37 Cocoa Powder Recipes for Chocolate Lovers
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? Dutch-process cocoa has been alkalized, making it darker and less acidic. The two products react differently to leaveners, so they 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.
Photograph by Andre Rucker, food styling by Emilie Fosnocht1/37Cocoa-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.
Photograph by Emma Fishman, prop styling by Emma Ringness, Food Styling by Mieko Takahashi2/37Vegan Chocolate Cake With Chocolate-Orange Frosting
Photograph by Travis Rainey, food styling by Thu Buser, prop styling by Sean Dooley3/37Chocoflan
We took some artistic liberty with this chocoflan recipe and added cream cheese and condensed milk to the custard. We also used oil in the cake, not unsalted butter, to keep its texture tender even when fridge-cold.
Photo by Laura Murray, Food Styling by Pearl Jones5/37Obscenely Chocolaty Chocolate Cookies
Here’s the cookie to bake when you want to impress at the cookie swap, but you’re not about to spend hours bobbing out reindeer and piping royal icing. And if you don’t want to do any baking, try these no-bake chocolate and peanut butter cookies.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Taneka Morris, Prop Styling by Gerri K. Williams6/37Get Up & Go Blueberry Date Cocoa Smoothie
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Taneka Morris, Prop Styling by Gerri K. Williams7/37Triple-Chocolate Brownies
When you search “best brownies,” we think this brownie recipe should appear at the top of your results page. (Heard that, Google?) They’re chewy, crackly topped, chocolate-loaded, and require only a bit more work than a boxed brownie mix.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, food styling by Kaitlin Wayne, prop styling by Christina Allen9/37Gluten-Free Chocolate Cake
Photo by Ted + Chelsea Cavanaugh, food styling by Rebecca Jurkevich, prop styling by Kalen Kaminski10/37Chocolate Pudding Pie
Photo by Chelsie Craig, Food Styling by Claire Saffitz11/37Blackout Chocolate Banana Bread
Yes, it really is important to use room temperature unsalted butter when making this cake (yes, it’s cake) to allow for proper aeration and even mixing. If the butter is too cold or too hot, your cake won’t be light and fluffy—and you want it to be light and fluffy, don’t you?
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Prop Styling by Sean Dooley, Food Styling by Kendra Vaculin12/37Cookies and Cream Ice Cream Cake
Photograph by Andre Rucker, food styling by Emilie Fosnocht13/37Sweet Potatoes With Cocoa-Sesame Butter
Photo by Emma Fishman, food styling by Pearl Jones14/37Conchas de Chocolate
We used Dutch-process cocoa here because it has a richer chocolate flavor than the natural cocoa powder often used in classic concha recipes. For an added boost, dip pieces of the pastry into a cup of hot cocoa.
Photograph by Scott Semler, Food Styling by Judy Kim, Prop Styling by Stephanie Yeh15/37Dark Chocolate-Espresso Ice Pops
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Judy Kim16/37Sparkly Red Velvet Cookies
Most red velvet cakes have only a smidgen of cocoa powder for color. But we went big for these red velvet cookies, maximizing their chocolate flavor and ruby sheen.
Photo by Emma Fishman, Food Styling by Pearl Jones, Prop Styling by Sophie Strangio18/37Chocolate-Almond Pear Tart
Photo by Alex Lau, food styling by Susie Theodorou, prop styling by Sophie Strangio21/37Mole-Spiced Ribs With Orange and Pickled Onion
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Pearl Jones, Prop Styling by Gözde Eker22/37Chocolaty Chai
For many, hot chocolate is the go-to beverage when a craving for a drinkable dessert hits. Consider, though, this cross between masala chai (with all its ginger, cinnamon, and cardamom notes) and rich hot cocoa.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, food styling by Emilie Fosnocht, prop styling by Sean Dooley23/37Brown Butter–Chocolate Soufflé Fit for a Crowd
Are you ready to master the art of soufflé making? This supersized, gluten-free chocolate version gets a flavor boost from nutty brown butter and a little hit of rum.
Photo by Alex Lau, food styling by Molly Baz, prop styling by Emily Eisen24/37Salted Chocolate–Tahini Bliss Balls
Somewhere between truffles and energy bites, these yummy treats will satisfy a sweet-tooth craving in seconds—and they also make for great host gifts. Another homemade gift that will help you use up the last tablespoon of unsweetened cocoa powder (as well as your final drops of vanilla extract): cocoa almonds.
Photo by Oriana Koren, food styling by Lillian Kang, prop styling by Jillian Knox26/37Cocoa-Orange Catfish
Alex Lau27/37Gluten-Free Chocolate Buckwheat Waffles
Grab your maple syrup and waffle iron; it’s time for breakfast. And with this new day, a lesson: This recipe calls for both baking powder and baking soda (and if you click on that highlighted text, you’ll finally understand the difference).
Photograph by Isa Zapata, food styling by Jesse Szewczyk, prop styling by Hazel Zavala and Caroline Newton28/37Tiramisu Snowball Cookies
Classic tiramisu just isn’t the same without a heavy coating of cocoa powder dusted across the top. Ditto these espresso-and-cinnamon-flavored cookies that are double-rolled in powdered sugar before getting a blanket of cocoa.
Photograph by Joe Lingeman, food styling by Shilpa Uskokovic, prop styling by Marina Bevilacqua29/37Tahini Hot Fudge Skillet Cake
Alex Lau30/37Devil’s Food Cupcakes
Consider these chocolate cupcakes with chocolate frosting your go-to for birthday parties, potlucks, baby showers, backyard BBQs, and any other time a cupcake craving hits.
Photo by Laura Murray, Food Styling by Micah Morton32/37Spiced Chocolate-Pumpkin Cake With Pumpkin Glaze
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Pearl Jones, Floral Styling by LaParis Phillips33/37Chocolate Sheet Cake With Brown Butter Frosting
Photo by Laura Murray34/37Camouflage Chocolate Fudge Brownies
It’s time to let you in on a secret: Cocoa powder is the best path to fudgy homemade brownies; it helps them stay softer than melted chocolate brownies, which can feel dry or crumbly. In this recipe, a tangy swirl of cream cheese offers respite, as if you’re having a palate-cleansing bite of cheesecake.
Photographs by Laura Murray, food styling by Simon Andrews, prop styling by Sophie Strangio35/37Fresh Mint and Chocolate Ice Cream
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Thu Buser, Prop Styling by Stephanie De Luca36/37Double-Chocolate Zucchini Bread
Anxious bakers, make your life easier by lining your loaf pan with overhangs of parchment paper, which act as makeshift handles to lift your confection.
Alex Lau37/37Warm Cocoa Pudding With Candied Pecans
What would a roundup of cocoa powder recipes be without some pudding? Both cocoa powder and chopped chocolate go into the pot for this cocoa powder recipe, getting whisked until it all becomes rich, spoonable, creamy melted chocolate.
