I actually really hate baking chocolate. At least, I hate the cheap stuff that you're limited to at most supermarkets. If I find a recipe with baking chocolate, I generally discard it immediately. If you share my disdain for baking chocolate, here's a substitution that may suit you. I recently found this little tidbit: use 3/4 cup of unsweetened cocoa powder and 1/4 cup of vegetable shortening in lieu of 4 ounces of those nasty little squares( each square is one ounce).
Maybe my hatred of baking chocolate is unjustified, maybe there are some good versions of it out there. But previous bad experiences have soured me on the stuff but good. Maybe I'll give recipe's containing baking chocolate a chance now that I'm armed with this substitution tip.
[Via Life Tips]
3-20-2008 @4:48PM floretbroccoli said... Do recipes call for baking chocolate specifically? Or are you equating unsweetened chocolate with baking chocolate?
Cocoa + fat does not actually equal chocolate. I'd rather use a good quality unsweetened chocolate. Scharffenberger makes an excellent one. I believe Caillebut does, too.
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3-18-2008 @9:56PM Judy G said... I can't believe you just found this substitute for baking chocolate.. It was in my 1954 issue of the Betty Crocker Cookbook. I have used it often and passed it along to my daughter when she married.
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3-20-2008 @4:13AM Joe B said... Good baking chocolates are increasingly available at most grocery stores. I always use bars of Ghirardelli which always yield great results for very reasonable prices, and they have been in the baking aisle of grocery stores I've visited in both large and small cities.
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3-20-2008 @4:15AM Joe B said... Also it's important to note that, while this trick is certainly an very viable alternative, the quality comparison depends on the quality of the cocoa powder you use. A generic powder isn't going to be much better than a generic bar of unsweetened chocolate.
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