MILK chocolate chips

[MandCmama]

Anyone have luck finding milk chocolate chips? I use Wegman's brand semi sweet, but haven't found safe milk chocolate chips locally.  I got excited to see Guitard (is that how its spelled?) Christmas candy at my local Wegman's, but no chips so far despite my asking every week  I may resort to just coarsely chopping a Hershey bar! (I know lots of you dislike the way Hershey tastes, but I was raised on it and have no clue what the "sour" taste some of you refer to is!)

[nameless]

weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeellllllllllllllll - a chopped up Hershey bar has different stabilizers than chips or baking bars do...so...it'll be a melty mess if you are baking with it.

I've only ever used Guittard milk chocolate chips. Do you have time to order online?

Do you have a Cost Plus World Market near you? If so, call first and see if they've gotten them in yet.  Try Target? I've been seeing Guittard (bagged chips) everywhere this year, like they are branching out.

Adrienne

[MandCmama]

If I were to order online, is there somewhere best to go? I'll check Target again, but I've had no luck in the past! Thanks for the warning about the stabilizers... I actually just tasted a cookie/toffee creation that is heavenly.  After it comes out of the oven, you dump chips on it and spread when melted.  It then goes in the fridge....setting may be an issue then?

[MandCmama]

Just found the Guittard thread and ordered- Thanks Becca!  Is a case of milk chocolate, 2 bags of white and 2 bags of butterscotch a little overboard? I'm so excited- I can make Rachel Ray's 5 minute fudge again!!!

[becca]

I think you will find the quality to be superior to many baking chocloate too. 

I love the butterscotch!  I can get white and semi sweet chips that are safe, but no butterscotch, so I just got 6 bags!

[Jessica]

Are the Hershey Milk Chocolate chips unsafe in your area? That's all we use here. If I could find Guittard within an hour's drive I'd buy them. I don't want to order them-the last time I ordered chocolate chips I over-ordered because I wanted it to be worth the shipping cost and they all turned gross before we got them all used.

[hezzier]

I'm so excited- I can make Rachel Ray's 5 minute fudge again!!!

So I just looked up this recipe...obviously you aren't putting nuts in it, but do you mix in anything or just keep it plain?
Fudge isn't something I usually make.

[MandCmama]

I used to make as is, but lately I just do it plain for us. If I make it as a gift I do the candied cherries. I had never made fudge before, but I saw her make it on Oprah and knew even I could handle it! It's very good, but cut it small- its VERY rich and sweet!

[Jessica]

What brand of cherries do you use?

[MandCmama]

I don't know of any candied cherries that are safe ( that's why I only put them on gifts). I'm going to check Wegmans though, because their maraschino cherries are safe. ... Maybe they'll have candied too!

[PurpleCat]

If I were to order online, is there somewhere best to go? I'll check Target again, but I've had no luck in the past! Thanks for the warning about the stabilizers... I actually just tasted a cookie/toffee creation that is heavenly.  After it comes out of the oven, you dump chips on it and spread when melted.  It then goes in the fridge....setting may be an issue then?

I order them from Vermont Nut Free - they have milk, semi-sweet, butterscotch, and white.

[candyguru]

(I know lots of you dislike the way Hershey tastes, but I was raised on it and have no clue what the "sour" taste some of you refer to is!)

Hersheys chocolate is manufactured using a different manufacturing process than European and Canadian chocolate, giving it a unique sour taste. 

From wikipedia:

Hershey process milk chocolate is cheaper to make than other types of chocolate as it is less sensitive to the freshness of the milk. The process is a trade secret, but experts speculate that the milk is partially lipolyzed, producing butyric acid, which stabilizes the milk from further fermentation. This compound gives the product a particular sour, "tangy" taste, to which the US public has become accustomed, to the point that other manufacturers often add butyric acid to their milk chocolates

[Jessica]

Sour is not a word I'd use to describe hershey chocolate. Maybe like the article says, I'm used to the taste and don't notice. But I don't like sour foods at all (I'll eat lemon pie, cookies, etc as long as they're plenty sweet) and I have had dove and other brands of chocolate and notice no difference in sweetness compared to hersheys.

[Princess Cheese]

Does anyone use the Enjoy Life semi-sweet chocolate chips???

[YouKnowWho]

Does anyone use the Enjoy Life semi-sweet chocolate chips???

I have in the past but I seem to remember sunflower being an issue with them.  They are more of a semi-sweet taste.