I feel like a real dummy but I need some help. I have a recipe that is calling for 8 oz of semi sweet chocolate finely chopped. I'm thinking that means a semi sweet chocolate bar chopped up. I read where a lady said each square is an ounce of chocolate but on the box it says there is 4 ounces but I bought the box and when I got it home and opened it, there are 8 squares in it. Why does the box say 4 ounces if each square is an ounce and there are 8 squares?
Bakers semi sweet chocolate bar
Measurements
Best Answer
Bakers Chocolate used to come in 1-ounce squares, but doesn't anymore. This has caused me some confusion (and unexpected recipe results!) in the past, since decades of recipes specified chocolate quantities by squares, rather than by ounces.
I have no idea why they made the change. But, the solution/workaround is to go by weight rather than by squares. If a recipe calls for 8 ounces, look at the package and figure out how many packages (or fraction of a package) you'll need -- in this case, two packages. If a recipe calls for squares (e.g. "8 squares"), then keep in mind that used to mean one ounce per square, figure out the weight (8 ounces), and purchase / add to recipe accordingly.