White chocolate compound is a confectionery coating that looks and tastes like white chocolate but uses vegetable fat in place of all or most of the cocoa butter. In Koala’s March it is broken down on the label as vegetable fat, sugar, lactose, whey powder, skimmed milk powder, maltodextrin and lecithin (INS 322(i)), a typical recipe.
Real white chocolate must contain at least 20% cocoa butter and 14% milk solids under Codex standards, and it needs careful tempering. A compound sets glossy without tempering, copes better with warm weather and costs less, which suits mass-produced biscuits. Koala’s March White Milk fills its biscuit shells with it, and Koala’s March Strawberry uses it as the base of its strawberry filling.
Because it is made with milk ingredients, it contains milk allergens and lactose. Lecithin is often, though not always, made from soy.
