National White Chocolate Day (September 22nd)

Make a list of important things to do today. At the top of your list, put “eat chocolate.” Now, you’ll get at least one thing done today.”

Gina Hayes

When most people think of chocolate, they think of the rich brown sultry color of milk or dark chocolate.

But during the process of making chocolate, there’s a point when two magical options are available, the rich dark chestnut of traditional chocolate, or the pure white angelic path that is the way of White Chocolate. National White Chocolate Day is the perfect opportunity to learn about the origins of this delicious treat, and take a walk on the light side of culinary decadence.

Learn about National White Chocolate Day

National White Chocolate Day has been created so that we can celebrate this amazing sweet treat, and we can eat as much as we want without feeling guilty! Sounds like heaven, right? White chocolate is made from milk solids, sugar, and cocoa butter. It does not have any cocoa solids in it, which are found in dark and milk chocolate. The pale ivory color is what makes this form of chocolate instantly recognizable.

There are regulations in place that govern what can and cannot be marketed as white chocolate. The same standards are in place across the United States and the European Union. To be classified as white chocolate, the chocolate needs to be a minimum of the following by weight: 3.5 percent milk fat, 14 percent total milk solids, and 20 percent cocoa butter. In the United States, they also have a provision that states that the product is not allowed to include more than 55 percent of sweeteners, such as sugar.

History of National White Chocolate Day

Chocolate has been around a very long time, it’s consumption as a beverage reaching back to 1900 BCE by the Mesoamericans, and was considered sacred to Quetzocoatl. So valuable was it during the Aztec empire that it was used as a form of currency, and was in fact the expected form of payment for the taxes levied on the people they ruled. It wasn’t until Christopher Columbus visited the New World for the 4th time in 1502 that chocolate was brought back to the UK, and the rest is History.

Well, almost…

You see, for all the time between then and 1930, the rich mahogany chocolate was all they knew and used, it had taken on a million forms and become the very definition of decadence, but it was still all the same color.

All of that changed in 1930 when Nestlé invented the Milkybar in 1930. White Chocolate was the result of separating the dark solids from the rich fat of the bean known as cocoa butter, a natural part of the manufacturing process, but instead of recombining them, the cocoa butter was left to shine on its own. It’s been an incredibly popular treat ever since.

How to celebrate National White Chocolate Day

The best way to celebrate National White Chocolate Day is to go out and indulge in the delicious treat that is white chocolate! You can find it in a myriad of different forms, so maybe a stop off at a chocolatier is in order. Truffles, Bars, Ganache, there’s even white chocolate in the drinkable form!

Stopping off to get a morning coffee? Try a white chocolate blend this time instead of your usual. Its lunchtime and you want a snack? A bar of white chocolate can be just the thing. Don’t forget to share with your friends!

Of course, if you are feeling a bit creative, you may decide to make your own white chocolate. All you need to do is a quick search online and you will see that there are plenty of Recipes for you to copy to make sure that your white chocolate is a triumph and not a culinary nightmare!

There are also lots of great white chocolate-based Recipes as well if you’re looking to indulge in something a little bit different. Some of the white chocolate desserts that we definitely recommend are as follows: white chocolate torte, white chocolate cappuccino cake, white chocolate and ginger cheesecake, banana and white chocolate blondie tart, white chocolate and raspberry tart, and white chocolate and pistachio profiteroles. Is your mouth watering yet?

You could decide to have a bit of fun with your friends on National White Chocolate Day and have a white chocolate bake-off. Get all of your friends around and have fun seeing who is able to create the most exciting and delicious white chocolate dessert. This is a great opportunity to share a lot of laughs together and enjoy some delicious white chocolate treats along the way.

Did you know that you can also get some delicious white chocolate cocktails? This is an easy but highly enjoyable way of celebrating National White Chocolate Day. We personally love the white chocolate martini. This is a creamy and rich cocktail, which is a scrumptious mix of white chocolate and vanilla.

All you need is one ounce of cream, one ounce of white chocolate liqueur, and one and a half ounces of vanilla vodka. Grab a cocktail shaker, fill it with ice, add all of the ingredients, and give it a good shake. You will need to get those muscles working to make sure that the cream is fully incorporated! If you really want to impress, garnish the chocolate with white savings and you will have everyone thinking that you’re a qualified bartender.