Oftentimes I incorporate cocoa nib tuiles in a plated dessert or serve them with sorbets such as mango-passion fruit, raspberry or chocolate. They are also terrific when dipped in tempered chocolate for enhanced flavor complexity. They work equally well with milk or dark chocolate.
Coated in tempered milk chocolate, the cocoa nib temperament is pronounced clearly and then they are excellent when paired with coffee or espresso. If dipped in semi or bitter sweet tempered chocolate I suggest serving them with hot cocoa or Port for a delicious treat.
Cocoa nibs are available raw, roasted and caramelized roasted. Any variety will work in most pastry applications. For simply snacking or a quick sprinkle on gelato or sorbet I do prefer the caramelized version.
The family of tuiles has one downfall which is that they cannot tolerate humidity well. They simply attract moisture to them. So after preparing these they have to be quickly stored in an airtight container and perhaps stored with a desiccant. A great solution is simply to consume these within a few hours of making! Another way out is to dip them entirely into tempered chocolate of choice and thus essentially make them impervious.
Getting It All Together!
Prepare the cocoa nib tuiles the same day they will be served unless if you will be dipping them entirely in tempered chocolate. Store airtight either way. Serve as is or with chocolate mousse, sorbet, gelato, espresso, hot chocolate or Port. If you are uncertain on how to temper chocolate, visit “tempering chocolate” on this blog for a quick and easy method.
Cocoa Nib Tuiles
| 7 Tablespoon | (3.5 oz) | Unsalted butter | 100 g |
| ½ Cup + 1 Tbsp | (4.5 oz) | Extra Fine Granulated Sugar | 135 g |
| ½ Cup | (2 oz) | Glucose or corn syrup | 60 g |
| 3 Tablespoons | (1.5 oz) | Milk | 45 g |
| 1 teaspoon | (0.15 oz) | Vanilla bean paste or extract | 5 g |
| 1 pinch | (pinch) | Salt | pinch |
| ½ Cup | (3 oz) | Cocoa nibs | 90 g |
- Combine all the ingredients excluding the cocoa nibs in a saucepan and boil the mixture while stirring to 230 (110). Remove from heat and add the cocoa nibs. Let cool.
- To obtain a perfect round tuile as shown in the picture a round silicone form is necessary. Silicone muffin pans work perfectly. For a muffin size indention use 1 ½ teaspoon of the mixture. It is very little but the mixture will spread. For different size silicone forms it may be necessary to perform a test to find out the right amount to use. Remember the mixture can spread thinner than a credit card.
- Place in a 350 for about 10 minutes or until golden brown.
- Once cooled store airtight or dip in tempered chocolate.
You have outdone yourself again! These look light, airy, and delicious! I can’t wait to try!
Chef Eddy, your photography is amazing!
I am intrigued by your serving suggestions and am a BIG fan of coffee… but I’m also thinking that dipping these in chocolate and serving with hot chocolate sounds equally wonderful! My cousin is coming to visit in a couple of weeks and, after seeing some pictures of today’s tart made in class, she has strongly hinted that she loves chocolate. This would be a fun and distinctly different treat to serve after dinner one night while she is here! Thanks for posting this!
Just finished making these and they are amazing! Thank you for the recipe. P.
Chef Eddy,
Thank you so much for this new tempering technique. It is wonderful and simple to do and I look forward to using it for an anniversary surprise. Keep up the good work, YOU are AMAZING!
Made these yesterday afternoon and shared them with my friends from Boston who are self proclaimed coffee afficionados… I made them in muffin silicone cups (Finally used these things…) and they came out great. Cheers to you!
I think your blog is wonderful (honest). I love the photogrpahy. Food photography has always been a huge interest and I will one day master it! I will have to make some time to try some of your recipes and tricks! Thanks!
Chef Erin,
Thank you very much for your kind compliments!
Eddy.
Enjoyed making these! All on they’re own they are a crisp and impressive little treat, but next time I make them I will dip them in chocolate as suggested. Thank you for something new to serve with coffee and company!
Eddy,
These are stunning and we’ll try them for Sylvia and Jim’s visit. Marvelous. Many thanks.
Priscilla,
Thank you very much for your comment! Have a great time with Sylvia and Jim!
Dag Eddy,
Fijn om je website te leren kennen via je moeder. Nu kan ik ook zien wat je te berde brengt in Amerika. ‘t ziet er allemaal verrukkelijk uit! Het proberen waart. Ook al ben ik niet zo goed als jou.
Groetjes, Ingrid uw nichtje uit Beervelde (Belgie)
Het gaat u goed daar in de states.
Wonderful as usual
Hi, Again…I have made tuilles using an acetate cut out – but not the muffin pans… I see others have been successful, but honestly, how doe this work? Yours teaspoon is photoed above, and then do you pinch the batter into the shape of the pan and turn it out on a surpace when cooked to flatten and harden? Or, do the teaspoons simply melt and cook into rounds on the bottom of the silicone muffin pans. These look so much smaller that your tuilles. I am guessing the later – but the first tuille you photographed beside the raspberry appears to be much larger than the bottom of any muffin pan I have come across… and maybe that one you spread across an acetate cut out.
Thanks for taking the time to answer, when you do. 🙂
Hi Valerie,
The tuiles will spread perfectly inside a silicone pan- muffin-tart or other. So no need to stencil the batter. The one that is featured in the photo with the raspberry was baked in a silicone pan 10 cm in diameter.
Thank you for your question and thank you very much for your kind comments about my work.
All the best to you Valerie,
Eddy.
This is something new chef eddy… Half the tempering chocolate and half the cocoa nibs… very smart… Later…
Hola Chef,
What would be a good substitute for the cocoa nibs in this specific recipe?
Gracias,
You could try toasted sesame seeds with perhaps some crushed coffee beans. It may be nice.
Eddy
I got to this recipe from the Passion Fruit Chocolate Mousse page. It caught my eye because I didn’t know what was on the glass in the picture and it was pretty, but now I know and can attempt this at home! I want to try dipping it in strawberry chocolate with strawberry bits.
This Cocoa Nibs Tuiles add a very nice texture to the Passion Fruit Chocolate mousse.