Chocolate Spread

A diabetic-friendly chocolate spread you can actually make at home in 10 minutes. Cocoa powder cooked in melted butter, then blended with reduced-fat cream cheese and sweetener to taste. No sugar, no complicated tempering, and it spreads straight from the fridge.

Cooking the cocoa in butter for 3 minutes is a small step that makes a big difference. Raw cocoa tastes chalky and bitter; blooming it in hot fat unlocks its full chocolate flavor and gives the finished spread a deeper, rounder taste. Let it cool for 5 minutes before adding the cream cheese so the heat doesn’t cause the cheese to separate.

The cream cheese provides body and a slight tang that keeps the spread from tasting one-dimensionally sweet. Reduced-fat works fine here since the butter already provides plenty of richness. Adjust the sweetener to your preference; start with less and add more after tasting.

Chef Tips

• Stir constantly while cooking the cocoa in butter; it scorches quickly over even low heat
• Let the cocoa-butter mixture cool before adding cream cheese; hot fat breaks down the cheese structure
• Store in a covered container; the spread absorbs fridge odors easily
• Bring to room temperature for 10 minutes before spreading; it’s quite firm straight from the fridge

Variations

• Mocha: Add 1 teaspoon of instant espresso powder to the cocoa while cooking in butter
• Hazelnut: Stir in 2 tablespoons of finely ground toasted hazelnuts for a Nutella-style spread
• Mint chocolate: Add ¼ teaspoon of peppermint extract when mixing in the cream cheese