Beetroot Chocolate "Yes!", Beetroot Cookies "No!"

white chocolate coloured & flavoured with dried beetroot (beet) powder

Using beetroot powder is great way to naturally colour your icings, frostings and is one of my favourite flavourings for white chocolate. White chocolate flavoured with beetroot has a sweet flavour, slight berry notes and a touch of tingly acidity. The pretty natural speckled colour will add another dimension to your chocolate curls, twirls and shapes. 

Using beetroot powder in white chocolate;

stir in 1 teaspoon of sifted beetroot powder for every 100g (3.5oz) of tempered white chocolate. 

Alas, beetroot powder doesn't work for colouring your cakes and cookies. The powder is highly susceptible to changes in pH levels, when exposed to pH levels above 7 the colour quickly fades to tan/yellowish brown.

 

Before; the gorgeously coloured beetroot butter cookie batter

After; the combined oven temperature and raising agent (baking powder) fade the colour dramatically

Soooo, even though you won't be whipping a red velvet cake with your beetroot powder; you can produce deliciously different chocolate, fabulous frostings and fun confectionaries like coconut ice without having to reach for that bottle of red food colouring. 

Beetroot powder is available is health food stores, selected grocery stores and chef supply stores. 

Happy Baking :)

You might also be interested in;

                        Red food colouring

Comments

[Maree]

I buy all natural colours, and most of them are vegetable based like the beetroot powder. They actually mention in the instructions to add lemon juice to balance out the pH levels and stop the colours browning. This might help with the beetroot cookies? Love your work, just found your blog and did a little happy dance... thanks for all the great chocolate tips!

[The Lone Baker]

Thank you Maree for the tip, I'm definitely going to try that! So glad you are enjoying the blog :)