Chocolate chips

Chocolate chips are small chunks of chocolate that are used as an ingredient in a variety of desserts such as chocolate chip cookies, muffins, pancakes, and many others. They are often sold in a round, flat-bottomed teardrop shape. They are available in various sizes, from large to mini, and in different types of chocolate, such as milk chocolate, dark chocolate, and white chocolate.

History

Chocolate chips were invented by Ruth Graves Wakefield in 1937. She was the owner of the Toll House Inn in Whitman, Massachusetts, a very popular restaurant that featured home cooking in the 1930s. The story goes that Wakefield was making chocolate cookies and ran out of regular baker's chocolate, so she substituted it with chopped up semi-sweet chocolate thinking that it would melt and mix into the batter. It did not, and the chocolate chips were born.

Production

The production of chocolate chips involves a process called tempering, where the chocolate is heated and then cooled to a certain temperature to improve its consistency and quality. The tempered chocolate is then poured into chip molds to create the chip shape. Once the chocolate has cooled and hardened, the chips are removed from the molds and packaged for sale.

Uses

Chocolate chips are used in a variety of recipes. They are most commonly found in chocolate chip cookies, but are also used in a variety of other desserts such as muffins, pancakes, brownies, and ice cream. They can also be melted and used in sauces or drizzles for desserts.

Health and nutrition

Chocolate chips, especially dark chocolate chips, contain flavonoids, which are a type of antioxidant. Antioxidants protect the body from aging caused by free radicals, which can also cause damage that leads to heart disease. Dark chocolate chips contain a large number of antioxidants, nearly 8 times the number found in strawberries.