What else do people do with cocoa powder, you ask? Don’t tell me you’re not aware. Well, the creative ways to use cocoa powder in your daily diet are in your hands; because the ones you’re about to read here are a few out of many creative ways to explore cocoa powder.
Cocoa powder is derived from cacao beans – a seed from the Theobroma cacao tree. Meanwhile, cocoa powder is rich in antioxidants good for reducing the risk of heart disease.
Cocoa powder comes in two types; natural and Dutch-processed. Natural cocoa powder is obtained from grounded roasted cocoa beans while Dutch-processed cocoa powder goes through the “alkalization process” — it makes it darker and smoother.
Whether you’re a foodie or not, this article is comprehensive enough to give you more insight on how to be creative using cocoa powder.
Note: Cocoa powder is different from cocoa mixed as it does not contain any sugar or fat.
Cocoa powder varies in its taste; it could have an intense flavour, bitterness, or a mild taste.
Therefore, it’s important you know and understand the type of cocoa powder suitable to use; for a better outcome.
COCOA POWDER WITH SMOOTHIES
Smoothies are very nourishing and good for a healthy lifestyle. A creative way to use cocoa powder is to be intentional about the outcome. A mixture of cocoa powder with your smoothie gives it a rich chocolate flavour. As mentioned earlier, creativity matters here; we’ll take you through how you can make a banana smoothie with cocoa powder.
Get a cocoa powder of your choice.
Cut your banana into pieces.
Get yogurt or milk of your choice.
Get ice cubes
Sugar (optional)
All the recipes above should be added into a blender; then, you blend till it is smooth. Your smoothie is ready! You can take it with a snack of your choice.
COCOA POWDER WITH BREAD
Another sumptuous creative way to use cocoa powder is using it to make bread. It could be banana bread or just ordinary bread depending on your preference. Think of the amazing and delicious result this combination will give you. Follow the recipe below for yummy bread.
A cocoa powder of your choice.
Brown Sugar.
Granulated Sugar.
Buttermilk.
Chocolate Chips (optional).
Eggs.
Flour.
Baking Powder.
Baking Soda.
Vanilla.
Step-by-step Guide:
Get a bowl, and add your melted butter, vanilla, and eggs. Stir with a fork until smooth.
Get another bowl to mix your flour, cocoa powder, soda, sugars, and baking powder.
Combine the mixture of steps 1 and 2 together.
Transfer the mixture to a loaf pan and sprinkle chocolate chips on it (if used).
Bake the chocolate bread for 40 to 45 minutes.
COCOA POWDER WITH CAKE
Adding cocoa powder to your cake recipe would make it more tasty. When you’re craving a chocolate cake, just get yourself a nice cocoa powder. We’ll take you through the rest of the process.
Get your flour.
Baking Powder.
Baking Soda.
Cocoa Powder.
Sugar.
Salt.
Eggs.
Oil.
Vanilla.
Buttermilk
Step-by-step Guide:
Mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl; flour, baking soda, salt, baking powder, sugar, and cocoa powder.
All the wet ingredients should be well combined; eggs, oil, buttermilk, and vanilla.
Mix all together with boiled water and pour batter into a pan.
Bake for 30 to 35 minutes; insert a toothpick to know if the cake is fully baked.
COCOA POWDER WITH FRUITS
What is more nourishing than having fruits mixed with cocoa powder– healthy antioxidants? Adding cocoa powder to your fruits means you’re getting additional vitamins and minerals. The recipe below is just based on avocado.
Get as many avocados as you want.
Cocoa Powder.
Syrup (a sweetener).
Salt.
Milk.
Vanilla.
Add all the ingredients above to a blender; blend till is very smooth. It could be thick; just add milk to it. Then serve yourself! You can add strawberry or sliced banana to it. It depends on how creative you can be, and that tells you’ve mastered the creative ways to use cocoa powder or not.
COCOA POWDER WITH COFFEE
If you’re craving for a perfect chocolate coffee, cocoa powder will give you the taste you desire. Your cocoa powder shouldn’t be much if you don’t want a bitter taste; cocoa is naturally not sweet. So, you can add sugar to taste. Below are the recipe and steps to follow:
Tablespoon of Coffee.
Milk.
Boiled water.
Sugar.
Whipped Cream (optional).
Cocoa Powder.
Add your coffee to the boiled water; leave it for some minutes. Then add cocoa powder and transfer to a mug. Pour in milk and sugar and stir well. Add your whipped cream on top of the coffee (if desired). Enjoy your coffee.
@ Nigerian Tribune
