Hershey's? Yeah, Hershey's. I'm not usually so crazy about Hershey's chocolate, but their cocoa is cheap and easy to find. I recently tried their Special Dark cocoa for the first time, and I was impressed.
Special Dark is a Dutch process cocoa, which means that it has been processed with an alkali. This affects the cocoa's interaction with leavening agents; Dutch process cocoa will not react to baking soda and so it can only be used with recipes that call for baking powder. In general, its taste usually is lighter and sweeter and has less bitter or sour notes. Hershey's Special Dark, however, is intensely, quietly dark, like an Oreo cookie.
That black, rich, and sweet cocoa taste is not suitable for everything; the lighter or fruitier notes in regular reddish-brown cocoa will be missed if you use this in some recipes. But I made chocolate cookies with this last week and they had the chocolatey sweetness and black crumb of Oreos. This won't replace my regular cocoa powder, or even my Droste Dutch process cocoa, but it has earned its own place in my cupboard.
• Hershey's Special Dark Dutch Process cocoa available in the baking aisle at most grocery stores
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I've made great cupcakes and brownies with this!
I've been baking a Rompope*-Chocolate cake for 15 years (oh my, I hadn't realized it was that long already) -using Hershey's regular cocoa powder. Since the recipe is almost too sweet, and it calls for baking powder, I guess you could try it with Dutch process cocoa. Click on my name for details.
*in case you're wondering, rompope is a Mexican eggnog-like drink.
My partner sent me to get some cocoa for the chocolate crinkles she was making for the holidays and I came home with the regular and this dark chocolate, with a suggestion to go 1/2 and 1/2 in the crinkle recipe. I do say, they were the best cookies ever... like fudge brownies in a cookie shape.
I've used it in my red velvet cupcakes. Absolutely wonderful. It really enhances the color and flavor of the cupcakes.
where in the albany area is it available?
Mark - it should be available next to the regular baking cocoa in the baking aisle at your grocery store.
I've tried price chopper and hannaford with no results. Any suggestions?
Hershey's drastically changed the formulation on this product and it's nowhere as good as it was when it first came out.
Acrid and bitter now instead of deep and dark like it used to be.
Really? I was looking at these dutch processed cocoa posts because of those gluten-free cookies. What do you recommend instead?
I'd recommend Valrhona, Callebaut, or Pernigotti cocoa in a heartbeat. But they're a bit spendier and not sold everywhere. Droste is good too and used to be cheaper and everywhere.
That's why I was bummed when Hershey ruined their dark cocoa. It was cheap, easy to find, and good.