Working on a recipe that calls for semi-sweet baking chocolate? If you don’t have any, or aren’t able to eat chocolate, use one of these substitutes instead.

Semi-Sweet Baking Chocolate Substitutes

Semi-sweet baking chocolate is well-suited to just about any baking application. Chop it up, and use it in cookies. Melt it down and add it to a pie, or use it to make candy. It contains lots of cocoa butter, so it melts easily and smoothly.

One bar of semi-sweet baking chocolate contains four ounces. Since your recipe may call for more, or less, than a full bar, these substitutes replace one ounce of chocolate as written. Just scale them up or down to meet your needs.

Bittersweet Chocolate

Replace the semi-sweet chocolate called for with an equal amount of bittersweet chocolate. The two chocolates have a similar amount of chocolate liquor and sugar, so they’re interchangeable in recipes. If you’re making cookies, muffins, or another recipe that calls for chopping up a bar of baking chocolate and folding it into the batter, this is the substitute you want to use.

Unsweetened Baking Chocolate

Combine one ounce of unsweetened baking chocolate and one Tablespoon of sugar, and use in place of one ounce of semi-sweet chocolate. This will maintain the proper sweetness in your recipe, while giving you a chocolate that melts well.

Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips

Use three Tablespoons of chocolate chips in place of each ounce of semi-sweet chocolate that’s called for. Chocolate chips contain less cocoa butter, plus added stabilizers, to help them maintain their chip shape when you bake them. This means they won’t melt as easily, or as smoothly, as baking chocolate, but they will melt.

Cocoa Powder

Whip up a quick semi-sweet chocolate substitute by combining three Tablespoons of cocoa powder, three Tablespoons of sugar and one Tablespoon of butter (or your favorite oil). This will get the proper chocolate flavor, sweetness and fat into your recipe. This substitute works well in baked goods, but is not suitable for candy making.

Carob Powder

If you’re looking for a semi-sweet baking chocolate substitute because you’re allergic to chocolate or sensitive to caffeine, combine three Tablespoons of carob powder and one Tablespoon of your favorite oil. This substitute can be used in baked goods, or to make candy.