White chocolate is like the middle child of the family. Dark chocolate is the mature, older one while milk chocolate is the young favorite. White chocolate is left forgotten and often questioned in the middle. It's easy to ask what is white chocolate when it tastes and looks nothing like its siblings. White chocolate might just be the new favorite once we all know what it even is. Here we go:  

What Is It

chocolate, cream, milk
Casey Irwin

You might want to be sitting down for this one: white chocolate is not actually chocolate. According to the The Huffington Post, it doesn't count as chocolate because it does not contain actual chocolate solids like cocoa powder. 

The only relatively chocolate part of white chocolate is the cocoa butter, which is essentially a flavorless element. The FDA only requires that 20% of white chocolate contains cocoa fat, aka cocoa butter.

It's hard to trace where white chocolate comes from, or who decided it should be called chocolate anyway. Amano Artisan Chocolate Makers, who also asked what is white chocolate, believe it came from someone who wanted to make use of excess cocoa butter. If anything, white chocolate is resourceful. 

What Makes it So Special

cheddar, butter, cheese, dairy, dairy product, milk
Casey Irwin

Go on that no-chocolate diet you've been considering and still indulge in the finer things in life, like white chocolate. It pairs well with all things sweet and salty, especially pretzels. Combine the best of the best by double dipping your strawberries in both your real chocolate of choice and white chocolate.

White chocolate had us fooled all these years because it has the same creaminess and consistency as chocolate. The lighter taste allows it to be a great ivory alternative to the stronger taste of real chocolates. Even people who are chocolate-intolerant may be able to indulge. 

How It is Made

cheese, milk, dairy product
Casey Irwin

White chocolate can be made two ways. The official way often contains a number of spices and flavorings, giving us the bars and chips sold at grocery stores, but you can also make it yourself at home. Huffington Post recommends this vegan recipe using only four ingredients.

Homemade or store-bought, white chocolate may be eternally stuck in an identity crisis that has left people scratching their heads until now. Instead of asking what is white chocolate, you can ask yourself what you want to put it on next.