Choose a solid dark chocolate bar with no filling if your recipe calls for chopped chocolate. A higher cocoa percentage is a good choice if you want a deliberately bold, dark flavour; for a larger batch of dough, the weight of the bar may matter more. If you have allergies, always check the current packaging, and only use a bar with added ingredients if they suit your recipe.
If you’re adding chopped chocolate to cookie dough, you can use the stated cocoa percentage to help you choose the flavour you want. Albert Heijn Allerhande uses roughly chopped dark chocolate in its chocolate cookie recipe; Albert Heijn and ALDI Netherlands also list bars containing 72% and 70% cocoa respectively.
You’ll want to know whether one bar contains enough chocolate for the number of cookies you’re planning to make. Jumbo lists a 200 g dark chocolate bar, while Verkade lists a 180 g dark chocolate bar; compare the weight with the amount in your recipe.
You’ll want to check the ingredients and allergens on the packaging before you start baking. Verkade lists soya and possible traces of milk and hazelnuts for its Puur Voordeelreep. A chocolate biscuit, such as Lotus Speculoos with chocolate, also has a different composition from a solid chocolate bar.
Start with what your recipe calls for: chopped chocolate, and if so, how much. Then choose the cocoa percentage you prefer and check the latest ingredients and allergen information.
| What to consider | What to check when buying | Who it matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Dark chocolate flavour | Compare the cocoa percentages and choose a solid bar if your recipe calls for chopped chocolate. | I want the dark chocolate flavour to stand out in my cookies. For around 40% of consumers, this is the main consideration. |
| Quantity | Compare the weight of the bar with the amount of chocolate in your recipe. | For a larger batch of dough, I want to get enough chocolate from one bar; for around 30% of consumers, quantity is the first thing they consider. |
| Ingredients and allergens | Read the ingredients list and allergen information on the current packaging, and check whether the bar contains any added ingredients. | If I need to avoid certain ingredients, I want to know what’s actually in the bar. For around 30% of consumers, this check is the top priority. |
The word ‘dark’ doesn’t tell you the cocoa percentage of a bar. Jumbo lists at least 46% cocoa solids for its Pure Chocolade Tablet, Verkade lists at least 52% for its Puur Voordeelreep, and Albert Heijn lists 72% cocoa for its extra dark bar.
Check the percentage on the packaging and choose the flavour profile you want in your cookies. Then make sure the size suits your recipe.
Lotus Bakeries states that Lotus Speculoos with chocolate contains 22% chocolate. The product also contains biscuit ingredients, including wheat flour, so it isn’t a direct substitute for chopped chocolate.
Only use a chocolate biscuit if you deliberately want to add a biscuit or crumb element to your recipe. If the recipe calls for chopped dark chocolate, choose a bar or tablet.
A dark chocolate bar may contain allergens or carry a warning about possible traces. Verkade lists soya and possible traces of milk and hazelnuts for its Puur Voordeelreep.
Each time, check both the current ingredients list and the allergen information on the packaging, even if you’ve used the same bar before.
Albert Heijn lists AH Reep extra puur as weighing 100 g and containing 72% cocoa. This combination may suit you if you’re looking for a smaller bar with a high stated cocoa percentage.
The Jumbo Pure Chocolade Tablet is a 200 g bar containing at least 46% cocoa solids. Its weight may be useful if you need more chocolate for a baking session.
Verkade lists its Puur Voordeelreep as weighing 180 g and containing at least 52% cocoa solids.
ALDI Netherlands lists a 200 g Choceur Pure Chocolade bar and a 125 g Moser Roth bar with 70% cocoa. These are different options to consider if you’re focusing on quantity or the stated cocoa percentage.
Lotus Speculoos with chocolate is a ready-made biscuit, not a solid chocolate bar. It’s only relevant if you deliberately want to add a biscuit element to your recipe.
These Joybuy bars give you a choice of dark chocolate with different stated cocoa percentages, as well as bars with added flavours. If your recipe simply calls for chopped dark chocolate, look at the bars without added ingredients first. Choose almond, sea salt or orange only if they suit your cookies.
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An option if you’re deliberately looking for a bar with a high cocoa percentage for your cookies.
Stated on the bar: 90% cocoa; weight: 100 g. If you have allergies, check the current packaging, including the warning about possible traces of nuts, milk and soya.
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An option if you want a high stated cocoa percentage but don’t want to choose a 90% cocoa bar.
Stated on the bar: 78% cocoa; weight: 100 g. When checking the ingredients, look out for milk fat, and if you have allergies, read the current allergen information.
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An option if you’re considering a dark chocolate bar with 70% cocoa for chopping.
Weight: 100 g. If you have allergies, make sure you read the allergen information on the current packaging before using the bar.
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Only consider this bar if almond and sea salt are deliberate ingredients in your cookie recipe.
Weight: 180 g. The added ingredients change the recipe compared with a bar without inclusions; check the current ingredients and allergen information.
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An option if you deliberately want to combine orange and chocolate in your cookies.
Weight: 100 g. Before adding it to your dough, check the current packaging to see what other ingredients and allergens the bar contains.
A solid dark chocolate bar or tablet with no filling is the closest match for that instruction. Albert Heijn Allerhande calls for roughly chopped dark chocolate in its chocolate cookie recipe; then check how much chocolate the recipe needs and choose a suitable size.
No, the highest percentage isn’t a general measure of how suitable a bar is for cookies. Choose a percentage that gives you the flavour profile you want, and also compare the weight of the bar with the amount of chocolate in your recipe.
Not as a direct substitute in a recipe that calls for chopped chocolate. Lotus Bakeries describes this product as a biscuit containing 22% chocolate; only use it if you deliberately want to add speculoos and the other ingredients to your recipe.
Read the ingredients and allergen information on the current packaging of the bar you’ve chosen. The Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority says allergens must be clearly listed on the label; don’t rely on the flavour name alone or on information from a previous purchase.
