What is dark milk chocolate and is it good for you?

Dark and Milk? Trust us, it really works…

Here at Hotel Chocolat, we believe that dark chocolate and milk chocolate are both spectacular and we’ve created a glorious combination of the two with our revolutionary Supermilk range. A creation which Willy Wonka himself would be proud of, this treat is sure to delight anyone who loves milk chocolate, dark chocolate, or both.

You’re probably wondering how exactly chocolate can be dark and milk. Read on to uncover the mystery of dark milk chocolate and the secret to how we make this irresistible treat…

How can chocolate be dark and milk?

Dark chocolate usually has a high cocoa percentage and no added milk to give it a decadently rich flavour. Milk chocolate, on the other hand, has a lower cocoa percentage but with the addition of milk to give it a satisfying creaminess.

We classify a chocolate as dark milk when it contains elements from both types of chocolate, like we’ve done in our Supermilk range. Taking our favourite parts from both chocolates – the cocoa-rich flavour of dark chocolate and the melt-in-the-mouth creaminess of milk chocolate -we combined them to create a game-changing treat that your taste buds will adore.

We know what you’re thinking; surely this is too good to be true? But it’s not! Our recipe blends 65% cocoa with a splash of milk and less sugar than a normal dark chocolate bar. This way, we’ve harnessed the power of dark chocolate and the luxury of milk chocolate, giving you truly the best of both worlds.

Is dark milk chocolate good for you?

Many people love dark chocolate for its health properties. Packed with antioxidants and nutrients, dark chocolate is the tastiest superfood going. It’s even been proven to help prevent heart disease, boost your mood, reduce the risk of diabetes, aid weight loss and more. Does dark milk capture all this health-boosting magic? Absolutely. This is the thing we love most about our Supermilk range – it contains all the health and wellbeing benefits of dark chocolate without sacrificing the decadence of milk chocolate.

Chocolate often gets bad press due to its high sugar content, which is a huge shame because cocoa itself can be really good for you. We believe in the great power of cocoa and think that the purity of cocoa beans shouldn’t be compromised, which is why all our chocolate proudly contains more cocoa and less sugar. However, we’re taking this to the next level with our Supermilk range, which boasts a revolutionarily-high cocoa content of 65% and a low sugar content of 25%. This makes sugar rushes and subsequent crashes a thing of the past – instead of being full of empty calories, it’s full of rich cocoa-y goodness.

You may notice that our Supermilk has a darker appearance than milk chocolate, making it look a lot more similar to dark chocolate. This is because high sugar content lightens cocoa, making some chocolate paler than it naturally should be. Our low sugar content allows the Supermilk to retain its stunning dark appearance, but don’t be fooled by looks. Once you take a bite, you’ll realise that it’s just as velvety as milk chocolate.

What’s the difference between dark and milk chocolate?

Anyone who loves chocolate will know that there’s quite a big difference between the taste of dark and milk chocolate. Dark chocolate is more intense, less sweet, and sometimes a little bitter, making it perfect for any chocolate purists. Milk chocolate, on the other hand, is creamier and more mellow. You usually only need a few bites of dark chocolate to satisfy your craving whereas polishing off a whole bar of milk chocolate is never an issue…

Dark Chocolate

You may be wondering why this is – what’s the technical difference? Well, dark chocolate doesn’t contain any milk solids. Its ingredients are simply cacao powder, cacao butter, and sugar. The higher the percentage of cacao in the dark chocolate, the smaller the amount of sugar and cacao butter, so the darker you go, the healthier it will be.

Unlike a lot of dark chocolate, ours is never bitter thanks to our careful chocolate-making process, during which we conch the mixture for the optimum time to give it a smooth and rounded flavour. If you’re a dark chocolate fan, you’ll love our delicious dark chocolate treats, so browse our collection of dark chocolate and find something perfect for dunking, dipping, or snacking.

Milk chocolate

Milk chocolate also contains cacao powder, cacao butter, and sugar. However, there’s an unsurprising extra ingredient which makes it creamy – milk. Also, its sugar content is usually higher than dark chocolate and its cacao content is usually lower, making it less intense and more mellow. This makes it sweeter than dark chocolate but means that it doesn’t contain as much of dark chocolate’s health benefits.

We make our milk chocolate with more cacao and less sugar, so unlike other milk chocolate you may have tried, our is never too sweet. Milk chocolate only requires a minimum of 10% cacao, but ours contains a huge 40-50% cacao, making it la crème de la crème of milk chocolate. If you want to try some for yourself, browse our moreish milk chocolate collection.

So both types of chocolate are great in their own way, and our Supermilk Chocolate captures all this greatness at once. Yep, that’s right. You can have your chocolate and eat it too.

Hotel Chocolat’s Supermilk range

By now you’re no doubt craving some dark milk chocolate (we know we certainly are). Luckily for you, we have lots of Supermilk treats to choose from, so you’re bound to find something to hit the sweet (but not too sweet) spot.

You could enjoy lots of mini Supermilk moments with our Supermilk Puddles, chocolate buttons made from pure Supermilk chocolate. You could savour the Supermilk goodness by enjoying a few every day, keeping a bag on your desk for any much-needed chocolate pick-me-ups throughout the afternoon, or even using them in baking. Chocolate cake or brownies made with creamy Supermilk? Our mouths are watering at the thought.

Batons of pure chocolatey joy, our Supermilk Chocolate Fingers are also a divine way to enjoy this chocolate. They’re perfect for melting. So, if you fancy a fondue night with a Supermilk twist, or want a richer hot chocolate, look no further. They’re also great for sharing, so if you want to spread some Supermilk love, these will make it easy. However, after trying one we doubt you’ll be too eager to pass them around…

If you want something with a little added crunch, go for our Supermilk Hazelnut Chocolate Slab. Creamy Supermilk Chocolate dappled with crunchy whole hazelnuts, it’s a dream come true for any fans of chocolate and nuts. Naturally sweet and mellow, hazelnuts are the perfect companions to our not-too-sweet Supermilk chocolate. The contrast between the creaminess of the chocolate and the crunch of the hazelnuts creates an unforgettably enjoyable experience.

Supermilk Hot Chocolate

We’ve even created a decadent Supermilk in stunning liquid form with our Orange Supermilk Hot Chocolate. We made this decadent concoction from grated flakes of our Supermilk chocolate infused with the citrusy deliciousness of blood orange. However you prepare it, this hot chocolate creates a tantalising treat that will warm up any cold day. For the creamiest results, use our hot chocolate maker, the Velvetiser, for a decadently smooth drink. 

Whoever you’re buying for, our Supermilk range is an excellent choice. It’ll be enjoyed by hard-to-please chocolate lovers or friends who are moving over to the dark side of chocolate. And, of course, it’s a perfect treat for yourself! Just be warned, once you’ve tried this revolutionary chocolate, no other confectionary will ever quite compare…