5 Best Chocolate Chips for Baking, According to Bakers
Chocolate chips are a baking staple for good reason. They add rich chocolate flavor and little pockets of sweetness to everything from cookies and brownies to muffins and cakes, making even a simple homemade dessert feel more indulgent. But not all chocolate chips perform the same way in the oven. Eat This, Not That! asked bakers which brands they reach for most often, and these five came out on top.
Ghirardelli Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
Ghirardelli earns high marks from several bakers for its reliable performance, accessible price point, and range of chocolate options. Its semi-sweet chips are particularly versatile, working well in everything from cookies to cakes and brownies. “These chocolate chips bake and melt perfectly,” says Kristina Lavallee, Founder and CEO of The Cake Girl. “When they bake into cakes and brownies, they have a nice, smooth texture and rich chocolate flavor. They are not overly sweet, and they are made with cane sugar, which gives a really nice touch to the flavor.” Daniel P. Craig, cooking and baking expert and founder of Kitchendeets.com, also appreciates the balance of Ghirardelli’s semi-sweet chips. “They melt into cookies gooey and buttery, and they hit that sweet-bitter balance most chips miss,” he says. “That balance is why they’re my go-to whenever a recipe calls for chocolate chips specifically, not just chocolate.” Kareem “Mr. Bake” Queeman, a James Beard Award semifinalist, pastry chef and founder of Mr. Bake Sweets, likes the brand’s versatility. “My favorite chocolate chips are Ghirardelli because they’re incredibly versatile and consistently deliver amazing quality and flavor. I also love that they offer different cocoa percentages, so you can choose the right level of chocolate intensity for whatever you’re making.” Katherine Sprung, NYC pastry chef and founder of Squish Marshmallows, says Ghirardelli is also easy to find and offers plenty of variety. “I do like Ghirardelli because they’re very accessible and you can find them in almost all grocers and drug stores, and they have a variety of different types of chocolate and sizes of chips, which I like.”
Enjoy Life Semi-Sweet Mini Chocolate Chips
For bakers who need an option that accommodates more dietary restrictions, Enjoy Life Semi-Sweet Mini Chocolate Chips offers a useful alternative. “Enjoy Life Semi-Sweet Mini Chocolate Chips are free from 14 common allergens, so we recommend these in our recipes,” says Erin Fletter, founder and CEO of Sticky Fingers Cooking. ” Shouldn’t everyone get to enjoy chocolate chips?” She adds, “Everyone can use the same recipe when there isn’t a food allergen concern. These chips taste good, not like they are missing anything! These chocolate chips are inclusive, and they taste good!” Chocolate chips can also go well beyond cookies, Fletter says. She recommends using them in recipes such as mole sauce, chili, smoothies, yogurt, and quick breads, or melting them over berries.
Guittard SemiSweet Baking Chips
Guittard’s SemiSweet Baking Chips offer bakers another option to control the intensity of chocolate in their desserts. The brand’s range of cacao levels also makes it easy to choose a chip for the recipe. Mark McShane, Chef | Food Safety Expert at Level 3 Food Hygiene Certificate, appreciates the balance of Guittard’s 46% cacao SemiSweet Baking Chips. “They offer a balanced chocolate flavor without being overly bitter,” he says. McShane also likes the chips for their consistency during baking and the brand’s variety of cacao levels. Angela (DeMars) Skogen, Owner & Founder, Cooks On Main, also praises the chips for their rich chocolate flavor. She says they add depth to cookies, brownies, and bars rather than simply making them sweeter. “I prefer putting a whole bag when cooking because I am afraid it might be a snack around the corner rather than being in my bars and cookies,” she says.
Valrhona 70% Guanaja
For bakers looking to move beyond the typical supermarket chocolate chip, Valrhona offers a more sophisticated option. Its 70% Guanaja chocolate is geared toward people who want a pronounced cocoa flavor rather than simply adding sweetness to a baked good. “Valrhona is one of my favorite chocolate brands for baking because the flavor is much deeper and more balanced than many standard supermarket chocolate chips,” says Burhan Demirci, the baker at Red Beard Coffee & Bakery in NYC.
Nestlé Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
Nestlé Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips is the straightforward supermarket option on this list, particularly for bakers who want a dependable semi-sweet chip without an especially intense chocolate profile. “The semi-sweet chips are really good and not overly sweet,” explained Olivia Colt, CEO/Founder of Salt and Honey Catering.