Black Gold
Or as some may call it, Dark Chocolate. Apparently here in NZ, actual chocolate is a rare and expensive commodity. Sure, the bags there in the aisle may look like chocolate chips and have the name "chocolate" right on them, but they are missing a key ingredient. Cocoa butter. Instead of using the cocoa beans natural fat, they reconstitute cocoa powder with vegetable oil and make something called compound. It tastes like chocolate and looks like chocolate but doesn't melt on your tongue or in your oven, like actual chocolate. We were fooled by this and bought a huge bag of chocolate compound drops. I used them along with my Shreddo in my second attempt at baking cookies on this island. Now, I froze those cookies and was really wanting a snack so I grabbed a cookie and popped it in the microwave for maybe 30 seconds. I turned around to smoke billowing out of my microwave and opened it up to find my cookie on fire. I don't know if I should blame the suet or the compound but either way, it was no good. Thank goodness for me there is a baking Goddess at Jake's office who was kind enough to share her baking knowledge and point out the compound.
She's helped me expedite my process of elimination down the baking aisle. She also pointed me to the Callebaut chocolate in Moore Wilson. So this week, I bit the bullet and purchased the most expensive chocolate chips I've seen to date. (otherwise known as the only chocolate chips I've seen in New Zealand) $51.70 NZ, or $39.20 for 2.5 kg or 5.5 lbs of chocolate chips. So now, I am totally afraid to use them.
She's helped me expedite my process of elimination down the baking aisle. She also pointed me to the Callebaut chocolate in Moore Wilson. So this week, I bit the bullet and purchased the most expensive chocolate chips I've seen to date. (otherwise known as the only chocolate chips I've seen in New Zealand) $51.70 NZ, or $39.20 for 2.5 kg or 5.5 lbs of chocolate chips. So now, I am totally afraid to use them.
Save them. I'll help you get over your fear in January.
You know, if you cut each one of those chips in-half, you'll have TWICE as many chips - and for the same price!
It's worth it! Your biggest problem is going to be not dipping your hand in that bag every five minutes!!
Also try the boxes of "dark chocolate kibble" - it's a bit cheaper, and the chunks are bigger, but it's still good chocolate and tastes great in cookies and brownies.
Another option if you don't mind doing a lot of your own chopping is buying one of those big bars of chocolate - Cadbury is acceptable but the "Royal" and of course Callebaut are delish.
Good luck!!