Columbus Foodie

Sugar High Friday is an event started by Jennifer of The Domestic Goddess, and one that has grown in popularity over time. The theme for this month’s Sugar High Friday, hosted by Chocolate in Context, is raw chocolate. I had originally planned on making something with cocoa powder, but as luck has it, I ran across a box of cacao nibs while shopping at Whole Foods yesterday. Unsure of what to do with them, I did a little research online, and found out that they can be used in place of chocolate chips in different recipes.

With that in mind, I found a recipe online for Cacao Nib Drop Cookies. So I made them, and was surprised to see that they came out big and round and perfectly flat (which rarely happens when I make cookies – usually they turn out really puffy, which I don’t really like). The taste is quite like chocolate chip cookies, but with a little bit of crunch – kind of nutty and chocolatey at the same time.

They are quite good on their own, but when I saw Lisa ’s post today about Jeni’s new butterscotch cocoa nib ice cream…well, I was feeling downright inspired. Here’s the product of my inspiration:

Yes, you’re seeing right – Cacao Nib Ice Cream Sandwich, with Jeni’s Butterscotch and Cocoa Nib ice cream in the middle. Words cannot express how much I love the texture of this – like milk and cookies with crunchy bits.

And speaking of Jeni’s – lookie what I picked up when I went to get the ice cream tonight – her own version of “ice cream sandwich” made with a smoked almond macaron and salty caramel ice cream ($4 at the Grandview store). Drool.

I think Jeni’s ice cream tastes good with just about anything. And it was such a beautiful day today (high of 80) that I just couldn’t resist.