Why You Should Never Use Dutch-Process Cocoa Powder in Certain Recipes, According to Ghirardelli

Although many holiday baking recipes focus on sugar and spice, there’s also plenty of chocolate in the mix. Take chocolate crinkles, double chocolate chip cookies, and festive red velvet cookies, for instance—they all call for cocoa powder.

But it's not just any cocoa powder for these recipes—it's natural, not Dutch-process. What’s the difference? It all has to do with structure and texture.

As you wander the baking aisle to stock up on supplies for the holiday season, you may notice that natural cocoa powder and Dutch-process cocoa powder are right next to each other on the shelf. But they aren't one in the same: Using Dutch-process cocoa when it's not called for may prevent baked goods from rising. We turned to an expert at Ghirardelli to find out when to use each type for the best treats.

What is Cocoa Powder?

First things first: What exactly is cocoa powder? According to Steve Genzoli, Vice President of Research and Development at Ghirardelli, it all starts with the cocoa bean.

“Cocoa powder is made by pressing ground cocoa beans to separate the solids, which are cocoa powder, and the liquids or fats, which are the cocoa butter,” Genzoli says. This separation process results in the fine powder that can be found on grocery store shelves; however, the processing methods differ for natural versus Dutch-process cocoa powders.

Natural Versus Dutch-Process Cocoa Powders

Genzoli says that natural cocoa powders haven’t gone through any additional processing: “These tend to be more acidic and lighter in color,” he adds. On the other hand, he says Dutch-process cocoa has been taken one step further, "treated with a basic ingredient, also known as alkaline, to neutralize the pH, and tends to be darker in color and less acidic."

Choosing which cocoa powder to use depends on what you’re baking and the results you’re hoping to achieve. “If you want a lighter brown color with cocoa notes that lean a bit fruitier, go with a natural cocoa powder. If you want a dark brown color with a more fudgy chocolate flavor, go with a Dutch-process cocoa powder," he explains.

While flavor and color are important, it’s even more crucial to pay attention to the leavening agents that are called for in your recipe. You should never use Dutch-process cocoa powder in recipes that call for baking soda as the sole leavening agent. 

Because the pH of Dutch-process cocoa powder has been neutralized, it doesn’t react with baking soda in the same way natural cocoa powder does, which means those recipes won’t rise. Incorporating natural cocoa powder and baking soda in a recipe causes a reaction, thanks to acidity, which is what tells baked goods to increase in volume.

It’s best to stick with what a recipe specifically calls for, but there is a bit of wiggle room: Using Dutch-process cocoa powder in place of natural cocoa powder won’t yield great results, but you can use natural cocoa powder in place of Dutch-processed if necessary, making it the more versatile option overall. For recipes that don’t use baking soda or baking powder, they’re far more flexible, and the choice is up to you.

Recipes Using Natural Cocoa Powder

• Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
• Double Chocolate Chip Cookies 
• Red Velvet Cookies
• Chocolate Pound Cake

Recipes Using Dutch-Process Cocoa Powder

• Chocolate Peppermint Shortbread
• Chocolate Gingerbread Cookies
• Chocolate Tres Leches Cake
• Whoopie Pies