How to caramelize white chocolate

In this tutorial, I will guide you to caramelize white chocolate with step-by-step instructions. Using my special tips and visuals you will learn how to make smooth and creamy caramelized white chocolate with no lumps that will leave you hooked.

AUTHOR : KHUSHALI PATEL

PREPARATION TIME: 10 minutes
BAKING TIME: 2 hours
TOTAL TIME: 2 hours 10 minutes

*For the best results, read the entire post & follow the instructions.

Are you someone who finds white chocolate too sweet to enjoy or someone who prefers a bar of flavourful chocolate?

To tell you the truth, I had been this person for a long time. But this changed when I made my first batch of caramelized white chocolate. The nutty aromas and caramel-like flavours got me hooked on this wonderful caramelized chocolate.

In this post, I will be guiding you to make your batch of silky smooth and delicious caramelized white chocolate that will leave you drooling and wanting to make more.
But first, let’s understand what caramelized white chocolate is and the technique behind making this chocolate easily.

What is caramelized white chocolate?

Caramelized white chocolate also known as blonde chocolate is white chocolate that is heated and cooked till it becomes amber in colour. The process is similar to caramelizing sugar but instead of heating it over the stove, you use an oven. Doing this helps to reduce the sweetness of the white chocolate as the flavours of the chocolate develop, making it enjoyable to consume and bake with.

Here is how caramelized white chocolate is different from white chocolate –

Appearance

After caramelization the white chocolate gets a lovely deep amber colour different from the pale-yellow colour of white chocolate.

Flavour

As white chocolate has a high level of sweetness; caramelization helps to reduce that sweetness by giving the chocolate a toffee-like flavour. Caramelized white chocolate tastes like a creamy with more caramel-like flavours. Other than that, as each chocolate is different, it develops the natural flavours as well.

Texture

White chocolate is much smoother than dark or milk chocolate but once it’s caramelized, it becomes thicker. If prepared correctly, the caramelized white chocolate retains its smooth texture with a lovely creaminess.

The caramelization of white chocolate uses a very simple technique wherein the chocolate is melted and cooked in an oven or microwave for a long period till the Maillard reaction occurs aka caramelization occurs. This reaction makes the chocolate amber in colour with caramel-like flavours.

But just like caramelizing sugar, this technique does require patience as the chocolate can become gritty, stiff and lumpy if not paid attention to.

Which is the best type of chocolate to make caramelized white chocolate?

For making caramelized white chocolate, it is important to use chocolate with a high-fat content that is 30% or above.

Let me explain.

White chocolate mainly consists of cocoa butter, milk, sugar and stabilizers. While the sugar and milk contribute to the flavour and colour of the white chocolate, the cocoa butter provides a smooth and flowy texture.

During the caramelization process, the chocolate becomes thicker than usual because of it being exposed to heat.

However, when there isn’t enough fat present in the chocolate, caramelization causes it to become stiff, gritty and lumpy.

So, it is best to use couverture or pure white chocolate with high-fat content. They come in different forms such as callets, bars and blocks. Any of them can be easily used for the process.

I recommend using callets or blocks of couverture white chocolate for best results. You can use pure white chocolate bars, but make sure to check the fat content. The chocolate might become a little stiff because of additional stabilizers, but just stir is well to get the smooth texture.

Avoid using chocolate chips or compound chocolate for this process.

How to make smooth caramelized white chocolate with no lumps?

To get that silky smooth and creamy caramelized white chocolate, it is first important for you to understand white chocolate and its properties.

As we know there are three main types of chocolate which are dark, milk and white. Amongst these three, white chocolate melts and burns at a really low temperature (around 45°C).

However, if the white chocolate is exposed to heat continuously even after it has reached its melting temperature, it becomes gritty and burns.

To avoid such a situation, I caramelized the white chocolate keeping two factors in mind –

Time
Instead of beginning the caramelization process with a timer of about 10 minutes, I gradually increased the time, which easily helped avoid burning the chocolate. More on this in the next section.
Stirring the chocolate often
Stirring the chocolate well too helped to get rid of the lumps that formed when it was caramelizing.

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Steps to make smooth and creamy caramelized white chocolate

The following are the steps to caramelize white chocolate correctly:

Step 1 – Preparation

Remember that, the first step you take while learning a new technique can make or break your final result.

When preparing for caramelizing white chocolate it is important to keep away moisture because moisture makes chocolate seize. For this reason, always wash and dry your baking tray well before you are ready to start the process.

In this step, other than keeping a clean tray, also set up your area with the necessary equipment needed, so you are not confused or stressed out when you need something. Doing these simple steps can make this entire process so enjoyable.

Here are the steps that you should take –

1. Clean and dry your baking tray
2. Keep the necessary equipment ready
3. Set up an area near the oven where you will be stirring and mixing the chocolate
4. Pre-heat the oven
5. Weigh the chocolate and transfer it to the tray
6. Line a square baking pan with parchment paper or clean and dry your chocolate bar mould.

Step 2 – Melting

Once your equipment and area are set up for success, transfer the tray to the oven and simply melt the chocolate for 3 minutes. Once the 3 minutes are up, stir the chocolate well, till no lumps remain.

