Did you know that 75% of Americans drink coffee every day? While making your favorite coffee, you may have heard about the newest trend snack, java chips. Java chips are a perfect snack to have with – or in – your coffee.
But what are java chips, and what makes them unique? If you’re curious about java chips, we’re happy to help. Read on to learn more about java chips and how to use them.
What Are Java Chips?
Java chips are a small, semi-sweet chocolate-covered snack that has become popular lately. They’re cookie crumbs designed to break down quickly when blended for easy incorporation into a drink. This is one of the main reasons they’re often associated with coffee drinks or smoothies.
Another feature of java chips is that they’re small enough to pass through the average straw. Blended or tossed in, they’re perfect in a chilly drink. These chocolatey cookie chips are an ideal semi-sweet addition to an already-sweet drink, especially for lovers of chocolate.
Are Java Chips The Same As Chocolate Chips?
If they’re covered in chocolate, why are they called something besides “chocolate chips”? There’s a good reason for the confusion!
Chocolate chips are made purely of chocolate. Java chips, however, are semi-sweet chocolate layered onto a small amount of cookie dough. This is the primary difference between chocolate chips and java chips.
What Do Java Chips Taste Like?
There are different ways of preparing java chips, which can radically change the taste. The dominant flavor is the semi-sweet chocolate surrounding the cookie dough. You’ll taste this more than the cookie dough, which provides a chewy texture in some cases and a crunch in others.
Generally, java chips have a strong flavor to them. While some will enjoy sitting and eating them by the handful like a candied snack, others may find them too strong for this. The chocolate is akin to eating baking chocolates, which are often less sweet.
What Are Java Chips Used For?
Java chips have multiple uses. Here are the three main uses for java chips besides eating them out of the bag.
Baking
Like most chocolate chips, java chips are ideal for baking. The semi-sweet chocolate mixes well into pastries and pies without losing much of their texture. Java chips’ texture adds a crunch to dessert, making them a versatile baking alternative to chocolate chips.
You can also use them for topping cakes or dessert pies. A chocolate pie topped with java chips is a perfectly decadent dessert, especially paired with warm coffee.
Blending
Another excellent use for java chips is blending. You can blend java chips into cake batter, icing, or other dessert options.
Some also blend them into the icing, which can help impart more flavor. This trick is an excellent choice, though you’ll lose the texture that topping a dessert with them can bring.
However, many choose to put them as a sweetener for smoothies. The cookie crisp beneath the chocolate adds a faintly crunchy texture. Meanwhile, the semi-sweet chocolate adds a chocolatey note to the flavor without over-sweetening the drink.
Play around with the ratios and see what works best for you! Java chips are a perfect addition, but too many can leave you wondering why you didn’t just eat the chips.
In Cold Desserts
The third most common use is in cold desserts. We’ve already discussed topping a dessert pie, but what about beverages?
Due to their popularization in the coffee community by brands like Starbucks, blending java chips into cold dessert drinks is their most common use. Frappuccinos are the bulk of what people use java chips for, as they fit perfectly.
You can find plenty of other cold desserts that java chips match perfectly! Don’t hesitate to experiment and see what desserts come out the best.
Are There Any Jaava Chip Substitutes?
Depending on what you’re using java chips for, there are several substitutions. If you want the chocolatey flavor, classic chocolate chips are ideal.
Chocolate chips are pure chocolate with nothing else. This differs from java chips, which are chocolate around a cookie crisp. Find chocolate chips that are semi-sweet for a similar flavor profile.
You also may prefer coffee beans, especially if the dish you’re making is blended or ground up. However, decorating something with coffee beans may provide too strong of a flavor when the bean is bitten.
Cocoa powder can provide a similar flavor but will lack a similar texture. Coffee or chocolate syrups will give similar results as well. These two options are ideal in blended recipes or with a dessert or cake.
Cookie dough or cookie crumble is another great alternative to java chips. The cookie crumble offers the same crunchy texture as java chips. It combines well in drinks giving them the flavor of java chips.
Why Aren’t Java Chips Called Chocolate Chips?
Java chips aren’t called chocolate chips because they don’t have enough chocolate to qualify legally. Generally speaking, their cacao content falls below the FDA’s legal minimum requirement.
For sweet chocolate, such as semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolates, chocolate must have no less than 15% cacao content. Java chips are generally around 12% cacao.
There are exceptions! You can find many java chip brands that up the cacao content and could legally qualify as chocolate chips. However, most go into java chips with the intention of marketing as java chips, so they keep the label.
In short, java chips are not the same as chocolate chips in several ways. They’re used for different reasons and flavors but have many similar applications.
How To Make A Java Chip Frappuccino
Now that we know more about java chips, how can we make the perfect frappuccino? Here’s one of the most popular recipes – similar to Starbucks’ recipe, which helped popularize the beverage. Feel free to tweak this recipe to your preferences!
To start, you’ll need a blender. To the blender, add the following:
- ½ cup espresso (strongly-brewed coffee is fine, too!)
- ½ cup milk
- Two tablespoons of chocolate syrup
- Two tablespoons of java chips (chocolate chips are fine, too.)
- Ice to your liking
Blend the ingredients until they’re smooth, which will take about 30 seconds. The drink is essentially done at this point, but you still have plenty of toppings!
Most people top their java chip frappuccino with whipped cream and more java chips. This help adds a richer, creamier flavor.
You could also pour some whole java chips into the mixture after blending. Just make sure your straw is thick enough to suck them up without clogging.
Another optional addition to your frappuccino is a vanilla or chocolate ice cream scoop. Chocolate ice cream can help kick the coco up to another level. Vanilla ice cream provides a sweet layer of flavor that can help set the drink off.
Tweak the recipe to your preferences so that you have the perfect beverage. Just remember to drink your frappuccino fast, as the ice will begin to melt the moment you’re done blending.
Are Java Chips Vegan Or Gluten Free?
Generally speaking, no, java chips are not vegan. Milk is the main ingredient that makes them non-vegan, so you may be able to find other brands that make vegan java chips.
As far as gluten-free goes, no, most java chips are not gluten-free. The cookie pastry beneath the chocolate generally contains wheat, which will activate a gluten allergy. Again, you may find some brands that make gluten-free java chips, but the average java chip will not be gluten-free.
While some stores may have a gluten-free option, it’s highly uncommon, as most java chip brands do not make them gluten-free.
It’s easier for chocolate chips to be vegan, and chocolate is gluten-free unless a brand has added something with gluten into the mix (which is uncommon but always worth checking!)
Do Java Chips Have Coffee In Them?
While the name makes them sound like “coffee chips,” java chips don’t have any coffee in them. They are called java chips due to how well they pair with coffee.
Java chips do not have any coffee or coffee flavoring in them. They’re a small amount of cookie pastry covered in semi-sweet chocolate.
Of course, that isn’t to say that no brands make java chips with coffee in them. If you’re making your own, you may also mix some coffee into the chocolate or cookie batter to help accent the chocolate flavor! While java chips don’t have coffee in them by default, you may find brands that add the ingredient.
Making The Perfect Snack
Java chips are a small cookie pastry covered in semi-sweet chocolate. These chips are ideal for topping pastries, making cold desserts, or blending into a frappuccino on a warm day. They’re a non-vegan, non-gluten-free item that can sometimes fit those diets if you find the right brand or product.
For more information on the ingredients that make the tastiest snacks, be sure to browse our extensive site!