"All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn't hurt." Charles M. Schulz was right, and the science is kinder to chocolate than you might expect. The catch is that the good part is the cocoa, not the sugar and cream usually wrapped around it.

These two recipes put cocoa front and centre. The pudding takes five minutes in a food processor and tastes far richer than it is.

Directions for use

  • Cocoa contains flavanols, plant compounds that help blood vessels relax.
  • A Cochrane review of 40 trials found cocoa products lowered blood pressure by about 2 mmHg on average: small, but real.
  • The benefit comes from cocoa, not milk chocolate. Choose natural (non-alkalised) cocoa powder or chocolate with 70% cocoa or more.
  • Chocolate is still calorie-dense. Think "a square or two", not "a bar".

Cacao, cocoa and chocolate

All chocolate starts with cacao beans. Cacao powder usually means raw or minimally processed; cocoa powder is made from roasted beans. Both are rich in flavanols.

The flavanol content drops with each step of processing:

  • Dutch-processed (alkalised) cocoa is treated to make it milder and darker. It tastes smoother but loses a large share of its flavanols. Check the label for "processed with alkali".
  • Milk chocolate is mostly sugar and milk solids, with relatively little cocoa.
  • Dark chocolate of 70% cocoa or more holds on to far more.

What the research says

Blood pressure. In the Cochrane review, cocoa products lowered systolic blood pressure by about 2 mmHg over two to 18 weeks. The effect was larger in people who already had high blood pressure.

Heart disease. In the large COSMOS trial, cocoa flavanol supplements didn't significantly reduce overall heart attacks and strokes, though there was a signal of fewer deaths from cardiovascular disease. That's encouraging but not conclusive.

Magnesium. Dark chocolate and cocoa are good sources of magnesium, a mineral many women don't get enough of.

Mood. Chocolate certainly makes most of us feel good in the moment, and we explore why in our article on chocolate and mood. The pleasure is real. The idea that chocolate "boosts serotonin" enough to treat low mood is not established.

Instant cacao pudding

Silken tofu blends into a smooth, mousse-like pudding with no cooking. Nobody will guess what's in it. This recipe is adapted from Neal Barnard's Breaking the Food Seduction.

Chocolate tofu frosting

A lighter frosting for a birthday cake or cupcakes, with the richness of real melted chocolate. Adapted from Ann Gentry's The Real Food Daily Cookbook.

Choosing chocolate

  • Read the percentage. 70% cocoa or higher. If 85% is too bitter, start at 70% and work up.
  • Read the ingredients. Cocoa (or cocoa mass, cocoa solids) should come first, not sugar.
  • Skip "processed with alkali" cocoa powder when you want the flavanols.
  • Mind the portion. Two squares of dark chocolate (about 20 g) is around 110 calories.

A note of caution

Dark chocolate contains caffeine and theobromine, which can disturb sleep if eaten late. Some dark chocolates have been found to contain lead and cadmium: vary your brands, and keep it an occasional treat, especially during pregnancy. Chocolate is toxic to dogs, so keep it out of reach.

The bottom line

Cocoa is one of the few treats with real research behind it: a small drop in blood pressure and a good dose of magnesium. Choose natural cocoa or dark chocolate, make it the star of simple desserts like these, and enjoy it without guilt.