In defense of chocolate chips

Chocolate chunks have been replacing chocolate chips in cookie recipes over the past few years. There are several reasons for this, but chief among them is that chocolate chunks allow the cookies to become flatter and therefore more Instagram-able. In defense of this theory, I submit as Exhibit No. 1 Sarah Kieffer‘s infamous (and fantastic) pan-banging Chocolate chip cookies, which set the stage for myriad other lookalikes. (The name of the recipe is a bit misleading, as the recipe calls for chopped chocolate instead of chips.) So are chocolate chips set to disappear from baking? Not if Emily Paster has anything to say about it. She has written an opus in praise of the humble chocolate chip.

Mass-produced “bargain” chocolate chips, laden with stabilizers and fillers, have saddled the product with a shoddy reputation, says Paster. However, boutique chocolatiers and major brands alike have been introducing quality chips containing high chocolate percentages that make them well suited to many applications. Paster points out one of the most obvious factors in favor of the premade chips: it is a pain to chop chocolate by hand. In my case, a literal pain because years of baking and typing have taken a toll on my fingers. I know I’m not alone in that regard.

Beyond the ease of using premade (and perfectly formed) chips, Paster lists other attributes that favor their use over chopped chocolate. Since they hold their shape, chips can provide more of a textural contrast than softer chocolate, which tends to melt into whatever you are baking with it. Cost is another factor weighing in on the side of chocolate chips. Even the higher-end chips cost less than bar chocolate or even chocolate wafers (aka féves). As a chocoholic, I keep many kinds and percentages of chocolate in my pantry. Although the quantity of single-estate bars and high-end féves that I have on hand fluctuates, there are always bags of good-quality chips. You never know when the urge to whip up a batch of cookies will strike, and I don’t necessarily relish the tedious chore of chopping a bar of chocolate when I get the itch for cookies. Long live the chocolate chip!

Photo of Pan-banging molasses espresso cookies with chocolate from Bake from Scratch Magazine by Sarah Kieffer