Is Cacao Butter the same thing as Cocoa Butter?
Not exactly. Both of these incredible butters come from the cocoa plant. However, the way that they are processed makes them quite different in their tastes, uses, health benefits & cost. Processing & Taste: Cocoa butter is processed at high temperatures which causes it to lose some of its bitterness, but unfortunately also causes it to lose some of its health benefits. I find Cacao butter has a strong smell of chocolate & distinct flavour that differs from the milder cocoa butter. To get a chocolate that tastes more like a store bought (although pure & with no additives) use cocoa butter. Health Benefits: Cacao butter is a superfood with very high antioxidant levels which I am sure we all know have a multitude of health benefits! So if you chose to use cocoa butter (which is what most commercial white chocolate contains), it will be less bitter but also less healthy for you. Cost: Raw cacao butter is more expensive to purchase than cocoa butter. Uses: Cacao butter has a significantly more bitter taste than cocoa butter, so it can't always be swapped 1:1 for one another. They can technically be used in the same way, but will give quite different tastes! Cacao is typically used for healthier versions of chocolate & chocolate dishes, whereas cocoa is used for baked goods & hot chocolate.   My families favourite is to use a combination of cacao butter & cocoa butters. This gives us the best of both worlds with the health benefits and the milder flavour! The choice is yours!