Have you ever wondered what those little chocolate discs are? They look like big, failed chocolate chips, but they aren’t. They are called callets (pronounced KAL-ets). They’re chocolate morsels designed specifically for melting rather than baking.
A callet looks like an oversized or mutant chocolate chip. It has a larger diameter and is shaped more like a button or wafer. Callets contain 5.6 grams of fat per 15-gram serving, while chocolate chips have just 4.5 grams of fat for the same size serving (if you recall our blog post about chocolate chips, you may remember that chocolate chips are specifically designed with higher cocoa solids so they don’t melt when baked). You may also recall that by adding chocolate with more fat to cookie dough that it makes the chocolate melt into the cookies, changing their texture. Chocolate chip cookies baked with callets will bake differently and spread more. A little less fat in the chocolate will help the chocolate chips maintain their shape and they will not melt as much, so the chocolate chip doesn’t impact the texture and structure of the cookie.
Chocolate callets origins
The creator of callets is a Belgian chocolate maker called Barry Callebaut (pronounced Kull-about), founded in 1911. They made their first products in the small Belgian town of Wiez. Today, Barry Callebaut is one of the biggest chocolate makers in the world and sells a variety of chocolate and chocolate-related products to chocolatiers, restaurants and bakeries.
In 1988, Barry Callebaut introduced the world’s first callets: flat drops of their couverture (pronounced koo-vehr-TYOOR) chocolate. Couverture chocolate is a chocolate that contains a higher percentage of cocoa butter than traditional baking or eating chocolate. These large chocolate drops allowed chefs to dose, melt and temper the chocolate more easily. If you have ever tried to melt chocolate, you know that starting with a giant block of chocolate can be a challenge. First, melting a large hunk is very slow and time-consuming. If you decide to chop your block of chocolate into smaller pieces, this can be both messy and dangerous. By creating smaller wafers of chocolate with greater surface area, callets improve the workability of the chocolate and support chefs in obtaining great results with their chocolate creations. Callets can be used to make molded or enrobed chocolates, or they can be melted and mixed with other ingredients to be baked into cakes and pastries.
Chocolate callets types
Barry Callebaut Couverture offers many different types of chocolate callets, but the most popular are:
Dark chocolate callets: Made from one of Barry Callebaut’s original recipes and has grown into one of their iconic recipe worldwide(use them tomake chocolate mousse and you won’t be disappointed). The recipe uses only its signature Wieze blend. They prefer the whole bean roasting to provide full-bodied taste, solid cocoa flavor, and fine, fruity notes. This chocolate is made to pair with a wide variety of ingredients and works in applications ranging from confectionery to biscuits, sauces and drinks.
Milk chocolate callets: Milk chocolate callets have a deep, smooth cocoa body with sweet, milk notes. They pair well with a wide range of spicy, fruity, dairy or liqueur-like flavors.
White chocolate callets: White chocolate callets, with their milky, creamy and vanilla notes, are well-suited for mixing and flavoring mousses, crèmes, and ganaches. They can be paired with a wide range of ingredients.
Gold chocolate callets: Gold Callets (similar to Valrhona’s blonde chocolate) are made with caramelized sugar and caramelized milk. They have a rich toffee flavor, buttery notes, creamy overtones and a touch of salt.
Ruby chocolate callets
Ruby callets are made from a specially processed cocoa bean.Ruby chocolate is Barry Callebaut’s latest chocolate creation, which offers a unique taste and color. With its bright, fruity flavor, ruby chocolate can be used for enrobing, molding and in confectionery, pastries and desserts.
Valrhona also makes its own type of chocolate drops called “feves” which means “beans”. These are available in dark, milk, white and blond couvertures. They feature a unique oval shape with an indented center. These chocolate feves come in several different chocolate varieties. Each one has a unique cocoa content level and is made from cocoa beans from different exotic origins.
We hope that you found this article helpful and that it will be a great starting point for you as you venture into the wonderful world of callets. Have fun creating recipes with your callets and don’t forget to tag us on social media when you do.
Callebaut is a Belgian coverture chocolate manufacturer owned by the Barry Callebaut group and based in Belgium. It was founded in 1911 by Octaaf Callebaut in Belgium. Coverture chocolate contains high amounts of cocoa butter and is often used by gourmet and culinary professionals.
introduced the world's first callets: flat drops of their couverture (pronounced koo-vehr-TYOOR) chocolate. Couverture chocolate is a chocolate that contains a higher percentage of cocoa butter than traditional baking or eating chocolate.
