cacao nibs Archives -

August 15, 2016

Cocoa Hazelnut Overnight Oats with Sweet Cherries

Just over two weeks ago, I received word of my grandmother’s passing and not long after that, we were off on a plane to Hong Kong. Having lived to reach 101 years old, my grandmother had a long and full life, and her memorial service was a celebration of that. We spent ten days in Hong Kong, connecting with family I seldom see, and soaking in the culture of the bustling city. After indulging ourselves with all the dim sum, noodles, roasted meats, and delectable pastries you could possibly imagine, we were ready again for simplicity and the comforts of home.

December 15, 2014

Peppermint Cacao Nib Shortbread Cookies

A few weeks ago, I was able to travel for a quick weekend trip to celebrate the wedding of a good friend. While I was gone, my sweet children convinced Ryan to take them to the kitchen store so they could welcome me home with surprise presents. According to Ryan, they went a little nuts shopping and apparently wanted to buy me everything, but they finally settled on some new dish towels and this fluted biscuit cutter set. I admit the biscuit cutter set is probably not something I would have picked out for myself, but now that I have them, I love them. In addition to making beautiful edges on biscuits, they are also such fun cookie cutters.

These Peppermint Cacao Nib Shortbread Cookies are a delightful spin on a traditional shortbread. Crushed peppermint and cacao nibs add a hint of crunch and the peppermint adds a festive complement to the darker flavor of the cacao nibs. These minty chocolatey cookies are a wonderful accompaniment to some after-dinner coffee. They would also make a beautiful addition to any holiday cookie platter as well as make a lovely homemade gift.

Peppermint Cacao Nib Cookies

Ingredients

¼ cup coarsely broken peppermint pieces (I used natural peppermint candy from Hammond's)
¼ cup cacao nibs
8 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch cubes
¼ cup + 2 tablespoons white whole wheat flour
½ cup all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons natural cocoa powder
⅛ teaspoon sea salt
powdered sugar for dusting, optional

Instructions

In the bowl of a food processor, pulse the peppermint candy pieces until fairly uniform. Add the cocao nibs and pulse several times. Add the flours, cocoa powder, and salt and pulse again to combine. Sprinkle butter cubes evenly over mixture and process for 30-45 seconds. Scrape down the sides and continue to process just until dough starts to clump together. Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface and gently knead together to form a disk. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for 15-20 minutes.
Line baking sheets with silicone mats or parchment paper.
On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough until it becomes ⅜-inch thick. Cut into desired shapes and transfer to lined baking sheets. Chill cookies in the refrigerator for 20-30 minutes.
While cookies are chilling, preheat oven to 300. Bake cookies, rotating the sheet halfway through baking time, for 18-20 minutes, until cookies appear dry on top. Transfer cookies to a cooling rack to cool completely. Lightly dust with powdered sugar, if desired.

Notes

adapted from Sur La Table

June 30, 2014

Buckwheat Granola {with Dried Cherries and Cacao Nibs}

I recently came across Emmy’s Super Cereal on some recent travels and decided to buy a box as a snack for the road. The cereal is basically sprouted buckwheat sweetened with coconut sugar and then dehydrated until the buckwheat becomes super crunchy and toasty. So delicious and satisfying! I immediately began thinking of all of the things I could do with toasted buckwheat. Despite having the word “wheat” in it, buckwheat is actually a seed and not part of the wheat family. It is full of nutrients and also gluten-free.

This buckwheat granola comes together quickly and your whole house will smell wonderful as it bakes. I’ve always liked the idea of sweetening my granolas with coconut sugar, but I’ve always had problems getting the coconut sugar to dissolve and it always ended up very granular. This time I made a simple syrup from the coconut sugar by dissolving it in some water before mixing it with the coconut oil and that worked beautifully. The buckwheat ended up being lightly sweetened with just a hint of coconut flavor from the sugar and oil and it remained crunchy for days when stored in an airtight container. The flavor combinations for this are endless. Substitute any type of dried fruit for the cherries and add nuts in addition to or instead of the cacao nibs. I love cacao nibs, but my kids are not big fans so I made them a cherry and sliced almonds version and they loved it!

Dried Cherry and Cacao Nib Buckwheat Granola

Ingredients

¼ cup coconut sugar
2 tablespoons water
3 tablespoons coconut oil
½ teaspoon vanilla
⅛ teaspoon sea salt
2 cups raw buckwheat groats
⅓ cup dried cherries, chopped
¼ cup cacao nibs

Instructions

Preheat oven to 300.
in a small saucepan, combine the coconut sugar and water and whisk together over low heat until coconut sugar is completely dissolved and mixture becomes a simple syrup. Add the coconut oil and whisk together until coconut oil is completely melted. Remove from the heat and add the vanilla and salt.
Spread the buckwheat groats and dried cherries out on a large rimmed baking sheet. Pour the coconut sugar mixture over the buckwheat and dried cherries and stir with a wooden spoon until buckwheat and cherries are evenly coated.
Bake for 35-45 minutes, stirring every 10-15 minutes, until buckwheat becomes light golden brown.
Cool completely on pan, stirring occasionally to avoid clumps. Mix in cacao nibs. Transfer to an airtight container for storage.