Dark Chocolate Vs Semisweet Chocolate: What's The Difference?

Having to pick between two equally quality-tasting chocolate types is a pretty good problem to have as far as dilemmas go. While milk and white chocolate are the most common and easy to differentiate chocolates, the more robust and less obvious options of dark and semisweet have lots to offer. Bakers will attest to the stark contrast of chocolate types in their recipes when they opt for dark chocolate versus when they toss in semisweet chocolate. Loading your favorite brownies with creative ingredients to make them as fudgy and eye-roll-worthy as possible is great, but choosing a chocolate that adds just the right amount of intensity for your cocoa preference is even better.

Even with the different tastes, dark chocolate and semisweet chocolate aren't exactly worlds apart. Beyond sugar content, the percentage of cocoa present in chocolate is what majorly affects the taste and characteristics. Though terms like "dark," "semisweet," and "bittersweet" aren't regulated by any standard, they all tend to fall on the more cocoa-rich side of the chocolate spectrum. Semisweet is the less intense version, usually sitting within the 35% to 45% of cocoa solids content. On the other end of the scale, dark chocolate offers a fuller, more concentrated cocoa flavor, ranging from 70% to 100% cocoa solids content. What you end up choosing to add to your chocolate collection depends on how you plan to use it and how strong of a chocolate flavor you're going for.

Dark chocolate encompasses a diverse number of chocolates, so paying attention to the cocoa percentage is important if you want to know which dark chocolate to choose for a mildly rich, indulgent, or absolutely pure cocoa taste. Dark chocolate is known for its depth and richness, and depending on where it is harvested can come with slightly fruity, floral or sweet notes as well as being extremely bitter. The 70% to 100% cocoa solid content is absolutely responsible for this. For a milder taste that is strong without being overpowering, baking with 70% to 75% dark chocolate is a sweet spot. If you prefer a more bitter and slightly brittle chocolate, then 80% and up will be just right.

The taste of dark chocolate lends itself well to recipes that call for deeper chocolate tastes like ganache or chocolate mousse. You'll also be able to seamlessly work dark chocolate into certain mole recipes as the intense flavor adds the right amount of complexity to this traditional Mexican savory dish. If you're into stronger tasting hot chocolate, then go ahead and reach for the 70% and up dark chocolate to melt into your cup of comfort chocolate. Since dark chocolate has a low sugar content, it works perfectly for balancing out sugary or sweet recipes with some aromatic and authentic cocoa flavoring.

Semisweet chocolate is preferred by those who want to enjoy the rich cocoa taste with a little bit of sweetness to keep things out of the bitter zone. While the cocoa flavor is still strong, the balance between cocoa butter, cocoa solids, and sugar adds a smoother taste to your recipes. Generally speaking, semisweet chocolate is considered a jack-of-all-trades, which is why it's often the category of choice for the chocolate chips that you're used to seeing in cookie recipes. While semisweet is considered to provide a subtler cocoa taste than bittersweet chocolate, the difference between these two dark chocolate varieties can be slight. When biting into a bar of semisweet chocolate, you usually notice the sweet notes long before the deep chocolate notes hit, which is the reverse for 70% and up dark chocolate.

As far as uses go, semisweet chocolate might as well be considered a classic chocolate baking staple. Use the chocolate chips or the bars in cakes, brownies, cookies, and fondues. Other flavors that work especially well with semisweet chocolate include caramel, butterscotch, and sweet fruits. The crowd-pleasing semisweet chocolate has potential to bring to life most sweet treats that you set your heart on making.