Types. Originally, chocolate chips were made of semi-sweet chocolate, but today there are many flavors. These include bittersweet, peanut butter, butterscotch, mint chocolate, white chocolate, dark chocolate, milk chocolate, and white and dark swirled chips.
Yes, you absolutely can eat cooking chocolate without cooking it. However, it's worth noting that it's typically less sweet and more intensely flavoured than regular chocolate bars, so the taste may not be what you're used to.
However, both chocolate brands still remain separate under the Barry Callebaut umbrella, with Callebaut as its premium couverture chocolate brand for Belgian Chocolate.
How many types of chocolate are there? Overall, there are 7 types of chocolate. There are 3 main types of chocolate, including white chocolate, milk chocolate, and dark chocolate, although there are other types of chocolate including bittersweet chocolate, chocolate liquor, cocoa powder, and ruby chocolate.
They are specifically made to keep their shape in the heat of the baking process. This is done by using waxes and other extra solidifying ingredients. Chocolate morsels, however, are more natural chocolate and will melt when baked.
Have you ever wondered what those little chocolate discs are? They look like big, failed chocolate chips, but they aren't. They are called callets (pronounced KAL-ets). They're chocolate morsels designed specifically for melting rather than baking.
Chocolate callets, which might also be referred to as chocolate drops or discs, are tiny morsels of pure chocolate that come in various sizes and, of course, flavours. They are typically used in professional baking and cooking due to their easy-to-melt nature and high-quality taste.
Description. Bedazzle with a Completely New Chocolate Taste & Color. Immerse yourself in its ruby color. Lose yourself in its intense fruitiness and fresh, sour notes. Born from the ruby cocoa bean, ruby RB1 chocolate does not contain any added colorants or fruit flavorings.
Chocolate callets are sold by the brand Callebaut and these also look like large, flattened chocolate chips, available in white, milk, dark, and flavoured chocolates. Chocolate fèves are a signature of the luxury chocolate brand Valrhona. The shape of the pieces of chocolate is meant to mimic the cocoa bean.
The Valrhona definitely wins in terms of convenience and percent cocoa, but the Callebaut wins in terms of flavor and texture (oddly enough). This is a richer tasting chocolate, which I think is due to it having more cocoa butter than the Valrhona.
Cocoa prices have more than tripled over the last year as disease and adverse weather in Ghana and neighbouring Ivory Coast, the world's top two producers, have hit production. CEO Peter Feld said Barry Callebaut was well covered with cocoa beans thanks to its competitive edge in sourcing.
Callebaut lost his company, Chocolaterie Bernard Callebaut, in 2010 after it hit financial trouble and went into receivership. It had 30 stores at the time. He opened a new company location, Papa Chocolat, in late 2011 but that too eventually ceased operations. And in 2015 he declared personal bankruptcy.
Criollo is a very rare and precious variety of cacao that was at risk of extinction for many years. It is the cacao of the Mayas and the Aztecs, the cultivation of which has been progressively abandoned owing to its low yield. It is a delicate cacao and makes up just 0.01% of global cacao production.
Just one in nine adults (11%) choose white chocolate as their favorite. Women and men are equally likely to enjoy milk chocolate (50% and 47% respectively) over dark (35% and 33% respectively) and white chocolate (11% each).
Dark chocolate contains at least 15% pure cocoa, but most at are least 50%. The amount of pure cocoa defines if it is dark, semi-sweet, or bittersweet. Dark is over 70%, bittersweet is 70% with a sugar content of 30%, semi-sweet is 60% cocoa and 40% sugar.
When you find a recipe that calls for melted chocolate chips, reach for Ghirardelli Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips. Our Test Kitchen team found that these chips melted down very easily and had a super creamy texture.
Pro tip: When subbing minis for standard size in a recipe, reduce the amount by about 1/3 since there will be less air in the measuring cup and therefore more actual chocolate by volume.
Milk chocolate is sweeter than semi, as the name might imply, and will likely appeal to people with more childlike wonder or more of a sweet tooth. These chips contain milk powder, so they have a lighter hue than semi-sweet, and typically contain a quarter cocoa content.
Introduction: My name is Errol Quitzon, I am a fair, cute, fancy, clean, attractive, sparkling, kind person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
We notice you're using an ad blocker
Without advertising income, we can't keep making this site awesome for you.
