cookies and cream without the biscuit

I love making Easter chocolate treats for my family and would much rather create something in the kitchen than purchase a ready moulded bunny from the supermarket. My favourite chocolate is white chocolate and I am also a huge cookies and cream fan. However since going gluten free I haven’t been able to eat it and it’s the one thing I haven’t tried to replicate. Until now!

Having a large amount of cacoa nibs sitting in the pantry so I jumped on the net to look for ideas on how to use them up. I came across the idea to caramalise them. I was able to do this in my Thermomix but you can also do it on the stove.

It is amazing how the caramalised cacoa nibs taste different with a little bit of added sugar. The sweet chocolate flavour and crunchy texture gave me the idea to add them to white chocolate to make a gluten free cookies and cream chocolate bark.  I plan to use these in other chocolate recipes and I think they would taste great sprinkled on ice-cream.

ingredients

• 80g raw sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla essence
• 120g cacoa nibs
• 15g water
• 15g butter
• 360g milk chocolate (I prefer Nestle Milky Bar)

directions

1. Place sugar, vanilla essence and water into a pot and stir until the sugar has melted.
2. Add cacoa nibs and continue to stir for approximately 5 minutes.
3. Add the butter to the pot and stir until it has melted.
4. Spread the cacoa nibs over a lined baking tin and leave to cool for about 1 hour.
5. Melt the chocolate using your preferred method (double boiler on the stove or in the microwave for 45 second intervals).
6. Pour onto a large lined baking tin, sprinkle with the caramalised cacoa nibs and refrigerate until set.

Thermomix directions

1. Add the sugar, water vanilla essence to the TM bowl and heat at varoma temperature, 8 minutes, speed 1 reverse. Scrape down bowl.
2. Add the cacoa nibs and heat at varoma temperature, 6 minutes, speed 1 reverse.
3. Add the butter and heat at varoma temperature, 8 minutes, speed 1 reverse.
4. Spread the cacoa nibs over a lined baking tin and leave to cool for about 1 hour.
5. Place chocolate into TM bowl for 10 seconds, speed 9. Scrape down sides.
6. Heat at 50 degrees, 5 minutes, speed 1.
7. Pour onto a large lined baking tin, sprinkle with caramalised cacoa nibs and refrigerate until set.

Enjoy the bark? Check out our pretzel, cranberry and white chocolate bark.