Tiny, brown, chocolaty cacao nibs are all the rage; and deservedly so. They are the fragmented seeds of cacao trees and the starting material for making the chocolate found on supermarket shelves.
The seeds are ground to separate the solids and fats, then refined and processed. Various ingredients are added such as vegetable oils, sugar and flavours. By the time a commercial chocolate bar is made, the healthful properties of the original nibs can be lost, and many less-desirable ingredients added.
The seeds are ground to separate the solids and fats, then refined and processed. Various ingredients are added such as vegetable oils, sugar and flavours. By the time a commercial chocolate bar is made, the healthful properties of the original nibs can be lost, and many less-desirable ingredients added.
Buying the original nibs however will give you a product worthy of the ‘superfood’ label. They contain sulphur, magnesium and iron, vitamins, a variety of phytonutrients and antioxidants along with fibre.
They stimulate feel-good neurotransmitters and can increase focus and alertness. They are a nervous system stimulant and do contain fat and calories, so it’s best to eat them in moderation.
You can use them as you would a seed – sprinkled on salads, in porridge or part of a snack mix, but as we’re approaching Easter, I’m after something more sweet and chocolate-like. I’ve used cacao powder before but not the nibs, so bought a bag to experiment with. They look like chocolate pieces and when the bag is opened a lovely chocolaty aroma drifts out. So far so good. They taste crunchy, dry and slightly bitter.
To turn them into a sweet treat some fat and sweetness need to be added, so I have turned to Sarah Wilson's ‘I Quit Sugar’ book and borrowed an idea to combine them with coconut oil. For sweetness, I added some xylitol – this is a sugar substitute made from birch trees. The result was a sweet, chocolaty, creamy loveliness.
(Just in case you have a dog, don’t let them have any cacao or xylitol – both can be toxic for them).
All you need is:
50g Coconut oil
25g Cacao Nibs (I ground some of the nibs so I had a mixture of powder and pieces).
12g Xylitol (or to taste depending on whether you like your chocolate bitter or sweet).
This will make about 15 small chocolates but you could scale the ingredients up or down.
Method:
Melt the coconut oil in a heat-proof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water.
Add the cacao nibs, powder and xylitol and stir together.
Pour into ice cube moulds (just half fill the individual sections) and leave in the fridge for about half an hour. Pop them out when set and leave on a plate in the fridge. Left out they start to soften and you’d also have to share them…
To add some variety, try adding different flavours such as peppermint or vanilla essence, sea salt or chopped almonds.
However you celebrate Easter, I hope you have a happy and restful one.
