Cocoa butter is made from cocoa beans. Actually, one of the most delicious desserts in the world – chocolate is produced with the help of it. The butter is a healthy and stable oil consisting of 57-64% saturated fat. That makes it an acceptable cooking oil. Naturally, it is solid at room temperature and must be melted for usage.
SEE ALSO: Top 7 Healthy Butter Substitutes in Baking
This amazing butter has a fantastic smell so it is widely used in cooking as a healthy butter substitute. But the sphere of its usage does not end in the kitchen. It is used in cosmetology, perfumery, traditional and alternative medicine.
Top facts of Cocoa butter benefits for health
- It is a balanced natural product that has a healing effect on the whole body.
- The butter stimulates the immune system.
- It helps with allergic diseases (dermatitis, asthma). It contains polyphenols, which significantly reduce the release of IgE immunoglobulin, thereby eliminating the allergic reaction.
- The butter reduces the possibility of blood clots and blockage of blood vessels. It restores the lost functions of the blood vessels walls, increases their elasticity.
- It reduces the amount of cholesterol and completely cleans the blood. Also, it normalizes the barrier functions of the skin epidermis. All this is due to the high concentration of oleic acid in this butter.
- The butter is used for digestive disorders. Taking 1 tsp of cocoa butter at bedtime eliminates problems with the stool.
Cocoa butter as the healthy butter substitute in nutrition
In fact, the demand for the product is growing. No wonder, because it is impossible to imagine chocolate, all sorts of sweets, bars, cakes without it. This kind of butter makes hot chocolate tender and nourishing, it is added to some coffees and desserts as well. How can we substitute the usual butter by the cocoa one?
- Confectionery. It is impossible to imagine chocolate and various sweets, loved by adults and children. Give preference to dark chocolate with a high percentage of cocoa content.
- Bakery products. Various cakes, pastries, puddings, and many other desserts taste better with cocoa butter.
- The butter is added to coffee and sauces to give the specific aroma.
- Milk porridge and puddings. With butter substitute, they will be healthier and taste better.
- Cocoa butter-based creams and icing for baking. You can make amazing decorations for your cakes without harm to your health.
The chemical composition of Cocoa butter
Considering the content of nutrients in the butter, we can note a relatively small number of vitamins. The usual for oils vitamins D, A, and E are found only in trace amounts. Of course, these vitamins do not have a particularly beneficial effect in such small quantities.
The basis of cocoa butter is fatty acids – stearic, oleic, and also palmitic and linoleic. Oleic is found in the largest amount – almost a half. Already, these properties allow the butter to be considered one of the most useful products. But besides fatty acids, a large amount of tannins and caffeine is included in this butter. These beneficial substances have a very positive effect on the skin when applying oil in cosmetology.
Nutritional value (based on 100 grams of processed grains)
- Calories 884 kcal
- Protein 0 g
- Fat 100g
- Carbohydrates 0 g
- Dietary fiber 0 g
- Water 0.1 g
Vitamin composition (in milligrams per 100 grams of raw grains)
- Tocopherol (E) 1.8
- Fillohinon (C) 24.7
- Choline (B4) 0.3
Fats and fatty acids (in grams per 100 grams of processed grains)
- Saturated Fat 59.7
- Myristic acid 0.1
- Palmitic acid 25.4
- Stearic acid 33.2
- Monounsaturated Fat 32.9
- Palmitoleic acid 0,2
- Oleic acid 32,6
- Polyunsaturated Fat 3
- Linoleic acid 2.8
- Omega-3 0.1
How to cook healthy desserts with Cocoa butter?
- 50 g cocoa butter
- 100 gr grated cocoa
- 2 pinches cinnamon
- 2 pinches nutmeg
- 3 tbsp honey
- stick vanilla
Melt the butter in a water bath.
- Add crushed vanilla (the tail should be cut from the stick 3 cm).
In the melted butter, add the liquor, continuously stirring the mixture with a whisk.
- Pour the cinnamon and nutmeg.
- Gradually add honey.
- Pour the chocolate mixture into the molds, cool, then refrigerate for 25-30 minutes.
- Decorate chocolate with nuts, coconut chips, raisins, berries, etc. Add the filler immediately after the liquid chocolate is poured into a mold.
- 280 g wheat flour
- 80 g cocoa butter
- 1 pc egg
- 100 g granulated sugar
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 2 tsp cocoa powder
Remove the butter from the refrigerator so that it can be room temperature.
Mix the sifted flour and baking powder.
Add the butter to the mixture and rub it with your fingers so that the dough looks like breadcrumbs.
- Whisk the egg in a separate plate.
- At the center of the bread crumbs, make a well and carefully add a beaten egg to it. Stir the dough thoroughly.
- Roll the dough into a ball, wrap in a plastic bag and refrigerate for one and a half hours.
- Remove the cooled dough, roll it out with a layer of no more than 1 cm, cut the cookies out of the resulting plate with the help of molds or a glass.
- Preheat oven to 180 degrees. Put the cookies in a baking sheet, covered with baking paper.
- Bake for 20 minutes.
Conclusion: What you need to remember
- Cocoa butter is widely used in cooking for making desserts – cakes and pies, cookies, muffins, as well as a base for cream and icing. You can make delicious and healthy bakery using the butter substitute.
- Most of the recipes fit for raw food and healthy food eaters, as they lack animal fats.
- High caloric content ensures quick relief of hunger and getting the necessary portion of energy to the body. Though it is not recommended in big quantities for people who want to lose weight.
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