Coo Coo for Cocoa - Chocolate Chips

Chocolate Chips

Chocolate chips have come along way since Ruth Wakefield "invented" them in 1930. Chocolate chips are unique because they hold their shape well when they are baked or melted. This is because they don't have as much cocoa butter as chocolate in bars. This also makes it easier for chocolate chip producers to make them, too, because they come out of the little nozzles and onto the belt easier, forming them into the shape we all know and love.

Varieties of Chocolate Chips

Obviously, the main use for chocolate chips is chocolate chip cookies. But you can melt them and make fondue, use them in muffins or even mix chocolate chip cookie dough in with vanilla ice cream to make chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream. You can also use chocolate chips as a garnish. But many chocolate makers are making chocolate chips in different flavors. The classic is made with semi-sweet chocolate, but chips also come in white chocolate, milk chocolate and dark chocolate. Here are other varieties:

Ghirardelli makes a Double Chocolate Chip
Nestle makes the classics, plus Peanut Butter & Milk Chocolate Chips, Mini Morsels, Butterscotch, Semi-Sweet & White Chocolate Morsels and Semi-Sweet and Caramel Morsels
Hershey makes the classics too, but they've also thrown in English Milk Chocolate Toffee Bits, Minichips, Mint Chocolate Chips, Raspberry Chips, Reese's Peanut Butter Chips, Reese's Peanut Butter & Milk Chocolate Chips, Mini Kisses Milk Chocolates, Unwrapped Hershey's Kisses Milk Chocolates and Heath Bits O Brickle Toffee Bits

Of course, each package of any of these chips comes with recipes. Of course, if you have a baker in your life and you're at a loss as to what to give that person for a gift, check out www.chocolate.com where they have a one-pound box of See's chocolate chips. Who knows--maybe that person will bake something to share with you!