Cocoa Nibs - what are they?

Today I jumped on to the very expensive craze and bought some cocoa nibs. I kept seeing this ingredient written all over health blogs or instagram posts and wondered why people saw it as such a fantastic ingredient....but now I understand why and so I'm going to share this new found knowledge with you!

Cocoa nibs

The coca nibs I purchased today!

So, what exactly are cocoa nibs?

Cocoa nibs are cocoa beans that have been roasted, separated from their husks, and then broken into smaller pieces. The breaking up and de-shelling of the beans is done by a winnower. Some of these nibs are then sold separately, often to specialist health food stores, but most are ground up and then made into a thick creamy paste known as chocolate liquor. This 'liquor' is then mixed with cocoa butter and sugar to form the chocolate that you or I would see in the supermarket (the likes of Hershey's, Cadbury and Galaxy.) The reason the everyday supermarket is so much cheaper than cocoa nibs is because we have added so many other cheaper products too it, and so the actual cocoa content is low.

What are some of the health benefits of cocoa nibs?

• Cocoa beans contain a huge amount of magnesium- with 272 milligrams per 100 grams. We need magnesium to carry out more than 300 biochemical reactions in our bodies!
• Cocoa nibs contain fibre (once ounce has 9 grams), however you don't get any fibre from a supermarket chocolate bar.
• Cocoa beans, especially when eaten raw, contain huge amounts of antioxidants. Any body that studied biology A Level should know the importance of antioxidants in absorbing free radicals that cause damage in the body!
• Theobromine makes up 2 percent of the cocoa bean. This is a nervous stimulant that dilates the blood vessels (similar to coffee), and therefore eating cocoa nibs has been linked to cardiovascular health benefits. It must be noted that these benefits are only referred to in raw chocolate, and not in dark or milk chocolate as such benefits are reduced during the cooking and alkalising process. 

What can I use cocoa nibs in?

The use of cocoa nibs as an ingredient is well on the rise, and here are some of my favourite recipes using cocoa nibs from some of the blogs I follow: 

• Cocoa, Banana and Avocado Smoothie - Deliciously Ella
• Raw Cocoa and Walnut Truffle Bites - Deliciously Ella
• The Healthiest Chocolate Mousse - Deliciously Ella
• Raw Brownies - Deliciously Ella 
• Healthy Nutella - Madeline Shaw
• Valentines Raw Chocolate Love Hearts - Madeline Shaw
• Super Food Energy Bars with Cocoa - This Rawsome Vegan Life
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There we go - I hope you have enjoyed reading a bit about cocoa nibs, and I would love to see any finished products you make using them!

MM xx