It is important to be quick while stirring so that the tray does not become cool. If it does become cool, it might take longer to caramelize the chocolate.

Important points to remember in this step –

Melt for 3 minutes.
Stir quickly to get rid of a majority of the lumps (if there are a few lumps, you can get rid of them in the next increment)
Spread the chocolate evenly in before putting it back into the oven so that the chocolate gets heated evenly
Heat the chocolate for 5 minutes and then stir well.
Heat the chocolate for 7 minutes and then 10 minutes, stirring well after each increment. (Stir and spread the chocolate evenly after each increment)

Time per increment –

1st- 3 minutes
2nd – 5 minutes
3rd – 7 minutes
4th and onwards – 10 minutes

Step 3 – Caramelizing

After the chocolate is melted evenly, the caramelization process begins. During this step, the chocolate gets exposed to more heat and it begins to change colour. Right before the chocolate begins to caramelize, it thickens tremendously but stirring it well helps maintain its smooth texture,

As I mentioned before, the chocolate can burn quickly, especially at this stage so stirring the chocolate well before each addition is important.

In this step, the chocolate has to be heated in 10-minute increments, nothing more. Once the chocolate gets a lovely light orange colour, the chocolate is almost ready. You can stop here but the flavours are not completely developed. So, heat the chocolate for longer till it gets a deep amber colour.

Cool the chocolate on the tray for about 10 minutes and transfer it into a cake pan or chocolate mould.

How to make Caramelized White Chocolate Bars?

In order to set the caramelized white chocolate, you can either use a square cake pan or a silicon chocolate bar mould. Using any of the two makes it easier to use for melting and baking purposes.

While using a baking pan, always line it well with parchment paper so it becomes easier to demould. Once the chocolate is cooled but still flowy, transfer the chocolate into the pan and wrap it well with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator. Once set, you can chop it up and store it in an air-tight container or zip-lock bag.

If you are planning to use a chocolate bar mould, make sure the mould is completely dry. Transfer the cooled chocolate till the bar is filled to the edge and then tap it to get rid of air bubbles. However, it you know how to temper the chocolate, you can do so but it’s completely optional.

Transfer to the refrigerator to set. Once set, you can store it in an air-tight container or wrap it in plastic wrap. I love using this method as it is much easier to do, and it makes a nice gift for a friend.

05 tips to make the best caramelized white chocolate

Use an oven thermometer

White chocolate has a much lower melting point as compared to other types of chocolate which makes it crucial to heat it at the right temperature to prevent burning your chocolate. Using an oven thermometer is one of the easiest ways to prevent this as you will know the exact temperature of your oven. I have written an entire blog post on how to use an oven. Read it here.
Remove the tray from the oven and then stir fast to maintain the temperature

This is one of the most common things we passionate bakers do. I mean who doesn’t love the satisfaction of stirring or mixing something for a long period? Well, as I have said many times before, avoid this as much as possible, especially while caramelizing white chocolate as this will not only increase the time for you to achieve the right colour and flavours but also increase the risk of making the chocolate seize. So, I recommend, removing the tray from the oven (to avoid the chocolate from becoming cold) and stirring as fast as you possibly can.
Use an offset spatula or a cake/chocolate scraper to stir the chocolate

Using a spatula is easy but for making the best caramelized white chocolate, I highly recommend using an offset spatula or a chocolate/ cake scraper as it has a wider coverage and gets rid of the lumps easily.
Gradually increase the time to avoid lumps

Avoid heating the chocolate for 10 minutes right at the beginning. As this makes the chocolate lumpy and makes the chocolate stiff or worse, seize. Gradually increasing the time helps to prevent this resulting in a silky smooth caramelized white chocolate almost like a creamy ganache.
Avoid using parchment paper

As much as I love parchment paper, I recommend to not line the baking tray for caramelization unless necessary as the chocolate ends up cooling very fast making it lumpy. You can use a silicon baking mat if absolutely necessary.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is my caramelized white chocolate grainy?

The caramelized white chocolate becomes grainy because of two reasons –

i. High temperature – White chocolate has a lower melting point which means that it burns easily. To avoid this, use an oven thermometer and gradually increase the time.
ii. Wrong Chocolate – The fat content of the chocolate is extremely important while caramelizing white chocolate. Use white chocolate with 30% or above cocoa butter/fat content.

Is caramelized white chocolate similar to blonde/gold chocolate?

Yes! It is the same. The only difference is that blonde chocolate is available commercially which can be expensive. Caramelizing white chocolate at home is much easier and lighter on the pocket especially if you use it once in a while.

Can I use white chocolate chips to make caramelized white chocolate?

Chocolate chips have a higher percentage of stabilizers so it does not melt easily and even if it does, it stays lumpy. So, avoid using white chocolate chips. I recommend using a white chocolate block, bar or callets/coins.

Can Caramelized White Chocolate be made ahead of time?

Caramelized white chocolate can be made ahead of time. You can read this section and the storage notes for how to store white chocolate easily.