Cacao brownies

My husband and I have recently discovered brewed cacao beans. Cacao beans ground up and brewed just like coffee beans. Pure genius. Absolutely divine.

I only wish we had come up with this idea years ago! It’s still kind of a new thing just emerging on the market, but I predict this drink will be the next biggest food trend, perhaps maybe 2020’s hottest culinary discovery.

The brand we’ve found most available is called Crio Bru, and in line with my predictions for this brewed cacao to hit the food scene hot, I suspect more and more companies jump on the bandwagon to harvest, roast, and package their own cacao beans.

Crio Bru claims their product contains significantly less caffeine than even a cup of decaf coffee, and rather instead, it is rich in theobromine, which is a delicate stimulant of different sorts, known for its long-lasting, stabilizing energy effects. Unlike caffeine, theobromine supposedly does not cause the jitters or typical caffeine crashes. It’s quite the naturally occurring energy boost! Most importantly, Crio Bru claims a multitude of health benefits, choc-full (no pun intended!) of antioxidants and minerals, such as magnesium.

You brew the ground cacao beans just like you would coffee, either in a French press (which is the recommended method), or in a traditional coffee maker. We’ve tried both methods, and also tried preparing the drink using an Aero press. All three methods yielded a fantastic, rich cacao drink, but the French press took the cake. The French press method, which allows the beans to steep for longer, created a deeper, chocolatier cup. It’s like drinking hot cocao without the cream and sugar. It’s bittersweet, but beautifully delicious!

Because the ratio of beans to water is higher than that used for coffee, 2 tablespoons per 8 ounces of water, plus if you want a richer cup, Crio Bru suggests you use ¼ cup of grounds per 8 ounces of water. So, you end up using quite a large amount of grounds for not a whole lot of drinkable beverage. However, with this said, my husband and I have been savvy about re-using the grounds for double and sometimes triple extractions. Yes, the final brew is much weaker in color and taste, but still has a lovely chocolate flavor.

Even after using the grounds once, twice, or even three times, I just could not bring myself to throw away the ground cacao. They’re still perfectly wonderful cacao nib grounds! Plus, they’re expensive! I kept the grounds in my refrigerator for several days figuring out how to re-purpose them, and boy did I over-deliver!

I wanted to make my own rich, chocolatey paleo brownies. I started out by pureeing the cacao grinds with a little bit of water in a food processor to make a thick paste. It took a good 5-6 minutes to achieve the smooth consistency I wanted. I then removed the cacao paste from the food processor and ground up a combination of walnuts and almond flour. Next, I removed the nuts from the food processor and moved on to the sweet component of the brownies, the dates. I soaked about 30 pitted dates in some warm water to soften them up, then added both the water and the dates to the food processor to create a sweet date paste. I then threw the cacao spread and the ground nuts in the food processor with the date paste and pulsed everything together until it was one, smooth mixture.

I spread the mixture out into a glass baking dish and baked the brownies at 350F for about 1 hour. The intense chocolate aroma that filled my house was unbearable! I could not wait to dig in! I impatiently waited until the brownies were cool enough to cut, a meager 20 minutes, and helped myself to not one, not even two, but three warm, gooey, decadent brownies.

If you really have a hankering for chocolate, enjoy a cup of freshly brewed Crio Bru with a warm brownie! And don’t let those brewed grinds go to waste! Save them again and use them in many other ways. You could make extra cacao paste (with just the cacao and a touch of water) and use it in the following ways:
Add into mole sauce
Stir 3-4 tablespoons into pot of chili
Spread 1-2 tablespoons onto toast with homemade ja
Swirl 1 tablespoon into bowl of oatmeal and top with banana and drizzle of maple syrup

Cacao brownies (makes 24 brownies)

For the cacao paste:
3 cups leftover brewed cacao beans, such as Crio Bru
¼ cup water, more if needed

For the nuts:
1 cup walnuts
2 cups almond flour

For the date paste:
30 pitted dates
½ cup warm water, more if needed

First, preheat the oven to 350F and soak the dates. Cut the dates into halves or chunks and allow to soak in warm water while you prepare the rest of the ingredients. Next, make the cacao paste. In a food processor, add the ground cacao beans and water. Puree for 5-6 minutes, scraping down the sides occasionally as needed, until you achieve a smooth, nut butter-like consistency with no chunks. Remove from the food processor and set aside. Next, grind up the nuts. Place the walnuts and almond flour into the bowl of the food processor and pulse until the nuts are evenly combined. (Note, the walnuts will not be as fine as the almond flour, but this is okay! We want a little texture!). Dump the nut mixture into a separate bowl, then add the dates and their soaking liquid to the food processor and puree into a smooth, date paste. Toss back in the cacao spread and ground nut mixture and pulse everything together. Pulse and puree until everything is evenly combined. Pour the brownie batter into a large glass baking dish and bake at 350F for about 1 hour. Allow to cool completely before cutting. Brownies will be gooey and crumbly, but absolutely divine!