Cocoa powder
Cocoa powder is made from the same bean from which chocolate is made. Intense and dark, it tastes a little bitter when raw, but brings a good chocolate flavour to the desserts, cakes and biscuits it is mixed into.
It is made by extracting the fat from the cocoa bean, then drying the residue and grinding it to a fine powder.
It is vitally important that you don't confuse it with the ready-made powdered drinking chocolate that might produce a cup of 'cocoa' - this is a combination of cocoa powder, sugar and powdered milk and if mixed into batters will not taste chocolatey.
Cocoa powder can be used on its own or in tandem with pieces of cooking chocolate to bring a rich chocolate flavour to cooking. Use cocoa powder to make chocolate crepes, muffins, cakes, biscuits, icings and toppings.
Keep in an airtight container in a cool, dry place and observe the manufacturer's use-by date.
