Crush them and use them as a rub on steak before pan-frying (think steak au poivre). trust me, fabulous. Also great with chicken liver pate: just a little grated over the top.
i had the most amazing granola at clear flour bread in brookline, massachusetts. it was made with pecans and cocoa nibs, and i've made a similar, though not quite as delicious, version at home. i also love them in cookies (shortbread in particular) and on ice cream (chocolate especially).
If they're a little too bitter for you, they can also be used for flavoring cream that gets whipped. Steep 1/4 cup nibs in 2 cups of cream for at least 1 hour. Strain, chill the cream and then whip to make a whipped cream topping with a little something special.
Cacao nibs are great! I eat them straight (weird - I know.) But they're really good in crispy chocolate chip cookies with a little sea salt sprinkled on top. You get the sweet, salty, bitter, crunchy thing going on. I bet they'd be fantastic in a brittle. Love all these ideas! I like dipping a spoonful of Nutella into them, too. (yep, weird.)
Mr L makes magic ice cream - a scoop of your best chocolate ice cream, mush in some pecans or almonds, put it in a cup, drizzle a wee amount of brandy over, then sprinkle with cocoa nibs and the teeniest pinch of chili flakes and good salt. Amazing.
I use them in place of chocolate chips in banana bread. It makes for a bread that isn't as sweet (a good thing to my mind) but more intensely chocolatey (also a good thing).
I've also had pork chops crusted with cocoa nibs at a restaurant--delicious, but I've never tried it myself at home.
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I've also had pork chops crusted with cocoa nibs at a restaurant--delicious, but I've never tried it myself at home.