Chocolate is well-loved around the globe. It’s one of the most craved foods by both men and women. People love to eat it and feel more loving when they eat it, so it’s this gigantic positive circle of eating.

Some people might actually love it so much they want to marry it. No really, I’m serious.

chocolate

Photo courtesy of Yahoo Answers

But you don’t have to be on an illicit substance to fall in love with chocolate. There are so many different types and different ways to use chocolate, especially in the world of baking (like the Betty Crocker kind of baking). Here’s a simple breakdown to help you fall even more in love.

KINDS

Milk chocolate/sweet chocolate: the sweetest type of chocolate (thanks to the milk), can always be eaten on its own
Try this: Nutella Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies

Dark: less sugar than milk chocolate and little to no milk added, examples include semisweet and bittersweet chocolate
Try this: Dark Chocolate Avocado Truffles

chocolate

Photo by Jocelyn Hsu

Semisweet: half as sweet as milk chocolate because of the smaller sugar content, tastes better baked than eaten straight out of the bag or wrapper (but it can still be done)
Try this: Flourless Chocolate Cake

Bittersweet: less sugar and more unsweetened chocolate liquor than semisweet but still interchangeable for baking with its sweeter cousin, doesn’t taste very good before it’s baked
Try this: Double Chocolate Mint Cookies

White: sugar, milk and cocoa butter with no cocoa solids added
Try this: Patriotic Strawberries

chocolate

Photo by Jocelyn Hsu

FORMS

Chocolate chips: small pieces of chocolate that melt easily
Try these: Chocolate Chip CookiesNo Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars

chocolate

Photo by Jocelyn Hsu

Cocoa powder: light powder that mixes easily into liquids or solids
Try these: Hot CocoaMug Cake

chocolate

Photo by Jocelyn Hsu

Baking bar: a large piece of chocolate that can be broken into pieces, often strong and takes longer to melt
Try this: Lava Cakes

chocolate

Photo by Jocelyn Hsu

BRANDS

Nestlé Toll House
Price:
you can collect coins from between the couch cushions

Hershey’s
Price: some pocket change will work just fine

Godiva
Price:
go without washing your laundry for a few weeks to save up

chocolate

Photo by Jocelyn Hsu

Ghirardelli
Price:
 skip a couple meals this month

Valrhona Manjari
Price:
 maybe you can ask for this self-proclaimed “luxury chocolate” for a graduation present from a rich relative