One of the first things you notice on the label of a chocolate bar these days is a number, often in a prominent bold font and hard to miss when staring down your array of options at the grocery store. This number doesn’t refer to calories or price but to the percentage of cocoa the bar contains. More specifically, the number describes how much of the chocolate actually came directly from cacao beans (via Bar and Cocoa). From creamy 33% milk chocolate-peanut butter blends or 55% dark chocolate raspberry, all the way to intense 72% bars of bliss, the variety of chocolate available seems to grow constantly. When it comes to late-night bites or a shared movie theater snack, your selection really comes down to personal preference. But cooking requires a slightly more calculated approach as far as cacao percentage is concerned. From a favorite chocolate birthday cake to ganache-topped delicacies, delicious baked goods often call for specific types of chocolate in the recipe — so keep your pantry prepared by having a variety on hand. To discover why cocoa percentage is important when cooking with chocolate, read HERE.