This April, two of life's simple pleasures made me wonder what took me so long to find them. The first was Yuzu Tea, which has now become my staple comfort drink at home and at work. The second, is cocoa nibs. Since reading about it on one of the local food blogs, I've been searching for it and came across it at Sun Lik some months ago. I grabbed a pack and it has been sitting on my shelf ever since. Finally, the packet was opened and the cocoa nibs got to see daylight today. Using the Nibby Pecan Cookies recipe from Alice Medrich's Bittersweet, I made half a batch using these Valrhona cocoa nibs. The smell from the oven was so enticing that I had to try one immediately though the recipe recommended the cookies to be served 24 hours after baking. At first bite, I loved it. I love the crunchy, nutty texture of the cocoa nibs, the strong cocoa flavour yet without the sweetness of chocolate. Boy, why did it take me so long to find you my love?
These may not look like the most appetising food you can find, but I love it for its dark, intense flavour without the complicating sweetness to it. I love the crunchiness and bite it lends to this delicious cookie. Now I'm wondering what else can these cocoa nibs go into. As an ice cream topping maybe? Or as a mix in for chiffon cakes? Hmmmm any suggestions? I still have quite some cocoa nibs waiting to be used :).