Caramelized Cacao Nibs

Cacao nibs are cocoa beans which have been roasted but not yet ground and mixed with sugar, cocoa butter, and flavorings to make chocolate. They have a rich, intense chocolate flavor, but they're not as sweet or fatty as chocolate. They're great in place of chocolate chips to give desserts a more nuanced and sophisticated flavor. 

To take the bitter edge off of cacao nibs, you can caramelize them with butter and sugar, making addictive caffeine-laced clusters which are wonderful additions to cookies or ice cream. You can find them at www.culinarydistrict.com, www.chocolatesource.com, and other online retailers. Here are recipes for caramelized cacao nibs and cacao nib ice cream adapted from Michael Recchiuti's wonderful book 

Chocolate Obsession: Confections and Treats to Create and Savor.

Caramelized Cacao Nibs

1 1/2 cups cacao nibs
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp butter

Line a baking sheet with a nonstick mat or parchment paper and set it aside. Make sure your kitchen is well-ventilated, as this procedure may create a little smoke. Heat the cacao nibs and sugar in a heavy-bottomed saucepan until most of the sugar is melted (about 15 minutes). The cacao nibs will start to smoke, and a few chunks of sugar may remain. Stir in the butter and make sure it is evenly distributed throughout the mixture. Pour mixture out onto the lined baking sheet to cool. When they are cool, you can break the cacao nibs into pieces of your desired size with a rolling pin.

Cacao Nib Ice Cream

1 2/3 cups whole milk or soy milk
1/2 cup and 1/3 cup sugar, divided
1/2 cup cacao nibs (un-caramelized)
5 egg yolks
1 cup heavy whipping cream (make sure you don't get light cream)
3/4 cup caramelized cacao nibs (see above)

Whisk together the milk, 1/2 cup of sugar, and the raw cacao nibs in a medium, heavy-bottomed saucepan. Scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean and add the seeds and the pod to the milk mixture. Bring to a boil over medium heat, and then turn off the heat, place the top on the pan, and let it steep for about 30 minutes.

Strain the cacao nibs and vanilla from the mixture, and place them out to dry. They still have plenty of flavor left in them, and they can be used again for another recipe.

While the milk is reheating, mix the egg yolks and remaining 1/3 cup of sugar at high speed until pale and thick (3 to 5 minutes). Switch the mixer to low and slowly pour in the warm milk. Beat until just combined.

Return the mixture to the saucepan and cook over medium heat, whisking constantly until the custard coats the back of a spoon and registers 200 degrees. The mixture should be noticeably thickened.

If desired, you can pass this mixture through a fine-meshed sieve, but I usually don't take this extra step. Let the milk cool to room temperature, and chill overnight in the refrigerator.

The next day, freeze in an ice cream freezer according to manufacturer's instructions, blending in the caramelized nibs at the very end.