Chocolate Extract

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I am not a Doctor & none of this is medical advice. It is here for entertainment & educational purposes only & it is up to you to talk to your health care practitioners first. The information shared is not intended as a substitute for professional advice. Always consult a qualified health care provider before making any health decisions

Before we get to making this extract we will be talking about our main ingredient Cacao nibs & what they actually are, whether roasting is a necessary step, some ways you can customize or enhance the flavor & then we will go over the instructions on making this extract

What are Cacao nibs?

Cacao nibs are the crushed pieces of the pods of the Theobroma Cacao.

Botanical Name: Theobroma Cacao

Common Name: Cacao Tree, Cocoa Tree

Plant Family: Malvaceae

Native to: Amazon Basin

Naturalized to: Central America

Botanical Description: The cacao tree is a tropical evergreen tree that is dependent upon warm tropical climates. It is a branching tree with pointed leaves measuring 24 inches long by 4 inches wide while the tree itself is generally between 13-66 feet tall. The tree is most famously known for its seeds or beans. The cocoa pods are green-white, yellow, purple or red in color & each pod contains 20-50 seeds.

Parts used: Seeds

Important To Note: Theobroma is a Greek word: “theos” means god & “broma” means food so Theobroma can be translated to mean “food of the gods”

I’m not going to be going over any of the herbal actions or bodily systems cacao affects as we aren’t going to be using cacao in medicinal doses, just as a way to flavor our recipes

However, I do feel as I were doing cacao a disservice to not at least mention that she does have the ability to do some pretty amazing things to heart & brain health, while also supporting the cardiovascular system & nervous system

Perhaps instead of saying “an apple a day keeps the doctor away”, a phrase that was actually created so that people would do other things with apples than just make cider. I propose we could change the slogan to “a chocolate bar a day keeps the heart attack away”

We can also use cacao as a tea in an infusion or decoction recipe to gain her medicinal benefits. The recommended dosage for medicinal use is up to 30g per day

Ceremonial dosages of cacao is around 42g which is generally taken to help encourage a meditative state but it is not a dosage that should be taken regularly, just on occasion.

Cacao nibs, which is what we will be using for this recipe, are broken down pieces of cacao beans. After the pods are harvested the beans inside go through a few different processes such as fermentation, dehydrating & roasting.

Since the nibs are minimally processed they retain all of their nutrients & antioxidants

Image of 4 cacao pods hanging off a branch

To Toast or Not to Toast, That is the Question

As always before we can decide what is the best answer to that question we actually have to understand what the process of toasting has to offer to the recipe. Deciding to do or not do a step before understanding what benefits could be gained or lost has always been a practice that’s baffled me, but to each their own I guess

Anyways, the process of toasting can enhance the flavor while increasing the aromatics. You do want to make sure you toast them at a low temperature & only long enough as to not damage the volatile oils in the nibs. Another word for volatile oils is essential oils.

Leaving the nibs untoasted they will retain more of their intense bitter flavor which will be transferred into our extract.

It is suggested that if you are looking for an extract that is rich as opposed to bitter then toasting is the way to go

Just think about what you’re going to be using this extract for & processed with what will give you the exact flavor you’re looking for

Ways to Enhance Flavor

Your choice of menstruum will also determine the overall flavor. Use any alcohol that is at least 35% ABV or 70 proof. You don’t need anything much higher than that.

Vodka gives a neutral, clean flavor allowing the chocolate to fully shine through
Bourbon gives a smoky, caramel type flavor, depending on the one you choose which can add a depth to the extract
Rum gives a slight sweet but mild flavor enhancing the sweetness of the nibs. White rum is a nice choice but dark rum will bring out even more sweetness from the nibs
Brandy gives a richness with fruity undertones

Just be sure to avoid spiced or flavored alcohols, those are not suitable for extractions

If you want to avoid alcohol completely use 3 parts glycerin to 1 part distilled water as your menstruum. Glycerine is quite sweet but it will complement the nibs quite nicely in the extraction

You could also throw in a few vanilla bean pods or spices such as whole cloves, cinnamon chips or allspice berries if you wanted to. Maybe even a dried chili pepper if you wanted to create a spicy chocolate extract.

Get creative, this is your extract after all. Just be sure to actually write down what you did so you can recreate it again next time you need to make a batch. Trust me you will not remember a year down the road exactly what you used.