and doesn't cost a bunch when ordered in bulk quantities from Amazon. Well that's what I've done before.

You should gradually go up to it because it's quite intense... maybe 70% cocoa then 90% and so on

Tastes awesome with an espresso

P.S. Smoothies would work as well, but I don't enjoy making them. I have before... Went through that phase. Better to eat the food, IMO and I don't have a quick smoothie maker anymore.

You can also whip up some cool pies with yogurt and sugar free jello or instant pudding, and put that on a graham cracker crust (you can get those crusts pre-made if you don't want to deal with making them yourself.

If you like cinnamon - chop of apples, throw them in a large water bottle and put a half of a cinnamon stick in with the water and apples.

Re-chocolate:
Again, let me stress if you go with dark chocolate get the quality bakers bars. No cheap stuff. In a pinch, if your local grocer doesn't carry real good stuff - this works for me:

https://www.amazon.com/Ghirardelli-100-Cacao-Unsweetened-Chocolate/dp/B0027IM4J8

My local stores carry this brand...

You would use a chocolate that has a cacao percentage right on the label, ideally not chocolate chips since they're a different makeup than a bar. Never milk chocolate.

Callebaut 7030 70.4% Dark Bittersweet Chocolate Callets 1 lb https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DGXLAES/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_FAJRDbM6BGQBF.

Lindt EXCELLENCE 90% Cocoa Dark Chocolate Bar, 3.5 oz, 12 Pack https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002RBOCZE/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_zBJRDbARVSMG3

Thanks, though I don't think I'm quite as eloquent as some here.

Interesting note regarding the unsweetened dark chocolate. Do you mean something like this?

I'd be really careful here. If you bought these sugar free chocolate chips and used a cup of them, you'd be dealing with 105 grams of carbs in the total recipe just from that.

Edit: To be clear, not all of Maltitol is absorbed but a lot of it is.

At the very least, it's going to be super low in carbs. I found something similar on Amazon, which says 2 net carbs per serving and it has the exact same ingredient list. That said, the package has a copyright date in 2014, so yours may be more up to date.

Something about 0 carbs seems off to me, but I'm a bit of a skeptic. In my experience, there's usually at least a little bit of carbs in super dark chocolate.

Personally I used Guittard dark chocolate wafers, because they were sold at my local H-E-B grocery store.
I’d just use whatever high quality dark-ish chocolate wafers or pistoles you can fine around you.
If not, you can pick up the one’s I used on Amazon [right here](Guittard, Baking Wafer Bittersweet 74% Organic, 12 Ounce https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00VAX313Y/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_V0CKDbR64T8NC), or you can just rough chop a thin high quality bar.
As long as there’s good quality chocolate in there, it’s gonna taste incredible.

My mom brought those from Brazil, but they can be found here Cacao Barry Chocolate Pailletés 8 oz by Cacao Barry https://www.amazon.com/dp/B075RW8ZYQ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_.J4BDbMBYXM0N :) from the manufacturers page (though I didn't find anything in the US by the same name) - https://www.barry-callebaut.com/en/manufacturers/products/barry-callebaut-dark-chocolate-flakes-l/SPLIT-9-D

Honestly, for a mocha the bean is less important than the chocolate. In my opinion the best chocolate for making mochas is either:

• Callebaut No 811 Dark Chocolate Callets
  
• Ghirardelli Chocolate Barista Mini-Chips
  
  For me these are the gold standard but if you want to dial it back a notch, then the Ghirardelli Chocolate Dark Melting Wafers are available from almost any grocery store.
  
  Just add about 2 tablespoons of chocolate to a cup, add espresso to the chocolate and mix to combine. Add steamed milk and you'll have your mocha.

Agreed, with the caveat that an MRP is sometimes a useful tool. For those who regularly travel through airports, where finding an affordable and nutritious meal, let alone an affordable source of protein, is near impossible, MRPs can be invaluable.

In regards to the chocolate, you could swap out the milk-chocolate for unsweetened chocolate. Now you've got yourself a mineral-rich antioxidant inclusive source of fat and methylxanthines.

Good question -
1 net carb per serving, I used 2 entire bars so thats 16 net carbs for the entire pan (specifically from the chocolate).

