The Big Difference Between Semi-Sweet And Bittersweet Chocolate

When you're searching for baking chocolate, you'll run into multiple types in the baking aisle. Some of the big categories you'll see are semi-sweet chocolate and bittersweet, either in bar or chip form. Those terms (meaning semi-sweet and bitter) are kind of vague, which means if you're trying to make an off-the-cuff decision, you'll probably want to know what the difference is. It comes down to the fact that bittersweet chocolate contains more cacao (aka chocolate solids), at around 70%, while semi-sweet usually clocks in around 60%. The end result means bittersweet chocolate will be exactly that, slightly more bitter, but not by a hugely noticeable amount. 

Bittersweet chocolate is also visibly darker and a bit more crumbly when it's dry. In baking applications like cookies, you probably won't end up noticing this much either. It generally comes down to whether or not you prefer a more complex profile to your chocolate chip cookies which you can achieve with bittersweet chocolate versus a simpler one in the semi-sweet.

If you only have one type of chocolate chip at home and you're wondering if you can use it in place of the other, the answer is generally yes. As previously mentioned, it's just whether you like slightly bitter versus sweet. Baked into some creative breakfast stout muffins, you probably won't notice the difference. 

There are situations where you might, however, and that's dishes where the chocolate is the main focus. If you're using it in something like a flourless chocolate cake, chocolate mousse, a classic ganache, or brownies, then bittersweet is probably more ideal if you want a more complex flavor. Semi-sweet works too, but I've noticed that the extra sweetness does make the end result a little flatter tasting thanks to the extra sugar. That being said, whatever you make is still going to be delicious. It is chocolate, after all.

It's generally easiest just to remember the difference in chocolate by the name alone. The term "bitter" does all the heavy lifting in "bittersweet," while semi-sweet means that the chocolate is still relatively dark, but leans on its sweetness at the same time.