White chocolate is not a good sub for dark baking chocolate—they’re totally different beasts. White chocolate is mostly cocoa butter, sugar, and milk solids. It won’t give you that deep, bitter cocoa punch.
7 Best Cocoa Powder Substitutes - I Test Them All - Pantry & Larder
Milk chocolate? Sure, if you’re making a milder dessert like a mousse or a ganache for dipping. But you’ll need to cut the sugar in the recipe by about half. Otherwise, you’ll end up with a sugar bomb on your hands.
The emergency “chocolate-ish” fix
Ever used carob chips? They look like chocolate chips but taste like a mild, roasted carob. It’s not a perfect swap, but it works in oatmeal cookies or trail mix bars. The texture is identical.
Another wildcard: unsweetened baking chunks from the bulk bin. These are literally the same as the boxes, but cheaper. Just grab a handful and weigh them. No one will know.