Cacao Nib Corn Cookies
20 min 
15 cookies 
Created by Howard Middleton, this gluten free Cacao Nib Corn Cookies recipe comes courtesy of the Great British Chef’s recipe collection. The generic chocolate chips used in the recipe can be replaced by our rich and chocolatey Food Thoughts Roasted Cacao Nibs. These add the perfect crunch to this tasty treat that is gloriously gluten-free too.
Cacao is rich in flavanols and antioxidants as well as iron and fibre. So it is the perfect superfood choice to add to these scrummy cookies (although you could add nuts too if you wish).
Howard assures us that these cacao nib corn cookies are tasty and easy to make with a lovely soft centre that becomes crisper after a while. They are made with corn flour (not the starchy, silky white cornflour that you usually thicken stews and gravy with, but the yellow kind made from maize) sometimes known as extra fine cornmeal. This is easily available in most health food shops and some supermarkets. The Food Thoughts Luxury Dark Chocolate Chips add an extra layer of rich velvety chocolate flavour that makes the cookies irresistible.
You will need
- 125g Food Thoughts Dark Chocolate Chips
- 125g unsalted butter
- 125g maize flour (yellow corn flour)
- 50g Food Thoughts Organic Cocoa Powder
- 125g demerara sugar
- 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 1 tsp xanthan gum
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp vanilla paste, or vanilla extract
- 50g Food Thoughts Roasted Cacao Nibs
- Optional - 50g roasted hazelnuts, pecans, or other nuts of choice chopped
Method
Preheat the oven to 170°C/gas mark 3 or 4 and line 2 baking sheets with non-stick baking parchment.
Melt the chocolate chips and butter together – the easiest way to do this is in a heatproof bowl in the microwave. Give it a 30 second blast, then stir gently. Three blasts in total should do it.
Put the maize flour, cocoa powder, sugar, bicarbonate of soda and xanthan gum in a large mixing bowl and stir to combine.
Whisk the egg with the vanilla paste and pour into the dry ingredients, then add the melted chocolate and butter and mix well.
Add Food Thoughts Roasted Cacao Nibs and chopped nuts (if using) and stir them in.
Scoop and roll tablespoon-sized balls of the mixture onto the baking sheets, leaving gaps of at least 5cm in between. The mixture will spread, but press the dough balls down a little with your hand if you prefer a thinner cookie.
Bake for about 18–20 minutes until the surface is cracked, with a slight crust that’s dry to the touch. Leave to cool for a few minutes on the baking sheet, then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling and to firm up.
When cool, store in an airtight container. The cookies’ centres are soft and a little cake-like when freshly baked, and more biscuity the next day.
