Updated: Jan. 31, 2024
If you’re a candy maker, odds are you rely on your favorite brand of chocolate chips or bar of baking chocolate to make these goodies. But did you know there’s a special kind of chocolate just for making candy? Couverture chocolate is the ingredient that will take these homemade sweets to the next level.
What Is Couverture Chocolate?
“Couverture is basically a fancy way to say ‘professional chocolate’ or ‘coating chocolate,'” says Rashanda Cobbins,food editor here atTaste of Home.
This type of chocolate contains the same ingredients as your standard bar but has a higher percentage of fat from cocoa butter. In the U.S., this means couverture must contain at least 31% cocoa butter. To compare, your average milk chocolate has about 15% cocoa butter and dark chocolate around 18%.
Why is this level of fat important? The increased amount of cocoa butter makes this chocolate extra glossy and the right texture for dipping and coating. Its smooth texture and shiny finish make chocolate-covered candies look like something from a professional confectionary.
When and How to Use Couverture Chocolate
Use couverture when making chocolate-covered strawberries and other dipped fruits. You can also use it when making holiday candies. (For the best shine and snap, learn how to temper chocolate.)
You’ll find that couverture chocolate is very easy to work with, but the same chocolate best practices apply, according to Rashanda. “Be sure to monitor the heat levels and work slowly when melting chocolate,” she says. “Avoid contact with moisture and store it in a cool, dry place.”
While couverture is the preferred type of chocolate for confections, there’s no need to shell out for this specialty chocolate for baking. This candy’s special qualities will be lost when stirring up a batch of chocolate chip cookies or pan of brownies.
Where to Buy Couverture Chocolate
You can find couverture chocolate at specialty baking stores and online. Rashanda recommends going for brands like Callebaut, Guittard and Valrhona. These brands are well known for high-quality chocolate products, including cocoa powder.
Couverture Substitutes
Because this type of chocolate is harder to find, you may be asking yourself, what can I substitute for couverture chocolate? The good news is, it’s easy to make a couverture swap. For most home bakers and candy makers, your go-to chocolate will work just fine.
However, if you’re really looking to get the crispness of couverture, you can replicate it by adding a touch of edible cocoa butter to your chocolate. This will increase the level of fat in the chocolate to make it ideal for dipping.
You can also incorporate a bit of white chocolate, which has a naturally higher level of cocoa butter than its darker counterparts. Use about 90% chocolate and 10% white chocolate to get the right balance.
Start with These Chocolate-Coated Recipes
FAQs
SHINY, SNAPPY COATING: No expensive couverture chocolate needed. A SIMPLE FORMULA: Four ounces of dark chocolate melted with 1/4 ounce of white chocolate makes a great dipping chocolate.
What is the best use for couverture chocolate? ›
Due to its rich taste and glossy texture, couverture chocolate is often used for coating, decorating or dipping. It is also used to create high-quality chocolate cakes, pastries, truffles and desserts.
What is the difference between chocolate and couverture chocolate? ›
For something to be legally called "chocolate", the only fat in the ingredients can be cocoa butter. Couverture chocolate contains extra cocoa butter, which gives it a smoother texture, a glossy appearance when tempered, and better melting properties than regular chocolate.
What brand is couverture chocolate? ›
Bulk-Sized Blocks from Guittard, Callebaut & Valrhona
Bakers' couverture chocolate are made with higher cocoa butter content than other types of chocolate, which will help you achieve a richer and more intense chocolate flavor in your desserts.
How to make chocolate couverture at home? ›
- Make a dry caramel by heating sugar until it reaches medium color, then de-cook with the heated passion fruit puree.
- Let it cool to 70°C then pour onto the milk chocolate and mix well.
- At 34°C, incorporate the room temperature butter and mix well.
You'll find compound chocolate being used in imitation chocolates or in chocolate desserts that are of a lower quality. If you want your chocolate dessert to pack a punch using couverture chocolate is ideal because it imparts your dessert with a rich chocolate taste and great mouthfeel.
How can you tell if chocolate is couverture? ›
In order to be labelled as couverture by European Union regulations, the product must contain not less than 35% total dry cocoa solids, including not less than 31% cocoa butter and not less than 2.5% of dry non-fat cocoa solids. Couverture is used by professionals for dipping, coating, moulding, and garnishing.
Can you eat couverture chocolate directly? ›
Yes, you can eat couverture chocolate. The ingredients of couverture chocolate are no different to normal chocolate. The only difference is that couverture usually contains more cocoa butter than normal chocolate.
Why is couverture chocolate so expensive? ›
This is why couverture chocolate is generally more expensive than other types of chocolate because it contains a lot of cocoa butter. As a fat, cocoa butter is amazing — it has a crystalline structure that is polymorphic, which means the fat crystals in the cocoa butter behave differently at different temperatures.
Is Ghirardelli a couverture chocolate? ›
A versatile couverture chocolate with a creamy, smooth melt that brings rich chocolate flavor to baked goods and desserts.
Many fine chocolate makers produce couverture chocolate, including Amano, Callebaut, El Rey, Felchlin, Guittard, Lindt, Scharffen Berger, and Valrhona. There's not a "top" or "best" couverture chocolate to recommend, as it comes down to personal taste and preference.
What chocolate do chocolatiers use? ›
For all these reasons, couverture chocolate is ideal for coating chocolate bonbons and gateaux. Couverture is used by chocolatiers to coat their Christmas chocolates, for example, but it can also be enjoyed as a bar or a square.
Is Lindt dark chocolate couverture? ›
This couverture is high quality dark chocolate drops, made from the finest cocoa beans. In this package are 2.5 kg of the finest dark couverture. Sugar, cocoa mass, cocoa butter, emulsifier (SOJALECITHIN), flavor (vanillin); May contain MILK, HASEL NUTS, ALMOND and other SHELL FRUITS.
Is couverture chocolate expensive? ›
Couverture is simply a more fluid (less viscous) chocolate. It is more expensive because it contains much more extra cocoa butter (fat from the cocoa bean) which adds to the cost.
Is Lindt couverture chocolate? ›
The Lindt range of Couverture is called Piccoli (little pieces in Italian) and is the perfect chocolate for all your chocolatey baking needs.
Is couverture chocolate the same as melting chocolate? ›
As it's more fluid, couverture chocolate is easier to use in pastries, chocolate, confectionery and ice cream. It melts more easily and is better suited to tempering and the applications for which this is necessary, such as molding (for chocolate eggs and other molded shapes, bars and so on) and coating.
Is couverture chocolate same as dark chocolate? ›
Put simply, couverture is a type of high-cocoa chocolate. Chocolatiers often favour couverture chocolate for pastries, truffles and bonbons. So, how does couverture differ from dark chocolate, you may wonder. Well, ultimately, it has a far higher cocoa butter content and an exceedingly fine texture.
What are examples of couverture chocolate? ›
Many fine chocolate makers produce couverture chocolate, including Amano, Callebaut, El Rey, Felchlin, Guittard, Lindt, Scharffen Berger, and Valrhona. There's not a "top" or "best" couverture chocolate to recommend, as it comes down to personal taste and preference.
Is baking chocolate, couverture chocolate? ›
Couverture chocolate is glossier in appearance, melts readily in the mouth and has a snap. It is then not incorrect to say that couverture chocolate is a superior baking chocolate. However, in terms of handling and working with chocolate, couverture is more demanding than compounds, as it requires to be tempered.
