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
Thank you for the good idea of making chocolate chips, now I can make it myself. I am from Jakarta Indonesia, it is difficult to find half rounded chocolate chips here the only available is the rounded shape chocolate chips.
My pleasure Rya! I hope you enjoy the chocolate chips!
I was looking for a recipe to make chocolate chips, and I was delighted to find your blog in Google. Two ingredients only? I couldn’t believe it at first, but it seemed good. I have a question though, will it be the same if I used icing sugar instead of sweeteners?
Yes, icing sugar would work just fine Shanie! The nutrition information will be slightly different, but the taste and texture should be the same. I hope you enjoy the chocolate chips!
Funny how you start off this entry by stating travelling makes you crave chocolate chip cookies; I always crave Maltesers when travelling!
That’s too funny Jessica! Traveling seems to bring out the chocolate cravings, doesn’t it? 🙂
Oh my, oh my! I’ve been baking since high school and I never thought to make my own chocolate chips. I HAVE to give this a try! I just started experimenting with making homemade candy bars, so this recipe will come out so handy! 🙂
I had never thought to make my own chocolate chips before these either Gaby — you aren’t alone! It’s really fun to bake with them. I hope you enjoy them!
Super delicious! In Canada, we have trouble getting stevia-sweetened chocolate, even through Amazon (and it’s incredibly expensive). It only makes sense to make your own for much cheaper. I made this today and I have a tip for using Truvia – if you don’t want the granules to be so grainy in the chocolate, pop the Truvia in a blender or Magic Bullet to make powdered sugar. I barely notice any graininess in the chocolate as a result and it melts right in. Thanks for this awesome idea!
Thanks for the tip Anna — that’s so smart! I’m glad you enjoyed the chocolate chips!
It’s a great gift to hear about this. I use Stevia all the time and haven’t been happy with the too sweet choco chips I buy. Even if you get those that have 6g of sugar, they still taste too sweet to me. Plus who want calories and sugar? This is a great recipe and I’m so thankful!
I hope you enjoy the chocolate chips if you try them Alena!
Hello, have you tried these in baking yet?
Yes I have Carla! Here is the cookie recipe where I use them. They work great!
I can has dark chocolate! And Stevia! These go great in my daily formerly boring mixed nuts snack stuff. All very organic and healthy.
I’m glad you enjoyed the chocolate chips! 🙂
Is this possible with an oven instead of a microwave? I don’t have a microwave sadly.
Also, is it fine to not add any sweeteners if I like the taste of the chocolate already?
Yes, there’s no need to add sweeteners if you like the taste of 100% chocolate! If you don’t have a microwave, melt the chocolate on the stove instead. Add about ½ cup of water to a small saucepan, and find a bowl that fits comfortably in the saucepan without touching the water. Add the chocolate to the bowl, and bring the water to a boil while stirring the chocolate until it melts. This is called the “double boiler” method. 🙂 I hope you enjoy the chocolate chips Veerle!
Thank you 🙂
The funny thing is that my mom got a microwave this week after years. I’ll try both methods!
It was meant to be Veerle! 🙂 I hope both methods work for you!
Id really like to try these out but the truvia is fake sugar! However, i was wondering if there i any ingredient thats not fake sugar that could be used instead? I really love the concept but i cannot do fake sugar. ):
You’re welcome to substitute whatever sweetener you feel most comfortable with Aya. 🙂 I hope you enjoy the chocolate chips!