Either you’re a devoted chocolate-lover or you’re not. There’s no way to be on the fence about this cocoa-rich sweet treat. Those who know anything about baking with chocolate can confirm, a lick of chocolate can be a game-changer. The hard truth is, not all chocolates are made equal. Some come with a price tag that reminds you of this. Dark baking chocolate is usually more expensive than milk chocolate, for example, because of its cocoa content, quality, availability, and climate change.
Dark chocolate (including baking varieties) contains more cocoa content (all the ingredients included in the cocoa bean) than milk chocolate. This means it has a richer, more intense chocolate flavor. This quality flavor comes at a cost, though, since cocoa is not cheap. Milk chocolate typically contains anywhere between 10% and 50% cocoa content that’s usually blended with milk solids, sugar, and an emulsifier. This mix is significantly cheaper than using natural cocoa beans, with artificial colors and flavorings used to make up the difference in cocoa. Dark chocolate has been treated as a delicacy throughout the ages (in Ecuador, the rarest dark chocolate is priced at an eye-watering amount of money). More recently, the cost of chocolate production has soared due to climate change. With dark baking chocolate depending much on cocoa beans, and milk chocolate depending more on sugar and milk, dark baking chocolate prices remain noticeably higher.
Reasons dark baking chocolate may be more expensive than milk chocolate
Dark baking chocolate has a reputation for offering a strong chocolatey taste. True bakers know the impact it has when used — who isn’t willing to pay a little extra to make sure their chocolate mousse comes out velvety and rich. Sadly, the same cannot be said when baking with milk chocolate since quality is not always consistent. While milk chocolate is more of a sweet chocolate to work with, it isn’t as high-quality as dark baking chocolate due to its higher proportion of milk solids and sugar. Some brands, such as Cadbury and Hershey, offer versions of milk baking chocolate specifically for bakers, but it’s nowhere near a match for the high-quality dark baking chocolate brands out there. As the preference for dark baking chocolate’s richness and depth grows, the dollar price does too.
Extreme weather conditions also have a part to play in the higher price of dark baking chocolate. West Africa has seen some intense weather changes and — since most of the world’s cocoa is imported from West African countries — chocolate prices have been affected quite drastically. In these West African countries, such as Ghana, Ivory Coast, and Nigeria — plus Indonesia in Southeast Asia — shortages of cocoa due to climate change have led to rising prices. Since milk chocolate is legally only required to contain 10% cocoa solids in the United States, and dark baking chocolate contains 55% or more, prices reflect that.
