At its core, chocolate for bonbons falls into three primary categories: dark, milk, and white. However, within each category lies a universe of variations, determined by cocoa bean origin and processing methods.
Dark Chocolate
With its higher cocoa solids content, it offers a big palette of flavours and is often the backbone of sophisticated bonbons. Its bitterness can range from gentle to robust, and is balanced by underlying fruity, nutty, earthy, or floral notes.
It’s a good idea to start your first few batches with an economical 40 to 50% dark chocolate. As you become more experienced, the risk of ruining your batch of chocolate will decrease, and you can tackle more expensive products.
- Single Origin Dark Chocolates: These are the superstars of the confectionery world, allowing the chocolatier to highlight the unique terroir of specific cocoa-growing regions.
Just like with coffee, whiskey or tobacco, the finest produce can be eye-watering expensive: one Kg of single origin Venezuelan or Ecuadorian chocolate (like the bag in the photo) retails for 50 USD or more -four times the cost of standard mass-produced dark chocolate.
- Madagascar (like Sambirano Valley): Renowned for its vibrant, bright, and often citrusy or red fruit notes (raspberry, cherry), sometimes with a hint of acidity.
A 65-75% Madagascar dark chocolate can complement fruit-based ganaches or caramels, adding a zesty counterpoint. Its lively character shines through in a simple, unadulterated bonbon. - Ecuador (Arriba Nacional variety): Celebrated for its complex floral notes (jasmine, orange blossom) and sometimes nutty or caramel undertones.
An Ecuadorian dark chocolate, typically in the 70-75% range, provides an elegant and aromatic shell that pairs wonderfully with nut pralines or delicate floral infusions like lavender or rose. - Venezuela (Chuao, Porcelana, or Carenero Superior): Considered by many to be the crème de la crème, Venezuelan cocoa offers an incredibly nuanced profile.
It is often harvested using traditional methods that have not changed much since colonial times. Hence, production yields are low and consequently, prices can be very high.
Depending on the provenance, Venezuelan chocolate’s flavours can range from deep, rich caramel and nutty (almond, hazelnut), to subtle red fruits, floral notes, and even a hint of tobacco or leather.
A 70-80% Venezuelan dark chocolate provides a luxurious base for almost any filling, especially those with roasted nuts or caramel. - Dominican Republic (Hispaniola variety): Known for its earthy, and sometimes slightly spicy or fruity notes, Dominican cocoa tends to be more robust, making a 68-75% chocolate excellent for bonbons with strong, bold fillings such as dark rum or chili-infused ganache.
- Peru: Peruvian cocoa offers a diverse produce often characterized by red fruit, earthy, and sometimes woody notes. A 65-72% Peruvian dark can provide a complexity that complements both fruity and more savory fillings.
- Vietnam (Trinitario varieties): Vietnamese chocolate frequently presents a unique profile with notes of spice, dried fruit, and often a subtle smoky character.
A 60-70% Vietnamese dark chocolate can add an exotic twist to bonbons, particularly those with Asian-inspired flavors or warm spices.
- Madagascar (like Sambirano Valley): Renowned for its vibrant, bright, and often citrusy or red fruit notes (raspberry, cherry), sometimes with a hint of acidity.
- Blended Dark Chocolate: While single origin is all about individuality and terroir, master blenders create chocolates designed for specific functionalities and consistent flavor profiles.
These blends combine beans from multiple regions to achieve a balanced and reliable base. A good quality blended dark chocolate (e.g., a 50 to 70% couverture from a good brand) offers excellent work characteristics, a consistent temper, and a crowd-pleasing flavor that serves as a versatile canvas for a wide array of bonbon fillings.
Blends of dark chocolate are also known in the trade as “couverture”. Do not confuse with “compound” (see below).
Dark chocolate blends are very useful in production environments where consistency of flavours is key, as single-origins can introduce subtle differences to the flavour profile. - Compound Dark Chocolate: these are low-cost alternatives based on cocoa solids, vegetable fats, artificial flavours and other additives. There are products with as low as 8% to 10% of cocoa mass, compared with 30% or more for a couverture dark chocolate.
In a broad sense, compound chocolate is not real chocolate and should not be used for chocolate-making.
The reason is that most of the cocoa butter has been substituted with coconut oil, palm oil, palm kernel oil, etc.: the crystalline structure of cocoa butter is missing altogether and tempering is not possible.
Milk Chocolate
With the addition of milk solids and sugar, it offers a creamier texture and a sweeter, more approachable flavor profile. While perceived as less complex than dark chocolate, high-quality milk chocolate can bring surprising depth and character to your bonbons.
