Crazy Good Cocoa Nib Cookies, Part I
The taste of these crisp yet tender cookies is a little elusive.
There’s a roasty flavor, almost of mocha or coffee.
There’s a whisper of boozy complexity.
And there’s a quick, very subtle hit of chocolate that comes and goes in a blink.
These Nibby Pecan Cookies are from “Bittersweet” (Artisan) by chocolate doyenne, Alice Medrich.
They get their distinctiveness from toasted pecans, a dash of real bourbon and a heap of cocoa nibs.
If you’re a newbie to nibs, they’re a fun ingredient worth exploring. Nibs are small broken shards of roasted, shelled and cracked cocoa beans before they fully become chocolate. They are unsweetened and very crunchy, with a pleasant bitterness like a fine Italian espresso. Sprinkle them on green salads for a new-wave topping. They’re great for baking, too, because they retain that appealing, teeth-grinding crunchiness.
For these cookies, I used a sample of Amano Artisan Chocolate’s Barlovento Roasted Cocoa Nibs (a 6-ounce bag is $10.95) Made of beans from the Barlovento region of Venezuela, the nibs are rich and nuanced.
These cookies can be made either as slice-and-bake ones or rolled out and cut with any cookie cutters of your choice. I opted for the former method, mixing the dough, forming it into a log, then refrigerating it overnight to firm up, before baking them the next day.
I love the speckled look of these cookies.
With one bite, I know you’ll love them, too.
Nibby Pecan Cookies
(Makes about forty-eight 2-inch cookies)
Alice Medrich writes, “The flavor of the cocoa beans develops and infuses the cookies over time, so I strongly recommend that you make the dough a day before baking and bake the cookies at least 24 hours before you serve them — longer is even better.”
1 cup (3 1/2 ounces) pecan halves
1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt (slightly rounded if you like)
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon bourbon (optional)
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/3 cup cocoa nibs
2 cups all-purpose flour
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
Spread pecans on a cookie sheet. Toast them in the oven for 7 to 8 minutes, or until fragrant and lightly colored. Let cool, then chop.
Combine butter, sugar, salt, bourbon, if using, and vanilla in a medium bowl, and using a large spoon or an electric mixer on high speed, beat until smooth and creamy but not fluffy (about 1 minute with a mixer). Stir or beat in pecans and cocoa nibs. Turn off mixer, if you are using one, and add all the four at once. Beat on low speed to prevent flour from flying out, just until the flour is fully incorporated. Or stir in the flour until incorporated. If necessary, finish mixing with your hands.
For slice-and-bake cookies: Form dough into a 12-inch log about 2 inches thick.
For rolled and cut cookies: Divide it in half and form into two flat patties.
Wrap dough and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, preferably overnight. (The dough can be frozen for up to 3 months.)
Position racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees.
To slice and bake: Use a sharp knife to cut the cold dough log into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Place cookies at least 1 1/2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets.
To roll and cut cookies: Remove one patty from refrigerator and let it sit at room temperature until supple enough to roll but still quite firm — it will continue to soften as you work. Roll dough out between two pieces of wax paper or between heavy plastic sheets (from a heavy-duty plastic bag) to a thickness of 1/4 inch. Turn dough over once or twice while you are rolling it out to check for deep wrinkles; if necessary, peel off and smooth paper or plastic over dough before continuing to roll it. Peel off the top sheet of paper or plastic and place it in front of you. Invert dough onto the paper and peel off second sheet. Cut out cookies as close together as possible to minimize scraps, dipping edges of cookie cutters in flour as necessary to prevent sticking. Use point of a paring knife to lift and remove scraps as you transfer cookies, using a narrow metal spatula, to ungreased cookie sheets, placing cookies at least 1 1/2 inches apart. (If dough gets too soft at any time while you are working, slide a cookie sheet underneath the paper or plastic and refrigerate dough for a few minutes until it firms up again.) Repeat with second piece of dough. Press all dough scraps together gently (don’t overwork them with too much kneading), reroll, and cut out more cookies.
Bake for 12 to 14 minutes, or until cookies are light golden brown at the edges, rotating the cookie sheets from top to bottom and front to back halfway through baking. Let cookies firm up on the pans for about 1 minutes before transferring them to a rack with a metal pancake turner. Let cool completely. For best flavor and texture, store cookies in an airtight container for at least 24 hours before serving. (They can be stored airtight for at least 1 month.)
