Of all the things that might keep a person up at night, chocolate doesn’t typically top the list. Coffee, blue light, and the meaning of life are all much more well-known culprits. But the ubiquitous sweet treat can contain that stimulating compound, caffeine, depending on the variety. As always, if caffeine poses a medical threat, study package labels and consult with medical professionals before assuming any foodstuff is safe.
White chocolate is generally caffeine-free for the same reason plenty of people will not categorize it as chocolate at all. White chocolate does not contain any of the naturally caffeinated cocoa solids compulsory for creating a botanically accurate chocolate. Even the FDA once ruled out white chocolate as real chocolate. Ergo, chocolate with the heaviest presence of cocoa solids will contain the most caffeine. A 100-gram piece of milk chocolate will contain 20 milligrams of caffeine, according to the USDA. The same amount of an entry level dark chocolate kicks that up to 43 milligrams. Each of those numbers are still relatively low, as the common anecdotal measure of caffeine, an 8-ounce cup of coffee, contains about 95 milligrams of caffeine. Only some of the darkest chocolates, starting at a makeup of 70% cacao solids, will begin approaching that caffeine content, at 80 milligrams per 100 grams.
Caffeine-free chocolate alternatives are few and far between
On a modern food landscape where imitation beef can appear bloody, vegan “cheeses” abound, and the best plant-based milks for baking are as vast as ever, the relative paucity of caffeine-free dark chocolate swaps comes as a bit of a surprise. None of the leading commercial chocolate makers appear to peddle caffeine-extracted chips, bars, or powders. Neither do smaller, artisanal makers. What does exist relies, instead, on the classic aspiring chocolate dupe, carob, to approximate the real deal.
Carob, another plant that’s frequently fashioned into confections, has been a common chocolate substitute for almost as long as people have been complaining about carob as a chocolate substitute. Its somewhat chalky, near-nutty flavor merits little more than a break-in-case-of-emergency comparison to chocolate, but it is caffeine-free. It might not work as a headlining ingredient, though. Chocolate devotees will better tolerate carob switcharoos in smaller amounts, like when mixed into cookies. Chatfield’s Carob Chips, for example, are naturally caffeine-free for this very purpose. And, if you’re ever relegated only to white chocolate, you can caramelize it to unlock a deeper flavor dimension.
