Main Ingredients:

See below ingredients and instructions of the recipe

Cooking Preparation of the Recipe:

3/4 c Packed, high quality Dutch-
Process cocoa
1 c Sugar
1/4 ts Salt
1/2 c Hot water
3/4 c High-quality unsalted butter
At room temperature
1/2 ea To 1 tsp. vanilla extract or
To taste
1/8 ts Almond extract
1 c Toasted and coarsely chopped
Walnuts or toasted, skinned
And coarsely chopped hazel-
Nuts (optional)

Combine the cocoa, sugar and salt in the top pan of a double boiler
(or use a heatproof bowl that can be placed over a saucepan,
containing simmering water). Stir the mixture with a whisk until it
is thoroughly mixed, then mix in the hot water thoroughly. Set the
pan over simmering water and stir the contents until the sugar has
completely dissolved and the mixture is hot, about 3 minutes. Remove
the top from the base and set it aside; cool the contents to lukewarm.

Cream the butter together with the vanilla and the almond extracts in
the small bowl of an electric mixer, or use a food processor to beat
the butter with the flavorings just until it is light. With the motor
of the machine running, gradually add the lukewarm chocolate mixture,
continuing to beat just until everything is well combined. Let the
chocolate butter cool completely, stirring or whisking it
occasionally to lighten its texture. Add the nuts, if you're making
the nutted version; then scrape the chocolate butter into a clean,
dry storage jar, cover it tightly and refrigerate it. Makes about 2
1/2 cups with nuts or 1
3/4 cups without nuts.

Note: This wonderful recipe was copied from The Old Farmer's Almanac
Good Cook's Companion magazine referring to the recipes creator,
Helen Witty's recipe from her book "A Little of What You Fancy
(Workman, 1997). She describes chocolate butter as "a luxurious
spread/sauce/confection that keeps up to six weeks in the
refrigerator unless you devour it first; warmed as a sauce, spread as
a cake or cookie filling, or rolled into instant truffles". How
could anyone pass up this recipe? Converted to Meal-Master by Kountry
Cook (Vicki Phillips)

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