Chocolate, when it is processed, is made from varying amounts of cocoa solids, cocoa butter and sugar. Sometimes additional ingredients such as milk, vanilla and lecithin are added. Chocolate comes in varieties, such as dark chocolate, milk chocolate and white chocolate.

Cocoa

Chocolate is made from the cocoa bean, and the nibs inside the cocoa shell are ground into a pure form of chocolate called cocoa liquor. The liquor may be formed into chocolate at this point, or separated into two core ingredients for processing: The cocoa mass and the cocoa fat, also known as cocoa butter. Chocolate's composition after processing consists of varying amounts of cocoa solids, cocoa butter and sugars. Other ingredients sometimes included in chocolate are milk solids, vanilla and lecithin.

Bitter Chocolate

Bitter chocolate, also referred to as unsweetened baking chocolate, is made from pure cocoa liquor. Unsweetened chocolate is a blend of pure cocoa solids and cocoa butter extracted directly from cocoa liquor.

Sweet Chocolate

The sweetened chocolates vary in percentages of cocoa liquor and sugar. Unlike pure bitter chocolate, sweetened chocolates sometimes have extra ingredients added such as vanilla and lecithin. Semisweet chocolate consists of less cocoa solids, but more sugar, cocoa butter, vanilla and lecithin. Bittersweet chocolate has less sugar but more cocoa solids, and oftentimes is made without vanilla and lecithin.

Dark Chocolate

Dark chocolate consists of the family of unsweetened and semi-sweetened varieties. The chocolate is dark due to the higher content of pure cocoa liquor solids and the fat, cocoa butter. Dark chocolates sometimes have additional ingredients such as vanilla and lecithin.

Milk Chocolate

Milk chocolate is sweetened chocolate blended with ingredients such as dry milk solids, vanilla and lecithin. It is the least pure of the chocolates, with less of the cocoa solids and cocoa butter added into the ingredients.

White Chocolate

White chocolate is made from cocoa liquor fat, the cocoa butter. It has no cocoa solids whatsoever, thus chocolate connoisseurs consider white chocolate not real chocolate. Additional ingredients within white chocolate are sugar and milk solids. It may also contain vanilla and lecithin.

Source:

Chocolate: Tips, Tools and Ingredients

Real Chocolate Bars

Chocolate Glossary

More Information:

What are the Ingredients in Chocolate?

The Cocoa Symposium