Cacao Butter

Cacao Butter
www.navitasnaturals.com

One of the coolest products I have come across in a while is cacao butter from one of my favourite food companies Navitas Naturals.

Loaded with an unmistakable chocolaty flavor and aroma, cacao butter is the cream-hued fat extracted from cacao beans and most often employed to add flavour, scent, and smoothness to the chocolate we adore (technically, to call a product chocolate it must contain cacao butter.)

This is a perfect option for vegans who shun butter from Bessie.

While this Mayan butter is loaded with saturated fat – 8 grams in 1 tablespoon - don’t fret, as most of it is in the form of stearic acid which research shows has no detrimental impact on cholesterol levels and heart health.

Melting at body temperature, cacao butter is vanity fare pulling double duty as a wonderful skin moisturizer. Though, I prefer it in my tummy.

Find it at some health food stores or online at www.navitasnaturals.com

What to do with this uber-butter? Here are a couple recipes that will have chocoholics begging for more. (Psst….you could also use regular butter if needed).

Sweet Potato Brownies

Applesauce makes brownies taste, um, fruity. Believe it or not, pureed sweet potatoes are a better option.

4 tablespoons melted cacao butter
2/3 cup cocoa powder (Navitas has this too)
½ cup whole-wheat flour
¼ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon cayenne powder (optional)
2/3 cup sugar
1 largish sweet potato, peeled
1 whole egg
1.5 teaspoon vanilla extract

Slice sweet potato and steam it until very soft. Mash it well with a fork or potato masher. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a small pan over very low heat melt the cacao butter. Remove from heat and stir in cocoa powder. Set aside. In a bowl sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Stir in sugar and sweet potato puree. Mix in egg. Add vanilla to cocoa mixture and then add cocoa mixture to flour mixture and stir well. Spoon the chocolate goodness into an 8-inch lightly greased square pan. Smooth the top and bake for about 20 minutes or until an inserted knife emerges with just a few moist crumbs. Let cool and try to practice moderation.

Chocolate Tofu Pudding

10 ounces of soft (silken) tofu – about ½ of a package
¼ cup cow, hemp or soy milk
4 to 5 tablespoons melted cacao butter
2 ounces chopped semi-sweet baking chocolate or your favorite dark chocolate
¼ cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon cayenne (optional)
1 teaspoon vanilla.
Cacao nibs (optional)

Place all ingredients except the vanilla and nibs in a blender (I use my trusty Vita-mix). Blend for a couple minutes until a smooth chocolate mixture emerges. Let cool for a couple minutes then add vanilla and blend again for about 10 seconds. Pour into a container and chill in the fridge for a couple hours. Before serving, top with cacao nibs.