We're Celebrating National Chocolate Day

National Chocolate Day at DŌ

National Chocolate Day is coming up on October 28 and naturally, we can't wait! Chocolate plays a huge role on our menu at the shop. I mean, what would chocolate chip cookie dough be without it??

This year, we're celebrating National Chocolate Day with free chocolate toppings on any scoop of dough or ice cream at our flagship shop. Oreos, chocolate chips, Hershey's Bars, dark chocolate chips, it's all game on Sunday, October 28. We hope to see you here! 

Anyone who has ever taken a baking class at DŌ knows that I spend my baking money on two things: quality chocolate and quality vanilla. 

But what actually makes chocolate high quality?!

The quality of chocolate comes down to one major thing: the proportion of cocoa solids and cocoa butter to other ingredients. "Cocoa solids" sounds like a fancy confectioner's term, but really, it just means cocoa powder. Cocoa powder consists of almost 100 percent cocoa solids, which is why just a few tablespoons can give a whole batch of cookies chocolate flavor. The more cocoa powder in solid chocolate, the more complex and noticeable the flavor.

In lower quality chocolates, cocoa butter may be substituted for vegetable oil or another neutral-flavored oil. This means the depth and "chocolate-ness" of cocoa butter is totally lost in these lower quality bars. Therefore, the flavor can be overpowered by sugar and other ingredients in the cookie. No good for chocolate lovers! 

So, before you bake a batch of my go-to chocolate chip cookies hunt down some quality semi-sweet chocolate chips, it will make all the difference!