Bakers (and cookie-loving kids) know that chocolate chips are one of the all-time great pantry staples. But over the years, that one-size-fits-all product has expanded into an entire baking category that includes a variety of shapes and sizes. Some recipes will specify which chocolate chip to use, but if you don’t have that guidance built in, how do you know which is really best for your bakes? Here are the five most common chocolate chip styles and when to use them.
Standard Chocolate Chips
These original chocolate chips have been the baker’s ideal for decades, and with good reason. Standard-sized chips are small enough to melt quickly and evenly to provide just enough punch in an everyday chocolate chip cookie—they also are just the right bite size for snack mixes. If your recipe predates the current century (or a newer recipe doesn’t specify size), go with standard. Muffins and chocolate chip pancakes are best made with these chips; if you are baking anything in bulk, such as for a bake sale or office holiday cookie swap, these will be your most affordable option.
Mini Chocolate Chips
These tiny morsels were second on the chocolate chip scene and are a godsend for any baked good that’s miniature in size. These are the ones to use when your dough needs to be sliced, as with a biscotti or slice-and-bake cookie; or in a rolled pastry, like a rugelach or breakfast pastry. The reason? Larger chips don’t slice well: They get caught on your knife, dragging through your dough or ripping your pastry. Mini chips also work well as garnish, sprinkled on top of cupcakes or pressed into the sides of a frosted cake. If your recipe calls for chocolate chips to be sprinkled on top of a warm bake to melt in the residual heat and get spread in a thin layer, minis are great since they will melt faster and more evenly.
Pro tip: When subbing minis for standard size in a recipe, reduce the amount by about 1/3 since there will be less air in the measuring cup and therefore more actual chocolate by volume.
Jumbo Chocolate Chips
Large chips, often two or even three times the size of a standard chip, provide a terrific chocolate punch in recipes. Using these in blondies, brownies, or other bar cookies adds more texture and flavor than standard chips. When it comes to cookies, jumbo chips work best in chunkier recipes, especially those with hearty ingredients like shredded coconut or rolled oats. They also work well in thumbprint cookies, where a single chip can substitute for a kiss-style candy.
Chocolate Chunks
These small, thick rectangles are for when you want some seriously intense chocolate in your bake. Those trendy, inch-thick blob-style cookies that are all the rage right now? They’re the perfect place for a chunk-style chip. If you are a bread baker, use chunks to create amazing chocolate breads, like chocolate sourdough, where the chunks create pockets of chocolate that are an incredible counterpoint to the tart dough. If you make homemade chocolate croissants and cannot source the batons of chocolate that are traditional, a line of chunks will give you the same ratio. They are also perfect for homemade ice cream, where they add a snappy crunch and powerful chocolate flavor.
Chocolate Discs
These wide, thin rounds of chocolate are the newest size and shape to hit the grocery store, and if you find them, stock up. We love the way they perform in bakes, creating interesting delicate layers of chocolate throughout cookies and bars. The discs can be used anywhere a standard size chip would go (the amount of chocolate per piece is roughly the same). Just sub 1:1 in any recipe that calls for standard chips.
