What is cocoa butter?

 Cocoa butter is the vegetable fat derived from the seeds of the cacao tree. Doesn't sound particularly appetizing when we put it like that, does it?

How about this? Cocoa butter is one of two essential elements of chocolate, the one that gives it its unctuous, creamy, sensuous smoothness and richness. A little better?

When all the fermenting, drying, grinding, and other processing steps have been performed on cocoa beans, the result is called chocolate liquor or cacao, which is pure unsweetened chocolate. That can be further processed by forcing it through a microscopically fine sieve under great pressure. The cocoa butter is driven off, leaving a hard block of cocoa, which is subsequently ground to powder.

Cocoa butter is the leading ingredient in white chocolate. The amount of cocoa butter may be manipulated in the process of manufacturing dark and milk chocolate to produce a paste-like texture that holds its shape (like chocolate chips) or a chocolate that is especially runny when melted (such as couverture), and anything in between.

On its own, cocoa butter has relatively little taste. Cocoa butter is also used in the manufacture of some other foods, as well as some cosmetics and soaps.

It is not related in any way to dairy products.

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