Chocolate Coatings

Chocolate coatings are used in dipping, drizzling, and enrobing pastries, donuts, scones, breads, bars and cookies. And when it comes to coatings, Blendtek has you covered. Especially if you are looking for chocolate coatings - as part of Blendtek's chocolate lineup of ingredients.

Chocolate and its tasty cousin compound play a vital role in the food industry by contributing to the taste, texture, and visual appeal of a wide range of products. Lets explore in more detail.

Chocolate: Chocolate has a standard of identity so it must include cocoa, sugar, and cocoa butter to call it real chocolate. It comes in various forms including dark, milk, and white chocolate, each with its unique flavour profile and uses in food manufacturing.

• Dark Chocolate, known for its robust and slightly bitter flavour, is a favorite among many food manufacturers. It is rich in cocoa solids, usually above 70%, and has less sugar compared to other types. Dark chocolate is often used in premium confectionery products, gourmet desserts, and health-focused food items due to its reported health benefits.

• Milk Chocolate is characterized by its creamy, sweet, and mild cocoa flavour. It contains less cocoa solids than dark chocolate and includes milk or milk powder, which gives it a smoother texture. Milk chocolate is widely used in a variety of food products, including candy bars, ice creams, cookies, and pastries.

• White Chocolate - Unlike dark and milk chocolate, white chocolate does not contain any cocoa solids. It is made from cocoa butter, sugar, and milk solids, which give it a creamy and sweet flavor profile. White chocolate is used in food manufacturing for its unique taste and its ability to pair well with a wide range of flavors, from fruits to nuts and spices.

Compound: Compound chocolate, sometimes called as confectionery coating, is a cost-effective alternative to 'real' chocolate. It's made from a combination of cocoa, vegetable fats, and sweeteners, and is often used in coatings and decorative elements due to its ease of use and lower cost.

Real chocolate, with its rich flavor and creamy texture, is often used in premium products. Compound chocolate, on the other hand, offers a more affordable option for large-scale production.

• Bakery: chocolate chips, chunks, and decorations are used as inclusions for flavour and visual appeal in muffins, cookies, brownies, scones, cakes, cupcakes, and gourmet desserts. Coatings are used in dipping, drizzling, and enrobing pastries, donuts, scones, breads, bars and cookies.
• Confectionery: chocolate and compound can be used to enrobe, dip, or pan truffles, caramels, meltaways, clusters, pralines, bark, marshmallows, craft tablets, covered novelties, fillings, ganache, and sauces.
• Frozen Desserts: Chocolate coatings, flakes, chips, and other decorations can be used in ice cream, frozen novelties, and other chilled desserts
• Snacks: Chocolate chips and chunks for mix-ins and inclusions, as well as coatings for enrobing and bottoming of granola and energy bars, trail mix, and coated fruits and nuts.

There are a seemingly endless amount of variations of chocolate and compound, and many factors to consider when selecintg the right product. 

• • Flavour - The origin of the cocoa beans and how they are processed impact the flavour. Whether you want a sophisticated dark chocolate or a creamy milk chocolate, and other specific flavour characteristics are important. Other notes like fruit, bitterness, caramel and vanilla may be part of the profile.
  • Ingredients - The ingredients in the product need to be considered. Are vegetable oils such as palm oil acceptable? What about soy lecithin which is used as an emulsifier? Do you need dextrose to limit the melting that could transfer to packaging on a high speed line? 

• Shape and Size - Chips are the most well known shape, and they range in size from very small (10,000 count or 10M) seen in ice cream to large (0.9M) used in something like a decadent cookie. Chunks that are a rectangular shape are another option that comes in a variety of sizes as well as in uniform or irregular pieces. Wafers are the ideal selection for melting in smaller batches, or 10 lb blocks may be an option for larger scale melting. Liquid product delivered in tanker trucks may also be an option for very large scale operations.

• Processing - if the product is to be melted for coating or enrobing, the processor must be able to temper the chocolate to get the correct finished product. If that processing capability is not available, compound should be selected over chocolate. The correct viscosity of when the chocolate or compound is fluid is dependent on the processors operation. The speed of the line is another consideration, as melted chips may smear onto packaging if the correct ingredients are not selected.

• Cost - One of the main selection criteria when selecting chocolate or compound is the cost. Chocolate is more premium than compound, which is important in some applications but not as much in others. Selecting a high quality chocolate can enhance the taste and appeal as well as perceived value in the eyes of consumers. 

Chocolate and compound are classic products that offer a multitude of possibilities for product innovation, allowing food manufacturers to cater to the evolving tastes and preferences of consumers. Chocolate can help you elevate the sensory experience in your baked goods, snacks, and beyond. Whether you are searching for a dark chocolate confectionery coating, a high cocoa drop for baked goods, or a semisweet chunk for snack bars, we have the solution. There are many criteria to consider to select the best option for your creation; let Blendtek help you navigate to the perfect chocolatey product for your product.