Abstract: The dutching of cocoa to obtain a product of rich homogeneous color and high sterility is accomplished by grinding a pressed cake made from cocoa beans, converting the ground mass into a coarse, free-flowing powder, mixing the powder with sufficient aqueous alkaline solution and desired additives to obtain a damp mass containing about 20-35 wt. per cent moisture and feeding this mixture into a combined cooker and pressurized extruder and then pelletizing the cooked composition. The pellets are formed by extruding the mass through appropriate dies and breaking off the rods to form pellets by interaction with a stationary plate. The preferable temperature range of the combined cooking-pressurizing step is 150.degree.-230.degree. F. and the preferred pressures are progressive to between 500 and 1300 pounds per square inch adjacent the extruding die.