You probably won’t be surprised to find deep, dark chocolate cakes, brownies, and truffles in this collection of our best cocoa powder recipes. But chicken and shrimp flavored with chocolate? Those recipes might make you do a double-take. What about savory roasted sweet potatoes? “Cocoa powder on its own is not sweet,” says senior food editor Jesse Szewczyk. It has a bitter edge, actually, and “when paired with saltier elements, it adds a distinct, earthy depth and tames the natural sweetness present in vegetables.” Adding even a teaspoon can instantly change how a dish tastes.

Szewczyk’s go-to brand is Guittard Cocoa Rouge, an extra-rich Dutch-process cocoa powder: “Thanks to a high cocoa butter content, it’s robust, flavorful, and it boasts an enticing, saturated hue.” But there are recipes below for “regular” (a.k.a. natural) cocoa powder too, and even that Hershey’s you’ve got stashed in your cupboard will do just fine. What’s the difference? Dutched cocoa has been alkalized, making it darker and less acidic. The two products react differently to leaveners, so can’t always be swapped one for the other. (Read more in Epicurioius’s guide to cocoa powder.)

Ready to see all the things cocoa can do? Scroll on.