- Higher Cocoa Milk Chocolates (40-50%): These bridge the gap between dark and traditional milk chocolate. They offer the creaminess and sweetness of milk chocolate but retain more of the cocoa bean’s inherent flavor. Look for notes of caramel, malt, and sometimes even subtle fruit.
These milk chocolates are excellent for bonbons where a less intense cocoa flavor is desired, but still with a noticeable chocolate presence, such as in praline bonbons or fillings with fruit purees. - Classic Milk Chocolates (30-38%): These are the comfort food of the chocolate world, offering a rich, creamy, and undeniably sweet experience. While some may find them too sweet for certain bonbons, they excel with fillings that benefit from their mellow sweetness, such as nutty ganaches, nougat, or creamy caramels.
Regions like Switzerland and Belgium are famed for their exceptionally smooth and creamy milk chocolates, often with pronounced dairy and caramel notes. - Compound Milk Chocolate: as explained before, these are low-cost substitutes with cheaper vegetable fats, and should not be used in your projects.
White Chocolate
Made from cocoa butter, sugar, and milk solids, it contains no cocoa mass. This means it lacks the characteristic chocolate flavors and dark color.
However, this absence makes it a remarkably versatile medium for bonbons, acting as a canvas for other flavors. White chocolate also works well as a “carrier” to add colour or flavour to bonbons.
- High-Quality White Chocolate (30-40% cocoa butter): The quality of white chocolate is directly related to its cocoa butter content. Higher cocoa butter content results in a smoother melt, richer mouthfeel, and a dense texture.
Flavor notes can range from creamy dairy and vanilla to subtle hints of honey or even toasted cereal.- Flavor Infusion: White chocolate is exceptional for infusing with other flavors – think matcha, passion fruit, lime, or various spices. Its neutral base allows these added flavors to shine without competition from cocoa notes.
- Coloring: Its pale color makes it ideal for vibrant external coloring or for creating striking visual contrasts within a bonbon.
- Balancing Flavors: White chocolate can also be used to temper the intensity of very acidic or bitter fillings, providing a creamy counterpoint.
- Compound White Chocolate: a low-cost product that substitutes cocoa butter with other cheaper vegetable fats. As white chocolate derives most of its flavour from the cocoa butter, these substitutes do not taste very well, and should be avoided.
Specialized Chocolates
These two types have been developed recently and they should not be used until you are experienced in working with chocolate, as they are much more expensive than chocolate blends.
The perfect bonbon is a testament to the relationship between the cocoa and the artisan’s vision.
- Ruby Chocolate: A relatively new arrival, ruby chocolate possesses a natural pink hue and a unique flavor profile often described as berry-like and slightly tart. It contains no added colors or fruit flavors. While its “berry” notes are distinct, some find them reminiscent of dried fruit.
It offers an intriguing visual and flavor dimension for contemporary bonbons, especially when paired with complementary fruit or floral notes. - Caramelized White Chocolate (Gold Chocolate): This innovation involves caramelizing the milk solids and sugar in white chocolate, resulting in a beautiful golden color and a rich, toasted caramel flavor.
It offers a warm, comforting, and sophisticated taste that pairs exceptionally well with nutty fillings, coffee, or even a touch of sea salt.
Choosing the Right Chocolate for Your Bonbon
Choosing the right chocolates
The selection of chocolate for your bonbons is a major decision, influencing not only the taste but also the texture and overall aesthetic or the final product.
Consider the following:
- Flavor harmony: Will the chocolate complement or contrast with your chosen filling? A bright, fruity dark chocolate might enhance a raspberry ganache, while a nutty dark chocolate could elevate a hazelnut praline.
- Viscosity and temper: Different chocolates have varying viscosities, which impact how they flow and coat. A chocolate with good fluidity is essential for thin, even shells and for achieving a consistent temper, leading to a satisfying snap. Reputable couverture brands provide viscosity/fluidity ratings in the packaging of their products.
- Mouthfeel: The amount of cocoa butter dictates the melt. Higher cocoa butter content generally leads to a smoother, faster melt and a more luxurious mouthfeel.
- Desired Sweetness: Balance the sweetness of your filling with the sweetness of your chocolate shell.
- Origin Story: With single-origin chocolates, you can tell a compelling story about your bonbons, highlighting the unique characteristics of specific cocoa regions and adding an extra layer of sophistication to your products.
Ultimately, the journey of crafting exceptional bonbons is one of continuous experimentation and sensory exploration. By understanding the vast landscape of chocolate types – from the bold, complex darks of Madagascar and Venezuela to the creamy taste of high-quality milk chocolates and the versatile canvas of white chocolate – you can unlock a world of flavor possibilities, transforming simple ingredients into edible works of art.