The Best Store-Bought Chocolate Chips, According To A Food Editor
My three favorite chocolate chips and the best ways to use them (if you're not eating them out of the bag).
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Some people can’t be trusted around a bag of chips. It’s not potato or tortilla chips that turn me into a ravenous fiend. It’s the chocolate kind. Regular old chocolate chips.
Yes, I love them in cookies, but more often than not, I eat chocolate chips straight out of the bag by the handful…and handful. Sometimes, I pour them in a small bowl or a measuring cup when I am feeling less feral. No matter the delivery system, it’s hard to stop eating them once I get started. Their teardrop shape and firm, yet melt-in-your-mouth texture make them more fun to eat than a regular piece of chocolate, or even a candy bar. I’ve even turned down fancy truffles for my beloved chips.
Being a chocolate chip obsessive, I’ve tried just about every brand in the baking aisle. While my preferences shift from time to time, these are the three brands I prefer. All of these chocolate chips are fantastic eaten out of the bag, but I realize that some people might want to actually make something with them, so I included a few uses and recipes as well.
Related: Our 25 Best Recipes You Can Make With A Bag Of Chocolate Chips
Best For Cookies
Amazon
Guittard Milk Chocolate Chips
When I am feeling splurgy, I love using Guittard Milk Chocolate Baking Chips. They are larger than your typical chocolate chip—more like a mini chocolate kiss. They are intensely creamy, a little tangier than your average brand of milk chocolate, and hold their shape when baked. (But let’s be honest, they are really not going in the oven.) If you are a fan of semisweet chocolate, try their Super Cookie Chips, which are huge and flat, and create lovely pools of melted chocolate throughout cookies.
Recipe: All-Time Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookies
Recipe: Cowboy Cookies
Best For Ganache
Amazon
Ghirardelli Melting Wafers
When melting chocolate, most recipes call for a double boiler, which can be a bit labor intensive. Especially for someone who would rather just eat the chocolate anyway. But former Test Kitchen Professional Pam Lolley preferred using Ghirardelli Melting Wafers, which melt into a glossy, smooth consistency right in the microwave. I prefer the dark chocolate over the milk or white.
Recipe: Chocolate Ganache
Recipe: Devil's Food Cake With Salted Peanut Butter Frosting And Ganache
Best For Snacking
Amazon
Hershey’s Chocolate Chips
I bought Hershey’s Chocolate Chips on the recommendation of Ina Garten, who calls for them in her wonderful skillet brownie recipe. I was a bit skeptical, but when Ina specifies a brand name product, you know it’s got to be good. And, boy, they were good. The brownies are so rich and chocolatey that the chips were a bit of an afterthought, but then I started eating the chocolate on its own and became quite hooked. They’re not like eating Hershey’s kisses, or even Hershey’s Special Dark—they are almost like a combination of the two. And they are now my go-to snacking chip.
Recipe: Chocolate Zucchini Bread
Recipe: Easy Chocolate Cake
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