Q: I recently bought cacao nibs, but I CANNOT just eat them as they are because they are far too hard and tough on my teeth. I've tried boiling them, but nothing much happens, and all I can think to do is grind them to powder. But how to do that? And then how can I use them?
Sent by Rick
Editor: Rick, you could try grinding up cacao nibs in a spice grinder or coffee grinder to make them a little easier on your teeth. Once ground, you can use them in smoothies, mixed into baked goods, or sprinkled over oatmeal.
This post has some great ideas for using cacao nibs, including using ground nibs in meat rubs or braising sauces:
→ Bitter Crunchy Chocolate Bits: Cacao Nibs
Readers, how do you like to use cacao nibs? Any advice for grinding them?
Related: Cacao Nibs For Breakfast: 10 Delicious Rise-and-Shine Recipes
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That's interesting. The coca nibs I have are not that hard, but I don't eat them by the spoonful and quite often put them in something being cooked/baked. Have you tried roasting some? The nibs i have almost have a nut like texture, hard, but you can bite through them without issue.
I agree with the previous poster, I buy them all the time and put them on my oatmeal after it's done cooking. For me, it's like eating peanuts when it comes to texture and hardness. I am curious as to what brand you bought and if maybe they were old. I prefer "Navitas Naturals Cacao Nibs Raw Chocolate".
I've never cooked with cacao nibs myself, but I've had (and loved) products that have cacao nibs in them (like chocolate bars, energy bars, etc). I've never found them too hard on my teeth, but maybe when in packaged food they go through some sort of processing. The only thing I can think of to try is soaking them, possibly in some sort of flavored liqueur. I could see this working well if you were intending to add them to baked goods.
Make it into crumble. Put them on a pastry or something. Plus you'll have the fun smashing them into dust as punishment for hurting your teeth.
If you grind it into a powder, doesn't it just turn into cocoa? As in the already powdered stuff?
You could try making cacao tea -- steep the nibs in hot water for 5-6 minutes, strain, and then add sweetener or milk to taste. The flavor is very mild and you'll want to steep a lot longer than you would steep tea leaves, but you might find that you like it, and it definitely won't be too crunchy for your teeth!