From “Bittersweet” by Alice Medrich
More Tomorrow: Crazy Good Cocoa Nib Cookies, Part II
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Wednesday, 9. December 2009 5:24
I think I drooled at the sight of that cookie closeup! So close to me yet so far! Haha
Wednesday, 9. December 2009 8:27
OOOOOH those look good
Wednesday, 9. December 2009 8:32
Cocoa nibs are awesome! Your cookies look fantastic!
Cheers,
Rosa
Wednesday, 9. December 2009 9:37
I don’t drink coffee, but love any coffee-flavored like ice cream. So this looks like another fun way to get my mocha fix!
Wednesday, 9. December 2009 9:52
I love them already! They are so pretty and I love slice and bake cookies-they’re so simple and they come out looking so elegant. Thank you for posting this, it’s definitely going into my christmas cookie rotation.
Wednesday, 9. December 2009 12:00
Your sliced cookies look great, and the pecans and nibs sound delicious together!
Wednesday, 9. December 2009 13:25
I don’t know why crazy cookies
Crazy is not eating all of them fast!
All the best,
Gera
Wednesday, 9. December 2009 13:37
These look great. Thanks, Carolyn. I will bake these for the teachers’ Christmas luncheon on Thursday at my daughter’s school. (i will use some of the last nibs from my last Scharfenberger tour.)
Wednesday, 9. December 2009 13:47
Okay, you had me wanting the cookie after seeing the beautiful photo, and your description makes we want it even more… I guess some dark chocolate will have to do for now…
Wednesday, 9. December 2009 13:49
Carolyn, someday I will learn to type with all my fingers!
Wednesday, 9. December 2009 14:06
Just sent a little blog love your way over at the hungry dog…
Wednesday, 9. December 2009 16:49
I love cocoa nibs, and those cookies sound great. Love the combination of flavors with the bourbin
Wednesday, 9. December 2009 18:49
I love cocoa nibs. I am a reluctant baker but would love to try this recipe!
Wednesday, 9. December 2009 19:20
Oh now these sound like a slice of heaven and perfect with a cup of coffee.
Wednesday, 9. December 2009 21:31
Thank you for saying you can put nibs on green salad! I just told that to a friend and she replied, well then your salad is dessert! Puhleeeeeease! Adding chocolate to a dish doesn’t make it dessert. It just makes it better at what it is.
Wednesday, 9. December 2009 23:04
Marni: Don’t forget to remind your friend about the chocolate in mole sauce, too, and that’s definitely not dessert.
Thursday, 10. December 2009 4:59
These cookies are inspired! The coco nibs must be fantastic in a cookie! Thanks for the great post!
Thursday, 10. December 2009 12:34
Baked these last night. They are a delight! Had promised 3 dozen for teachers luncheon. They were delivered this morning. (I swear!) But my family enjoyed the remaining cookies. last night and in lunch boxes today. Thanks, Food Gal!
Thursday, 10. December 2009 13:59
Michele: You are fast! Glad you made the cookies and loved them. I forgot to add that if you don’t have bourbon in the house, the recipe also works well with scotch or whiskey.
Thursday, 10. December 2009 17:14
Is it kind of like a biscotti? If not, could you use nibs in biscotti?
Thursday, 10. December 2009 17:32
Mardi:You can absolutely positively use nibs in biscotti recipes. This particular cookie is not quite as crunchy as biscotti. It’s crispy to be sure, but a little more tender than biscotti.
Friday, 11. December 2009 12:51
I think everything should have a whisper of boozy complexity. A scream is good with me too.
Friday, 11. December 2009 14:43
Oh my, these look absolutely fabulous. Can’t wait to make them. Nibs, almonds and whisky.. great combo.
Sunday, 13. December 2009 11:48
I love the look of these cookies, but I’ll bet they taste fantastic too. Have never used cocoa nibs, but I want to try with these.
Monday, 22. March 2010 5:23
[...] More Cocoa Nib recipes: Nibby Pecan Cookies [...]
Tuesday, 26. April 2011 5:26
[...] More Alice Medrich Recipes: Nibby Pecan Cookies [...]
Thursday, 1. March 2012 3:34
I made these and they were scrumptious! I loved the added flavor of the toased pecans. I didn’t have any bourbon and so added Bailey’s …. YUM! I’m going to try them with some grated orange zest and orange liqueur.