Cocoa butter — a smooth, rich, dark brown paste that results from crushing delicate cocoa beans. Although chocolate has come in many forms over the centuries, be it in a liquid or solid state, the sweet we know and love always has been made using crushed cocoa beans — and that is, real, authentic cocoa butter.
But as ingredient technology continues to progress, manufacturers are finding reasons to either reduce or replace real cocoa butter in their chocolate. Drivers such as cost efficiency, functionality and nutritional value are causing them to re-evaluate just how much authentic cocoa butter to use in their products. And many have found the solutions they’re seeking in cocoa butter alternatives.