Semisweet, Bittersweet, or Dark Chocolate

Chocolate with a cacao percentage between 60 and 63 percent is what I use most often in my recipes. I refer to all chocolate other than unsweetened, milk chocolate, or white chocolate as dark chocolate and specify the percentage of cacao recommended. Although U.S. government standards require a minimum of 35 percent cacao (a total of 27 percent cocoa butter) for dark chocolate, most high-quality dark chocolate contains more than 50 percent cacao. If the percentage of cacao is not indicated on the wrapper of a dark chocolate, it is most likely around 53 percent.