Last May when I flew to Miami for the BlogHer Food conference, I started craving chocolate chip cookies. Something about traveling triggers that craving (don’t ask me why!), so during my layover in Houston, I wandered around the terminal looking for a bakery or sandwich shop that offered treats.
I stumbled upon a stall not too far from my departure gate and walked up to the counter to ask the server whether any of their jumbo chocolate chip cookies were soft and chewy. In my world, that’s exactly how they should be—not crisp, crunchy, or stale!
Because the individual cookies were firmly wrapped in plastic, she kindly prodded each one for me before handing over the one that felt the softest. After giving her my money, I happily strolled down the walkway back to the gate to slowly enjoy my treat while waiting for the plane to arrive.
While I nibbled, I wondered about how chocolate chips were made. There were hundreds (okay, not really, but it looked like it!) of miniature ones studded throughout the cookie, but I completely forgot about that thought until my friend Lee posted her recipe for DIY vegan chocolate chips a few weeks ago. That inspired me to try making my own, so today I’m share how to make Homemade Dark Chocolate Chips!
I wanted to come up with a really easy recipe, so I narrowed this down to just 2 ingredients: unsweetened chocolate and sweetener. In order to make these healthier than store-bought, it’s really important to start with 100% unsweetened baking chocolate. The only ingredient on the label should be “chocolate.” Both Baker’s and Ghirardelli sell 4-ounce bars, and I love and use both of them.
For the sweetener, I chose Truvia. It’s my favorite sugar-free sweetener and one I always stock in my pantry. However, its crystalline form doesn’t quite dissolve, so these chocolate chips are slightly more grainy that store-bought. If you prefer a smoother chocolate, try powdered Stevia or agave instead.
So all you need to do is melt the chocolate, stir in the sweetener, and pipe little dots using a zip-topped bag with the corner snipped off. You want the chocolate to still be warm when you start piping. As it cools, the ensuing chocolate chips will began to have what looks like a light brown coating dusted on them. That’s okay! Those chips will still taste the same; they just look a little different.
When you first start piping, the chocolate chips won’t hold their tips. They’ll look more like dots or round blobs. Once you’ve piped about half of the chocolate, take a toothpick (or just use the tip of your finger!) and lightly touched the center of the dot; then lift up. This reforms the iconic tip, but it’s totally optional. If you don’t care how they look, then leave them as dots!
Of course, I had to test out how these Homemade Dark Chocolate Chips actually worked in cookies… Which was incredibly hard because I just wanted to eat them all. But I managed to save enough, so stayed tuned!
| Homemade Two-Ingredient Chocolate Chips | | Print |
- 1 oz unsweetened chocolate, chopped
- 1 tsp (5g) Truvia
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Add the chocolate to a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on HIGH for 20 seconds. Stir for at least 2 minutes. If the chocolate is still not completely melted, microwave on HIGH for 5 seconds; then stir for another 2 minutes. Continue until the chocolate is completely melted. Stir in the Truvia.
- Microwave the chocolate mixture on HIGH for 6 seconds. Spoon it into a small zip-topped bag. Snip off one corner, and pipe dots onto the prepared parchment paper. After piping about half of the chocolate mixture, gently touch a toothpick (or your clean, dry fingertip) into the center of each dot, and lift it up to create the iconic point. Continue with the remaining chocolate. Let the chocolate chips harden completely before transferring them to an airtight container.
For the unsweetened baking chocolate, I recommend Ghirardelli or Baker’s bars.
If the chocolate hardens in the zip-topped bag before your finish, let it completely cool. Peel open the bag, and roughly chop the cooled chocolate to make chocolate “chunks.”
Powdered Stevia may be substituted in place of the Truvia for a smoother, less grainy texture. Agave may work as well, although I haven’t tested it myself.
{gluten-free, vegan, clean eating, sugar-free}
More chocolate chip recipes from other food bloggers…
♥ DIY Vegan Chocolate Chips by Fit Foodie Finds
♥ Homemade Chocolate Chips by Whole New Mom
♥ Homemade Chocolate Chips by All Day I Dream About Food
Amy, I LOVE these….you are a genius! When I saw your post on Instagram, I had to come over to check out these awesome chocolate chips! 🙂 🙂
Thank you so much Jenn!! You’re so sweet! 🙂
How long does it take for the chocolate chips to harden completely?
Not very long Hanna! They should be hard within 30-45 minutes, if not less. I hope you enjoy the chocolate chips!
What a great idea! This looks really simple to do, too. What other sweetener do you think could be used as an alternative to Truvia?
Thanks Patty! In the Notes section beneath the recipe, I suggested powdered Stevia. However, just about any sweetener that dissolves well would work (Splenda, liquid Stevia, etc.). Taste as you go and continue adding until it reaches your desired level of sweetness. I hope you enjoy them!
Awesome, thank you! I’ll check the notes. Missed that somehowl
No need to apologize Patty; they’re easy to miss! 🙂
Oh my gosh, I can’t believe these are homemade, how clever of you to pipe them into real little chocolate chips! And perfect for January when so many people are trying to eat healthy!
Thank you so much Mary! I was really happy when they actually turned out looking like chocolate chips. Nothing beats homemade! 😉
I never would have thought to make my own chocolate chips before! What an awesome idea.. and they are so healthy too.
Thanks Thalia! It was definitely a rewarding experience. 🙂
What a great idea!! Your chips came out so perfectly, they look wonderful 🙂 Even better that they are low-sugar!
Thank you June; you’re so sweet to say so! 🙂
What a fun idea! I’m totally trying this. They are too cute. I’m ashamed to admit, but I will be using good old sugar for my tester. That’s what running is for, right? Hahaha!
Thanks Brielle! And yes, that’s totally what running is for. My legs were just ready to fall off after all of the miles I had logged this week before making these chocolate chips! 😉
Wow, these look perfect and just like store-bought ones. I saw Lee’s post already and never imagined you could cut down the ingredients even further.
The only issue keeping me from giving homemade chips a try is the fact we can’t find unsweetened chocolate over here.
Thank you so much! Lee is a wonderful blogger and always inspiring. 🙂 It’s fairly easy to find unsweetened chocolate online at places like Amazon, if you’d really like to make your own. I included a few links in the Notes section beneath the recipe to Amazon, if that helps!
Thanks for the heads-up on the links . Unfortunately, it doesn’t help as I’m from Germany where we can’t get unsweetened chocolate.
I think you can order from Amazon regardless of the country you’re in; I’m sorry if I wasn’t more clear about where the links were from!
What a great idea! I have never made my own chocolate chip cookies before but this seems super easy and doable! YUM! Ghirardelli baking bars are my favorite- they make the best chocolate!
Thanks Alex! 🙂 I’ve been obsessed with Ghirardelli ever since I visited Ghirardelli Square growing up. SO good!
Genius!! I’ve never tried making my own chocolate chips, but you’ve made it sound so easy. And bonus: you’ve even detailed how to make them look like “real” chocolate chips. Thanks for sharing, love this!
Thank you so much Mischa! 🙂
Wow this is definitely for the person who has too much time on their hands! Why on earth wouldn’t you just *buy* quality dark chocolate chips?? The Ghiradelli 60% cacao ones are fabulous! Lol…smh…
You’re joking right? There are many reasons why people would want to make their own, mostly that to get sugar-free chocolate chips it’s at least is $10 for a small package.