first time around.

I have rediscovered my love of baking. I can't stop and I am going a little loony with all the possibilities!

This week I tried out a bunch of different things.

On Monday I baked Whole Wheat Bread, making one loaf and using the rest to make buns (thekitchn). I also made  Banana Nut scones (MyHappyPlace) .

On Wednesday after a particularly bad day I came home and I could do nothing else but bake to make the blues of the day go away. This was in the form of Coconut Lime Cookies (MyHappyPlace).

Today after a long day of procrastinating, working, and more procrastinating it was back to baking.

I had come across this recipe while I was going through BraveTarts recipes for fun. I thought these Cocoa Nib Polvorones looked so cute. They reminded me so much of these cookies that my Dad use to buy me as a kid. I could not stop thinking about them so I had to try.

I have to admit I did not know what a Cocoa Nib was. Turns out it is the inside of the dried cocoa bean. So I didn't have that at home. I didn't have pecans either which is traditional in Polvorones (which I read after learning what a Cocoa Nib, and Polvorones, are) Needless to say I went into this recipe fully unprepared but that damn icing sugar on that chocolate looked too nostalgic I couldn't pass it up.

I had wanted to try making a BraveTart recipe for a long time as I have gone through all her recipes so many times so once my heart was wrapped around those little polvorones I couldn't turn away.

So here is my attempt with the ingredients I had:
Adapted from BraveTart

1 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup + 3 TBSP sugar
2 tbsp brown sugar
1.5 tbsp cocoa powder
1/2 tsp kosher salt
3/4 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp cinnamon
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup + 1 tbsp Cocoa Nibs
1 cup + 1 tbsp all purpose flour

1/4 cup powdered sugar

preheat oven to 350
cream butter and sugar with spices and vanilla.
add in cocoa nibs and flour.
take tablespoon size balls of dough and roll them in powdered sugar. place these on pans. do not flatten.
bake for 8-12 minutes.
let cool, then dust with remaining powdered sugar.

As you can imagine not having Cocoa Nibs would totally change this recipe. However I have never had a Polvorone and did this recipe totally based on the picture so I have nothing to compare it too.

Instead of Cocoa Nibs I used a chocolate chopped up, and about 1/4 of sprinkles!

They spread out way to much and are nothing like the beautiful pictures on BraveTart.
but I still had fun and I know my roommate and her friends will eat them and enjoy.