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Cocoa Nib Ice Cream

Cocoa nibs are nothing more than pieces of roasted cocoa beans, the basic building blocks of chocolate. They’re slightly bitter, with an intense flavor that can vary greatly depending on their origin. While you can taste a hint of the chocolate they can become, they really have a unique and incomparable flavor of their own.

I was thrilled when I came across this recipe in Bittersweet: Recipes and Tales from a Life in Chocolate by Alice Medrich. It takes the primal elements of chocolate – cocoa nibs, sugar, and cream – and combines them to create something marvelously and entirely different.

This is easily one of the best ice cream flavors I have ever tasted. To give you some perspective, my other favorites are jasmine ginger, chocolate pomegranate, honey saffron, and raspberry rum cayenne chocolate chip fudge brownie. The exquisite simplicity of this cocoa nib ice cream matches and perhaps beats them all.

Cocoa Nib Ice Cream
1 1/2 C heavy cream
1 1/2 C whole milk
1/4 C cocoa nibs, finely chopped
1/2 C sugar
1/8 tsp salt
Additional cocoa nibs, to be used as a topping

Bring all ingredients (except those nibs which are to sprinked on as a topping later) to boil over medium heat. Remove from heat, cover, and let steep for about 20 minutes. After the mixture has had a chance to steep, strain it through a fine strainer and/or cheesecloth, making sure to squeeze all the liquid out of the cocoa nibs, which are then discarded. Refrigerate and then freeze in your ice cream maker.

When serving, sprinkle on some extra, unsteeped cocoa nibs on as a topping. The contrasting texture and concentrated bursts of flavor perfect the experience.

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12 Responses to “Cocoa Nib Ice Cream”

  1. Brian says:

    Good lord that sounds good. I reviewed SweetRiot Cacao Nibs
    not too long ago and they were fantastic. I LOVE ice cream too –
    I can imagine this is wonderful!

    Brian
    http://candyaddict.com

  2. Danielle says:

    Brian, you should try Lillie Rocks – they’re these delicious spice and cocooa powder coated cocoa nibs. I picked some up at the Chocolate Show a few months back and I love them.

  3. Tania says:

    Ooh, I have this beautiful book and, though I love ice cream, have never tried this recipe. How wonderful to know it’s a success. Sounds splendid!

  4. Julie says:

    Danielle, this looks superb. I’m going to dust off my ice-cream maker just for this!

  5. suzun says:

    where do you get cocoa nibs? are they freakishly expensive?

    my most recent exciting food discovery: olive oil gelato.

  6. Danielle says:

    They’re not freakishly expensive, and you can get them in most gourmet stores or order them online. I bought these at Garden of Eden on Montague St. in Brooklyn Heights, but I’ve been thinking of ordering my nibs from Chocolate Alchemy in the future, since I want to compare the tastes of the different types of nibs they have.

  7. Ivonne says:

    My decision to buy an ice cream maker has only been reaffirmed by this post. Wonderful … and I have “Bittersweet” which is a lovely book. Great post!

  8. suzun says:

    awesome! i will add this to the long, long, long list of ice creams i want to try.

  9. RhiannonStone says:

    Oh my this sounds wonderful! I am totally making this next time I haul out the ice cream maker.

  10. keiko says:

    Danielle, this looks so good, I’ll definitely try it. I didn’t even know the recipe was in the book :)

  11. valentina says:

    This is my first visit to your website and I have been taken aback by the beauty of it.Congratulations for the fabulous work.

  12. ladygoat says:

    Ooh! Thanks for the recipe! I’m definitely trying this.

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