My husband and I were recently having dinner with my in-laws, when a very important discussion came up- chocolate ;).

I absolutely ADORE white chocolate. Those white chocolate Cadbury eggs? I can't have them in my house or I will eat the whole bag.... in like a day. I have no self-control when white chocolate is around. I do also love milk chocolate, and I will tolerate dark chocolate on occasion ;). But overall, if I'm really going to treat myself, I'm a white chocolate girl all the way!

My in-laws are the exact opposite. They don't even like white chocolate (WHAT??? ;) ). They think it's way too sweet. And while they don't mind milk chocolate, they love dark chocolate. Last Christmas they were given a bag of Lindt chocolates from a neighbor, and they took out all the white chocolate ones and ate the rest- though they lovingly thought of me before throwing the white chocolates away and instead put them in a baggie for me to take home to enjoy :).

I find it interesting how different people are with their chocolate tastes! My dad is like me and white chocolate is his weakness; he thinks dark chocolate is too bitter and gross. My sister on the other hand, can't get enough of dark chocolate and will easily pass up white chocolate any day.

So what makes the difference in these 2 chocolates? (Besides color, obviously ;) ). Some even question if white chocolate is actually chocolate- are they right?

Chocolate comes from the cocoa bean, which is broken down into chocolate liquor (which is basically when the cocoa bean is all ground up and liquefied). This is comprised of cocoa butter and cocoa powder or cocoa solids, which are the fat and nonfat parts of the bean once it's ground up. Dark chocolate is made when you add cocoa butter to sugar and cocoa powder.

White chocolate actually has no cocoa solids- it's made just from the cocoa butter (the fatty part), with milk and sugar added to it. Sometimes vanilla is added as well, since fat really doesn't have a flavor on its own!

When purchasing chocolate, you've probably noticed that many times there are percentages listed on the packaging, varying in many ways- 60%, 85%, 90% and so on. This is actually telling you how much of the product is composed of cocoa solids- so the higher the percentage, the more dark and bitter it is. Some people assume that the higher the percentage, the better quality the chocolate is- but that's not true! It really comes down to the brand and chocolate maker. Not all are created equal!

While we're comparing, we can't ignore the sad truth that dark chocolate is definitely better for you; white chocolate is much higher in fat and sugar content (which is why it's so delicious!). When dieting or trying to lose weight, opt for dark chocolate over white. While you definitely need to eat it in moderation, dark chocolate has actually been shown to have some health benefits besides being fewer calories- it can lower blood pressure, increase blood flow, and reduce inflammation. It's also been shown to stimulate the brain and improve heart health. So don't feel guilty when you enjoy a bite here and there!

So back to the original question- is white chocolate actually chocolate? I guess it depends on how you define chocolate! Does it need to come from the cocoa bean? In whatever form that takes? Or does it need to contain the actual cocoa powder, the solids? Depending on who you ask, you're going to get different answers! Some would say that because it does not have the typical 'chocolate' flavor (because it contains none of the cocoa solids), it's not actually chocolate. Others say that technically, it still is chocolate because it is derived from the cocoa bean- that's where all that creamy fat comes from.

My opinion? I'll take whatever I can get ;). If white chocolate is technically not a chocolate, that's just fine- I'll eat regular chocolate any day, very happily! And white chocolate can be my guilty, non-chocolate pleasure. And if white chocolate is a chocolate- it makes no difference, because I'll still eat whatever I can get ;).

I'm curious- where do our readers stand? Are you a fan of dark or white chocolate? Or do you prefer neither and stick with good ol' regular milk chocolate? Do you consider white chocolate to be actual chocolate? Share your thoughts with us below!