Bite into one of these understated little morsels and you’ll be surprised by their unexpected interior.
Happily, they combine the sweet richness of creamed almonds with the deep, savoury, chocolate flavour and crunchy texture of cocoa nibs to produce a beautifully balanced petit four.
Decorated with a cocoa nib inserted into the top, they look perfectly cute.
They’re extremely easy to make. They keep very well. And they make a fabulous gift - if you can bear to give them away.
Rosie
CREAMED ALMOND AND COCOA NIB BALLS
Makes around 25
320 gm creamed almond (recipe below)
70 gm cocoa nibs
10 gm Dutch cocoa
Extra cocoa nibs to garnish
Knead the creamed almond and cocoa nibs together until thoroughly combined. Squeezing firmly, roll into balls about two teaspoonsful in size (about 15 gm).
Sift the cocoa into a small bowl and one by one roll the balls around in the cocoa until thoroughly coated. Stab a cocoa nib into the top of each one, if desired, to garnish.
CREAMED ALMOND
125 gm almond meal
250 gm icing sugar
2 teaspoons lemon juice, strained
1 teaspoon dry sherry
1 tablespoon water
Place almond meal and icing sugar in a food processor and process until fine. Add lemon juice, sherry and 3 teaspoons of the water. Process until the mixture forms a ball. Add more water, a drop at a time if necessary.
Creamed almond will keep for months wrapped tightly in plastic wrap in an airtight container in the fridge.