What can I make with cocoa powder?
Cocoa Powder is worth measuring carefully - it is the ingredient least willing to be improvised with. Recipes using cocoa powder are below, plus handling notes.
9 recipes with cocoa powder
Brownies
Fudgy chocolate squares with a shiny crackly top.
American38m16Moist Chocolate Cake
A rich, decadent chocolate cake perfect for any occasion.
American60m12French Chocolate Truffles
Rich, creamy, and decadent chocolate treats rolled in cocoa powder or confectioner's sugar.
French170m20
Chocolate churros with chocolate & salted caramel sauce
step 1 To make the sauce, tip the sugar and butter into a saucepan and bring to a simmer until the sugar has melted, then stir in the cream and simmer until you have a smooth sauce, about 2-3 mins.
Spanish4Chocolate Raspberry Brownies
Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4.
United States4
Chocolate Coconut Squares
step 1 Heat oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4.
Australian4
Chocolate alfajores
For the cookies cream the butter with the sugar for a few minutes.
Uruguayan4
Smoky Lentil Chili with Squash
Begin by roasting the squash.
British4
Chocolate empanadas
For the filling place the can in a large pot and cover completely with water.
Uruguayan4
Working with cocoa powder
- 1Measure by weight where you can; baking with cocoa powder is much less forgiving than cooking.
- 2Melt gently over low heat or in short bursts, stirring between each one.
- 3A pinch of salt makes sweetness read as flavour instead of just sugar.
- 4Cool fully before slicing or storing so the texture sets properly.
What goes well with cocoa powder
Cocoa Powder is at its best with butter, vanilla, salt, cream, flour and eggs. Any two or three of those, plus cocoa powder, is already a dinner rather than an ingredient list.
Storing cocoa powder
Dry cocoa powder keeps for months in a sealed container away from light and heat. Once cooked, cool it quickly, refrigerate within two hours, and use within 3-4 days; cooked grains and legumes freeze extremely well in single-portion bags.
Substituting cocoa powder
If you are out of cocoa powder, look for something that behaves the same way in the pan rather than something that tastes the same. Match the moisture level, the cooking time, and the richness, and adjust the liquid slightly if your substitute releases more water. When in doubt, describe what you actually have in the chat and Mr. Chef will rewrite the recipe around it.
Cocoa Powder recipes: common questions
- What can I make with cocoa powder and not much else?
- Plenty. With cocoa powder plus an onion, garlic, oil, and salt you already have the base of a skillet dinner, a soup, or a simple sauce. Add a starch - rice, pasta, bread, or potatoes - and it becomes a full meal. The recipes above are ordered so the ones needing the fewest extra items come first.
- What is the quickest cocoa powder recipe?
- Look for the entries above marked 20 minutes or less. As a rule, anything cut small and cooked in a hot pan beats anything roasted whole, and one-pan recipes save more time in cleanup than in cooking.
- Can I substitute cocoa powder?
- In most recipes yes, as long as the replacement plays a similar role - similar moisture, similar cooking time, similar richness. Swapping across roles (a watery vegetable for a starchy one, for instance) usually needs a change in liquid or cooking time too.
- How do I use up leftover cocoa powder?
- Fried rice, a frittata, a grain bowl, a soup, or a quesadilla will absorb almost any leftover cocoa powder without a recipe. If you want something specific, tell Mr. Chef exactly what is in the fridge and it will build a recipe around it.