Here is the actual brand I used with more dets

https://www.amazon.com/Bakers-Unsweetened-Baking-Chocolate-Pack/dp/B00OO01V8M

If you want 100% cacao, I'd buy the beans or you can find cacao powder. Like hershey's. Or the "special dark" like catjuggler said, which is "dutch processed" to make it less bitter and mix easier, but lowers the antioxidant score and polyphenol/flavanoid count.

What about things like drinking a green tea and taking curcumin supplements? That's 1.5grams of something.

Or taking a tablespoon of cocoa powder (10 calories, some carbs and fat):
https://www.amazon.com/HERSHEYS-Natural-Unsweetened-Cocoa-Ounce/dp/B005CUM0J2/ref=sr_1_1_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1497997932&sr=8-1&keywords=cocoa+hershey

Check out Lilly’s - super low carb option:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01DWRX52W/ref=sxts_sxwds-bia_1_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1526822695&sr=1

I like this:

http://www.amazon.com/Bakers-Unsweetened-Chocolate-8-Ounce-Boxes/product-reviews/B000E1FY8I/ref=sr_1_2_cm_cr_acr_txt?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1

You can get it for 3.00/8 oz box at the store.

Try unsweetened chocolate. After you have been low carb for a couple of weeks and have adjusted a bit, it’s actually quite good.

https://www.amazon.com/Bakers-Unsweetened-Baking-Chocolate-Pack/dp/B00OO01V8M/ref=sr_1_4?crid=1PVPXTHMQWHAP&keywords=bakers+chocolate+unsweetened&qid=1574422104&sprefix=Bakers+ch%2Caps%2C155&sr=8-4

Almonds, pecans, quest bars, meat & cheese deli tray, Costco Kirkland brand protein bars

These cheese crisp cracker-thingys
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0738RBZ8K

Lily's Chocolates are okay occasionally
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01DWRX52W

Using Isopure Protein and some ice & unsweetened almond milk to make a keto milkshake
https://www.amazon.com/Isopure-Protein-Powder-Isolate-Flavor/dp/B000E95HP0

https://www.amazon.com/King-David-Chocolate-Flavored-12-34-ounce/dp/B00ATG0N2U
Do you have any kosher stores near you? They sometimes have candy melts in a variety of colors.

I use Baker's Unsweetened Chocolate. The recipe needs splenda or stevia then. But this variation cuts off a few grams of sugar.

Here you go. Just dip it in milk and you've got milk chocolate!

Maybe go a little lighter on the chocolate chips since it contributes to about 65% of the calories in the recipe.
This recipe has about 50% less calories and 50% more protein comparing to Nestle cookie dough.

Total of 1433 cal/38.5g protein/ 24 oz compare with Nestle cookie dough at 2880 cal /24g protein/24 oz

From OP recipe
-24 oz chickpeas 597 cal 33g protein
-1 cup chocolate chips 1280 cal (8.47 oz) 16g protein
-1 tbsp peanut butter 90 cal (0.56 oz) 4g protein
total about 1970 cal 53 g protein per 33 oz
or 1433 cal/38.5g protein/ 24 oz



sources
http://caloriecount.about.com/calories-goya-chick-peas-i250175
http://www.amazon.com/Enjoy-Life-Semi-Sweet-Chocolate-10-Ounce/dp/B000HDJZWO
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/food/calories/nestle-tollhouse-cookies-cookie-dough-139524634

I bought mine from the bakery where I work but this is what we use: https://www.amazon.com/Barry-Callebaut-70102-chocolate-chunks/dp/B00DGXL9D0 They’re so good for cookies!

I dunno, man. Like, a few? Actually, I'm out of baking chocolate, which is unusual for me, but this is what I'm talking about. It's not sweet, decidedly made to mix with sugar & bake. Yum.

100% con los chocolates de Hershey's.

Ahora este de Hershey's es muy bueno.

Agila para submarinos no va tan mal.

I don't like cocoa, It's kind of bitter and the one I have has carbs
(Cocoa link)

No, I don't think chocolate temp was the problem. The first time I thought maybe it was too hot and cooked the eggs. The next couple of times it was slightly above room temp.

I use this: https://www.amazon.com/Ghirardelli-Chocolate-Baking-Unsweetened-4-Ounce/dp/B000H227SY

I was thinking there might be an issue with there being no milk in the chocolate because it's pure cacao.