So I have a lovely following of chocolate, soap and skincare makers who buy our organic raw cacao powder, cacao butter and now the cacao nibs.......

WHY HAVEN'T I EVER TRIED CACAO NIBS??!!

I'm so busy making soap and organising orders, when I DO get a chance to stop and have a moment to myself, I'm usually researching and dabbling online or formulating some kind of new product for SOE.

I sat back the other day and was wondering what I could do with those amazing smelling cacao nibs I was packaging up. They remind me of some kind of floral, fruity banana-ish fragrance crossed with a heavenly choccy, blend of goodness knows what! I had to do a little research on what I could make with the nibs aside from snacking on  them.

I read so many chocolate blogs and web pages, and watched so many youtube videos that I ended up being lead back to the very beginning of cacao or xocóatl.

The Mayans & Aztecs! I won't go into the history of it all as its just too much for me to type out. There's plenty of resources out there.

Traditional recipes vary, but the method of getting chocolate from the nibs is one heck of a process, especially if you don't have the appropriate machinery!!

To get to my point, I found a recipe to make chocolate discs for the most amazing hot chocolate drink. Better than any store bought hot chocolate powdered drink I've ever had!

To all those awesome chocolate makers out there, I give you props as this was so much work for me! You would probably have a better method to getting the same result ~ OR a better recipe but this was as close to a traditional South American hot chocolate as I could find.

As I don't have a massive sweet tooth, I measured my experimental recipe as a 1:1 ratio of cacao nibs to sugar.

I think in my next batch I'll be using way less sugar in a 2:1 ratio of cacao nibs to sugar. I can add more if its too bitter.

I use raw sugar for this recipe. You can use white, coconut sugar, honey or nothing at all.

Method & Recipe

• 2 1/2 cups cacao nibs
• 2 1/2 cups raw sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon of chili powder - Optional extra kick!

You can add spices like cardamom, ginger, turmeric, vanilla, star anise, nutmeg, coconut oil, what ever takes your fancy!
Cayenne pepper gives a nice kick and increases the effect of the cacao.

1. Toast the nibs on a low heat using a dry fry pan. Keep the nibs moving until you get that chocolaty aroma. Approx 5 mins
2. Using a coffee grinder or spice mill, grind the cacao nibs, cinnamon (any other spices), salt and sugar as finely as possible - this will take about 30 seconds or longer in a standard electric grinder. You will need to do this in several batches if your grinder is as small as mine! The heat and friction will help melt the natural cocoa butter mix into a paste.Make sure all the grounds have become a paste.
3. Spoon out the paste into a bowl as this is now the base for your drink.
4. Make up a ball with approximately 2 tablespoons of paste and flatten into a disc.
5. Lay onto a tray with baking paper and split almost to the bottom of the disc down the middle. Each half will be good for two serves. The separation will make it easier to break in half OR you can just make teaspoon sized discs as single serve pellets. Single serve just takes too long to make and its fiddly if you can't work quick as the paste will start to harden.
6. Allow to air dry hard for a few hours.
7. Eat the crumbs!

NOTE - if the paste hardens you will have to break the chocolate up and blend again until its a paste.

How to make your chocolate drink
Add 1 cup of liquid to a small pot, over a medium heat - if using water,
low-medium heat if using milk of some kind, then add the chocolate portion.
Half a disc for two serves.

Don't stop stirring! until chocolate has dissolved or you'll get a milk skin.

Turn up the heat just for a moment until it gets bubbly then remove from heat.
Mix with a small milk stick frother or hand whisk to create some lovely airy bubbles.
If you can't wait to drink it, bubbles or not, just pour and serve up!

If you make it with full cream milk, simmer on a low heat so you don't burn the milk!

This was made with full cream milk and a dash of extra cinnamon

These discs will keep for a year in a dark, airtight container if you haven't drunk or eaten it all before then!

ENJOY!

They aren't the prettiest looking discs of chocolate but you get the idea :)