You probably won’t be surprised to find deep, dark chocolate cakes, brownies, and truffles in this collection of our best cocoa powder recipes. But chicken and shrimp flavored with chocolate? Those recipes might make you do a double-take. What about savory roasted sweet potatoes? “Cocoa powder on its own is not sweet,” says senior food editor Jesse Szewczyk. It has a bitter edge, actually, and “when paired with saltier elements, it adds a distinct, earthy depth and tames the natural sweetness present in vegetables.” Adding even a teaspoon can instantly change how a dish tastes.
Szewczyk’s go-to brand is Guittard Cocoa Rouge, an extra-rich Dutch-process cocoa powder: “Thanks to a high cocoa butter content, it’s robust, flavorful, and it boasts an enticing, saturated hue.” But there are recipes below for “regular” (a.k.a. natural) cocoa powder too, and even that Hershey’s you’ve got stashed in your cupboard will do just fine. What’s the difference? Dutched cocoa has been alkalized, making it darker and less acidic. The two products react differently to leaveners, so can’t always be swapped one for the other. (Read more in Epicurioius’s guide to cocoa powder.)
Ready to see all the things cocoa can do? Scroll on.
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Photograph by Andre Rucker, food styling by Emilie Fosnocht
Cocoa-Blackened Chicken Thighs With Stone Fruit
We’ll start with a savory cocoa powder recipe, since we made such a big deal about it. Here, tender chicken thighs blackened with a combination of Old Bay and cocoa are brightened with juicy stone fruit.
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Photograph by Emma Fishman, prop styling by Emma Ringness, Food Styling by Mieko Takahashi
Vegan Chocolate Cake With Chocolate-Orange Frosting
You’ll see chocolate recipes calling for varying levels of cacao—the percentage listed on a label indicates how much of the chocolate’s weight comes from cacao beans— which impacts flavor and texture. For this recipe, your chocolate should not exceed 61% cacao so the frosting stays smooth.
