Cocoa Nibs?

Does anyone have a source on where to buy cocoa nibs in Chicagoland? They are called for in a recipe I'd like to make for a cookie exchange, so I need a few cups.

I've purchased them at the Spice House.

Aaron Deacon wrote:I've purchased them at the Spice House.

ditto

HI,

I have some chocolate nibs I received as a gift. Do you mind commenting where you found your recipe?

Regards,

Don't mind at all:

Mocha Slice Cookies

http://www.marthastewart.com/page.jhtml ... resultNo=1


I think slice cookies are easiest for a big recipe, and the cookie exchange requires 10 dozen.

kafein wrote:Does anyone have a source on where to buy cocoa nibs in Chicagoland? They are called for in a recipe I'd like to make for a cookie exchange, so I need a few cups.

hi, i think cocoa nibs are highly overrated and overpriced. they are the 'garbage' left over when producing cocoa, why are they so expensive? anyway, i just looked at the cookie recipe you are planning to make. please consider processing the nibs smaller than they are when you buy them. they are hard shells and not really that tasty. if you chop them small, at least then they'll provide some texture without hurting your teeth and your tastebuds(as much). just my opinion.....justjoan

Do you guys think I could just leave the nibs out completely?

Yes, you can leave the nibs out, but it will change the 'experience' of the cookie, if you are okay with that. I agree with justjoan -- process them for a couple seconds to make them a little smaller, cut amount in half. Nibs are overused, and their bitter flavor is not universally loved.

I don't use nibs in sweets. They are most commonly tossed(in small amounts) with salad greens in my kitchen. The s/o is weird and eats them out of the bag.

The best use that I've seen for cocoa nibs is ice cream. Steep them in cream and strain it - it's a very subtle flavored ice cream that works wonderully as a substitute for vanilla as a contrasting flavor for cakes and pies.

It's worth making the trip to the Spice House anyway - and the last time I was there, they had them out for tasting. I kind of liked them, but then I'm a 65-75% cacao kind of gal.

justjoan wrote:hi, i think cocoa nibs are highly overrated and overpriced. they are the 'garbage' left over when producing cocoa, why are they so expensive?

Cacao nibs are not "the 'garbage' left over when producing cocoa." They are simply cacao beans that have been fermented, dried, roasted, crushed, and winnowed. They're the backbone of chocolate--not some useless byproduct.

Are they overrated? As far as I can tell, most people don't know what they are. And, of those who do, most aren't munching nibs out of hand.

Why are they so expensive? I didn't realize they were so expensive. Buying a two kilo box of Scharffen Berger nibs comes out to $16.70 per pound. And there are certainly cheaper alternatives (as well as some more expensive ones, for those who are wanting the best).

But, assuming you consider that expensive, what might justify that price? Well, consider that cacao nibs are by far the most expensive component of fully processed chocolate--more expensive than sugar, more expensive than cocoa butter (which is a byproduct of industrial chocolate makers), more expensive than the milk solids in milk chocolates. The actual percentage of cacao liquor or cacao mass (i.e., milled nibs) in most finished chocolate bars is perilously low, in an effort to cut costs.

Scott

excuse me, you're right, i misspoke. nibs are the bean itself. they just taste like the husk to me! jj

Treasure Island on Clybourn and Whole Foods have Scharffenberger cocoa nibs.

This ended up being a very good cookie recipe. Rich, chocolatey, even without the nibs.

HI,

Does this mean you never added the nibs? Or the nibs didn't add more to it?

Regards,

I decided to skip the nibs. This was for a donation to a cookie walk, the nibs might have put them off, and frankly, it was a very expensive ingredient that would have more than doubled the cost.

The cookies are very dense and rich as it is with all the chocolate and espresso, and the coarse sugar gives them a nice look. I was very happy with the final product as is.

Kafein-

All this talk about cocoa nibs had me out looking for them. (Wild Oats in Evanston carries them.) I picked up a package and tried the cookies from the link you provided. I also followed the advice to make the nibs smaller and processed them a bit before mixing them in. Mr. X, the official cookie taster of the house, proclaims the cookies quite good. I don't find the nibs off-putting at all.

-The GP

GP -

Glad you enjoyed the cookies. Next time I make them, I will try them with the nibs. Hopefully, it won't be a triple batch.

Kafein-

I did a double batch. Martha would not have been happy with me as I did not use a paper towel role to keep the shape of the cookie. Next time....

-The GP

I made a triple, I would have had to save paper towel tubes for 3 months. Mine had a "homemade" look. Which is just fine. I'm generally not a baker, all the measuring, etc...

That I didn't burn these (Yay Sil-Pat!) and they were still delicious is more than I hoped for.

Oddly, I was at Target today picking up supplies for a day-camping trip, and while looking for Hershey's chocolate for s'mores, found "Hershey's Cacao Reserve Extra Dark with Nibs"

I'm not a fan of Hershey products in any form (well, except that it melts really well under a hot marshmallow.) However, this was pretty darn good - the nibs were somewhere between the texture of pecans and espresso beans, but give a distinctive smoky bitterness. Good place to leap into nibs.