Okay, this is a different cocoa from anything I've ever had before. The first taste is a bit surprising, so it's better just to think of it as its own thing and not expect it to taste like all the other cocoas you've had. I loved to use it in cakes (I had to increase the flour a little in mine or drop the sugar because it made the already moist cake just too gooey otherwise). I use the Cooks Illustrated recipe (6 chocolate cakes, sour cream), and with the special dark, it's a family and neighborhood favorite. I also love that it turns icing nearly black. I've gotten several commetns about how beautiful the cakes are made with this cocoa.
Our favorite use though is in hot cocoa. I use 2tbsp cocoa powder with 1-2 tbsp sugar and add 8 oz of boiling water. We love it just to drink, it looks like the darkest cocoa ever, and is more like a coffee drink, grown up hot chocolate... Our skeptical friends even love it, you should definitely give it a try!! We used to make the cocoa twice as strong, but found 2tbsp is enough for us because it's a very strong cocoa.
Here's the kicker. It's better for you... in one cup of the cocoa above (with 1bsp sugar) compared to a cup of cocoa with the same recipe and regular "natural" hershey's cocoa powder (note, it includes 2tbs of each and sugar, not the 1 tbsp on box)
________________special dark_______________regular
calories............95.......................95
g fat................1........................1
g fiber..............4........................2
g protein............2........................2
Iron................30%.......................8%
with the twice as strong recipe, we were getting 60% of our iron from each cup, which is amazing to me. Because of the fiber, my Mom can have this as a weight watcher's drink too, I think she said it was 1 point.
Hershey's Special Dark Cocoa
