In the new year, I am resolving to eat less candy. Or, maybe I’ll just eat better candy. More adult-sounding candy, whose packaging uses words “dark” and “nib.” Candy that sounds like a luxurious decadent indulgence, but is only one calorie per piece. Move over Tic Tacs. There’s a new girl in town and her name is Trader Joe’s Dark Chocolate Nibs. She’s small, dark, low-calorie, and alllll chocolate. First, let me introduce you to cocoa nibs. If you’re not familiar, a nib is the kernel of unprocessed cacao bean, after the husk has been removed. In a way it’s like a chocolate nut – sorta.
Each of Trader Joe’s Dark Chocolate Nibs is small, about the size of a Tic Tac, and consists of a cocoa nib drenched in 65% cacao dark chocolate. The chocolate is definitely dark, with a sort of liquor flavor. Because the pieces are so small, it’s hard to detect the texture of the chocolate, but it seems pretty smooth. The nibs inside are gritty and crunchy, sort of similar to the texture of a nut or a coffee bean. Of the 20 or so nibs I ate (all in the name of research!), one of them was hard like a piece of a nut shell (or a chocolate rock). Not pleasant. But since that was the only one, I’m guessing it probably isn’t a frequent occurance. Because of the intense flavor of the chocolate and nibs, I definitely felt like I was getting a chocolate fix, even after eating just one or two.
Packaged in a jaunty flip-top tin and with a price tag of about $2, these treats are the perfect little secret weapon to keep you on your diet yet satisfy your chocolate cravings at the same time. I recommend these if you must have chocolate, but must avoid excess. If you’re not on a diet, they’re still fun and worth a try.
- Buy them at Trader Joe’s Stores
NO!!!!! I’m in San Antonio, TX and the nearest place to get this is New Mexico this makes me sad panda. :(
February 2nd, 2011 at 10:55 amTrader Joes, one of the many things I miss about living in the United States. Next time I’m stateside I’ll give these a try. I might even try making my own. I can get cacao beans down the street at my local market in Mexico. Could be a fun experiment.
February 2nd, 2011 at 7:06 pmI am addicted to these. So yummy.
February 13th, 2013 at 2:59 pm