The Best Chocolate for Baking, According to Pastry Chefs

The chocolate you use in your baked goods matters. Sure, you can make cookies or lava cake with the first bag of chocolate chips you find at the supermarket and still end up with a tasty treat. But a great, high-quality product will elevate your dessert, adding complex nutty and fruity notes in addition to the decadence that all chocolate lovers crave.

To determine the best chocolate for baking, we asked professional pastry chefs for their favorites. Here are five brands that they keep coming back to.

Valrhona Collection

Out of the 15 pastry chefs we reached out to, over half of them said that their favorite chocolate to bake with is Valrhona. The French company has been producing artisan-quality chocolate since 1922, using sustainably sourced cacao from around the world. Its baking chocolate is sold primarily in “feves” — ovular drops ideal for tempering. “The feves are delicious in cookies because they give you a nice puddle of chocolate in each bite,” says pastry chef Ashley Dahlke, who uses Valrhona at Lo-Fi Coffee House & Studio in Austin.

Tiara Bennett, owner of The Pastry Box in New York City, opts for Valrhona Manjari, a 64% dark chocolate from Madagascar. “Its bright, tangy acidity really stands out,” she says. Aleksandra Crapanzano, author of the upcoming cookbook, Chocolat, always keeps a bag of Valrhona Manjari in her pantry. “At 64% cacao, it can be used in recipes calling for either semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, making it extremely versatile,” she says.

For a darker alternative, many pastry chefs use 70% Valrhona Guanaja. “It will always be my go-to dark chocolate for baking,” says Fiona Thomas, pastry chef of King and Jupiter in New York City. “It is complex and elegant. [It has] a balanced bitterness without it being too sweet.” Guanaja is also a top choice for pastry chef Melissa Weller, owner of Bub’s Bakery. “The flavor profile is complex — notes of cherries and blackberries come through beautifully,” she says. 

At Corima in Manhattan’s Chinatown, pastry chef Erick Rocha uses Valrhona Guanaja in his mousses and cremeux. “It creates a super silky and full-flavored result,” he says. “It’s also excellent for making chocolate confections like bonbons and truffles.” 

TCHO Chocolate

TCHO is another popular choice for pastry chefs around the country, offering high-quality chocolate available in bars, couvertures, batons, powder, crumbles, and more. “They’re an incredible, sustainable chocolate company producing organic, fair-trade, and completely vegan chocolates,” says Sara Scieben, corporate pastry chef of JF Restaurants. “While dark chocolate is typically dairy-free, some companies add dairy as a filler for flavor. That can be nice for snacking, but when I’m baking, I prefer a pure chocolate so I can control the flavor more precisely.”

Schlieben most often uses TCHO’s Choco Combo, a non-single-origin blend of 68% dark chocolate, but if she’s looking for something more rich, she’ll go for the 75% Dark Duo. At Radio Bakery in Brooklyn, New York, owner Kelly Mencin uses TCHO’s 66% chocolate, Sweet & Sassy, in the chocolate chunk cookies and triple chocolate croissants. “It has a silky mouthfeel that melts well, and the flavor is nicely bittersweet with fruity notes.”

Guittard

For over 155 years, Guittard has been crafting single-origin chocolate for home cooks and professionals alike. It’s the go-to brand for content creator Lindsey Baruch (@lindseyeats), who used the 70% Bittersweet Chocolate Baking Bars to test and develop recipes for her upcoming cookbook, Something Delicious. “When it melts, it’s smooth and velvety, without any clumping or buildup,” she says. “The flavor tastes rich and balanced, without any weird aftertaste.”

Olive & Sinclair Chocolate Co.

Caitlyn Cole, pastry chef of Rêve in Birmingham, Alabama, works with nearby chocolatiers, Olive & Sinclair. Based in Nashville, Tennessee, Olive & Sinclair Chocolate Co. makes “Southern Artisan Chocolate” from slow-roasted cacao and pure brown sugar. “Aside from being chill to talk to, they put pride in their work,” says Cole. “From sourcing their two ingredients (yes, just two), to upholding quality, they are the top tier in the business.”

Callebaut Finest Belgian Chocolate

“My go-to chocolate for baking is Callebaut’s 60% dark,” says Candace Foster, pastry chef of Bayonet and Helen in Birmingham. Over the last 100 years, the Belgian company has perfected its bean-to-bar chocolate-making process — and at an affordable price. “Callebaut makes good-quality chocolate that’s better than the average store brand, but not quite as expensive as other high-end brands such as Valrhona.” 

When she wants chocolate to play a ”supporting role” in her pastries, Tiara Bennett uses Callebaut 811, a 54.5% dark chocolate. “Its acidity is more balanced and harmonious, which lets it shine without overwhelming other flavor profiles.”