Earlier this year I traveled to Belize in an attempt to escape the cold, cold winter of the northeast. I explored Mayan ruins, went caving, sailing, snorkeling and ate and awful lot. My trip included a cacao “lesson” at Ajaw Chocolate, after which you know I bought some baking goodies to take home. With some good cocoa powder and some even better cacao nibs, I needed to find a recipe to highlight these “souvenirs!”

Cacao Nibs

Cacao nibs are raw, crushed pieces of roasted or unroasted cocoa beans. They are the pure core of the bean before it is processed into traditional chocolate, offering an intense, dark, bitter chocolate flavor with a satisfying, crunchy texture. Key word: bitter.

I learned that the cocoa beans are extracted from the pod, fermented to develop flavor, and then dried in the sun. Once that happens, the shells are removed and the remaining inner bean is broken into small pieces, aka the nib.

Nibs are just pure cocoa without any added sugar or milk, so they do not taste like candy. They are bitter and earthy, with fruity notes.

The best part is that nibs are high in antioxidants, rich in minerals, and contain lots of fiber. What I’m saying here is that Cacao Nibs are HEALTHY!  Well, healthier?  By the time you put them in the cookie, I suppose the cookie cancels out the “healthy” claim, but they nonetheless do provide some benefits.

While cacao nibs may be less prevalent than chocolate chips, some Target stores carry them, as do many higher-end groceries and home brewing supply stores.  (Cacao is widely used in brewing, primarily in the form of roasted cacao nibs to impart chocolate flavor, aroma, and a silky mouthfeel to beers like stouts and porters. Nibs are added during fermentation or aging to add depth without the sugar of actual chocolate.)