Obviously, not all chocolate is the same. There are higher quality and lesser quality chocolates in the world. I always keep an inexpensive store brand cocoa powder in the house for use in a large variety of desserts. Although tasting the difference between a Dollar Store Christmas chocolate vs Ghirardelli Squares is like comparing apples to oranges, it didn't occur to me that there would be a similar difference when choosing cocoa powder for my personal baking. Okay, so duh! I should have seen that one from miles away. Truly, I just never gave it any thought before.
Well, that is until I was given a bag of Raw Organic Caribbean Cocoa Powder from Freedom Superfoods. You guessed it. Captain Obvious says that it's way better. Of course it is! How could it not be? It's so rich. It's so pure. I'm completely enthralled with this product. As much as I rant against the evils of over-processed food, how did I not know about this wonderful ingredient?
This may seem incredibly obvious to some of you, but I really hadn't given a lot of thought to breaking down my raw ingredients. Of course flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt are a smarter purchase than a box of brownie mix. But replacing my regular cocoa powder with this organic, raw cocoa powder completely changed the dish again. The brownies are richer and there is a slightly bitter tone that is missing. Actually, I never realized it was there until I made a batch with this product and realized the difference.
Where the difference is especially striking, though, is in my chocolate pie. I make an excessively rich, thick chocolate cream pie that can only be eaten in small slices. I always use Hershey's Special Dark cocoa powder for this recipe because I want a super dark and rich flavor for this pie. I was a little hesitant trading out the Freedom Superfoods Cocoa Powder in my recipe because it doesn't look like an especially dark cocoa powder. It turns out that the pie was darker and richer than what I normally make. A single slice cured my chocolate addiction for an entire week! I know that sounds crazy, but my chocolate craving was so completely satisfied that I actually didn't want any more chocolate. Never fear... the pie was saved and my teenager was happy to eat it himself. (Seriously, how is that boy nearly 6 feet tall and only weighs 130 lbs? I cannot figure it out.)
I've always expected anything organic like this to be too expensive to purchase for regular use. C'mon... we've all heard the joke about them renaming Whole Foods to Whole Paycheck. Really! I can't afford to pay those kinds of prices for my staples. Except... check this out... I told you that I use Hershey's Special Dark for my pie, right? At Amazon, you can buy a 2 pack of 8 oz cans for $15.50. Freedom Superfoods Organic Raw Cocoa Powder is only $15.97 for a 1 lb bag. We are talking an extra $.47 for a pure, organic, raw cocoa powder. If you want my opinion, this product is well worth that minor price difference.
I highly recommend trying this product in your favorite brownie, cake or pie recipe. In fact, the product came with a free e-book of recipes that you might love. I even used it to make my homemade version of Nesquik and came up with a richer and tastier chocolate milk. The possibilities are endless. Happy baking to you!
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