Blonde chocolate has yet to reach the popularity of milk chocolate, dark chocolate, and white chocolate, but it’s already recognized as one of the most ingenious variations of white chocolate ever created. In 2004, French pastry chef Frederic Bau was busy showing off his skills during an exhibition in Japan, when he got so carried away that he left his white chocolate melting in a bain-marie (hot water bath) for four days. When he finally got back to it, the chocolate had become a pale brown and had a very distinct smell and flavor. Apart from its caramel-like color, this new confection h ad the milky smoothness of white chocolate, but also butterscotch, toffee, and shortbread notes. Bau quickly recognized the potential of his discovery and blonde chocolate was born. Since 2012, blonde chocolate has been sold by French chocolatier Virhona under the name Dulcey, but it’s still not a mainstream dessert. That’s partly because French lawmakers refuse to recognize the sweet treat as a fourth type of chocolate, instead deeming it a variation of white chocolate.
