What is it?

Semisweet chocolate and bittersweet chocolate are both subcategories of sweet chocolate. While both must also contain a minimum of 35% chocolate liquor, semisweet chocolate will contain less sugar than sweet chocolate, and bittersweet even less.

Read theentry on semisweet chocolate chipsfor information specifically about semisweet chocolate chips.

Don’t have it?

Substitute bittersweet chocolate.

How to prep:

切巧克力的heavy chef’s knife and a stable wooden cutting board. Unless you’re melting chocolate along with a significant amount of water or another ingredient like butter or cream, just a few drops of water (like what might be in a wet bowl) can make the chocolate seize into an unworkable mass, so be sure that all the tools that come in contact with the chocolate are bone-dry before you start, and don’t cover the melting chocolate (condensation from the lid might drip into it).

How to store:

Store chocolate in a cool, dry place away from strong-smelling foods.

Recipes

• 
  Recipe

  Chocolate Cognac Truffles

  Truffles always feel like a special treat, but these are straight-up lavish. Cognac gives them intriguing notes of spice and wood, plus the spirit’s signature warming flavor.

• 
  Recipe

  Hazelnut S’more Toast

  I daresay that summer without a s’more is not summer at all. Even if you’re not the type who's into campfires and starlit cookouts, you can still reap the rewards…

• 
  Recipe

  Browned-Butter Banana Cake with Salted Dark Chocolate Ganache

  Toasty browned butter and salted dark chocolate icing transform a simple banana-nut cake into an unforgettable dessert. A few pinches of flaky sea salt on top are a clue to…

• 
  Recipe

  No-Bake Chocolate Mousse Pie

  This impressive and insanely delicious dessert requires only six ingredients, but that can be your little secret. Italian chocolate-filled sandwich cookies make a crust reminiscent of a Kit Kat bar;…

• 
  Recipe

  Salted Butter Caramel-Chocolate Mousse

  There’s not much one can say about this. One bite will leave you just as speechless.

• 
  Recipe

  Chocolate-Orange-Ricotta Trifles

  These individual layered desserts combine the flavors of tiramisu and cannoli: rich chocolate, sweet and creamy ricotta, tender coffee-soaked cake, pistachios, and candied orange peel. Leftover sponge cake can be…

• 
  Recipe

  Gluten-Free Chocolate Waffles

  Chocolate and sour cream make a great flavor combination for waffles. You can top these with fresh berries to serve for breakfast. Or top with whipped cream and strawberries for…

• 
  Recipe

  Chocolate Irish Whiskey Cake

  This recipe reimagines the classic whiskey-spiked Irish coffee as a decadent mocha layer cake filled with coffee-whiskey whipped cream and topped with white and dark chocolate shavings.

• 
  Recipe

  Matzo Candy with Caramel, Chocolate, and Halva

  I ate so much matzo when I lived on a kibbutz in Israel that I wasn’t sure I could ever eat it again—and to be honest, unless it’s loaded with…

• 
  Recipe

  Chocolate-Honey Ganache Layer Cake

  The combination of natural and Dutch-processed cocoa powder, coffee, and mild honey gives this cake an incredibly moist texture and an intense, complex, and very grown-up chocolate flavor. Making the…