The Brand Of Chocolate Julia Child Often Used When Baking

The miniature fleur-de-lis print dotting the cover of Julia Child's "Mastering the Art of French Cooking," is a staple in the kitchens of recreational cooks and professional chefs alike. Through her written lessons, televised tutorials, and unbridled enthusiasm, Child made classic French dishes like boeuf bourguignon and coq au vin accessible to American audiences. Her no-frills approach to food included serving Goldfish crackers as an appetizer and reframing kitchen mistakes as an opportunity for fun and experimentation, making every meal a work of art.

Child's cooking show, "The French Chef," first premiered in 1963 and ran until 1973. The television host and cookbook author was famously fond of butter, and often emphasized the importance of working with the right ingredients. During her time as a public figure, she shared countless kitchen tricks and culinary favorites like her go-to Costco food court order and tips for easing kitchen cleanup. Among the takeaways is a chocolate brand Child graced with her seal of approval: Scharffen Berger.

The bean-to-bar chocolate company, Scharffen Berger, made its debut in 1996 at Aspen's Food & Wine Classic. Child was among those in attendance that year and was one of the first to try the craft chocolate. The brand began in San Francisco and was founded that same year by John Scharffenberger, a winemaker, and Robert Steinberg, a food enthusiast with an adoration for chocolate-making. When Child first tried the artisan product, she reportedly called the chocolate brand the best in the U.S.

Scharffen Berger's process and packaging have allowed it to stand apart since its conception. The chocolatiers pride themselves as the first American chocolate makers to display cacao percentages on their labels. The company also crafts its chocolates with cacao sourced from farms across the world, noting the beans' country of origin on the product's packaging. Today, Scharffen Berger's selection includes baking bars and cocoa powders of varying intensity to be incorporated into recipes.

When deciding what kind of baking chocolate to fold into your cookie dough or mix into muffins, there are a few factors to consider. Before selecting a bar from the shelf, or adding a bag of chocolate chips to your cart, take into account the desired flavor and intensity, texture, and what other ingredients you plan to include in your finished product.

Bittersweet and semisweet chocolates tend to offer a richness and sweetness that isn't too overwhelming. Milk chocolate, on the other hand, is creamier than its more bitter counterparts, and less obtrusive, making it ideal for recipes that might already involve a lot of other flavors and mix-ins like candies, cookies, or marshmallows. 

You can buy baking bars to roughly chop and stir into glazes or icing, or add to cookie dough for a rustic, chunky texture and chocolate flavor. Sprinkle chocolate chips into banana bread or cookies. Whisk cocoa powder into flour to give cookies or muffins a chocolatey base, or to flavor delicate, decadent macarons. Plus, cocoa powder is, of course, the heart of a classic creamy hot chocolate. So make Julia Child proud with some quality chocolate and good butter. Bon appétit!