Have you ever tried one of those spicy chocolate bars, featuring dark chocolate and cayenne pepper? I think they can be good, but Steven isn’t a fan. So I was surprised when he tried these spicy-sweet honey roasted cocoa chili nuts, and declared them a wild success. Apparently tastebuds (and the people they’re attached to) don’t always react in predictable ways.
It seems like a lot of people think of candied nuts as a holiday party treat, and then they forget about them for the rest of the year. But nuts, on their own, are a great snack, and they don’t have to coated in tons of fat and sugar to be delicious. These are light on the sugar, but they’re pretty addictive–maybe that’s why people don’t make nut mixes more often.
Honey Roasted Cocoa Chili Nuts
3 Tbsp brown sugar
1 Tbsp water
1 Tbsp coconut oil
1 ½ Tbsp honey, or maple syrup
2 Tbsp cocoa powder
1 Tbsp chili powder
¼ tsp cayenne pepper
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup almonds
1 cup raw hazelnuts
1 cup peanuts
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment.
Combine brown sugar, water, and coconut oil in a medium-size microwave-safe bowl. Stir ingredients together, then microwave in 30 second increments, until coconut oil is melted.
Add honey, cocoa powder, chili powder, cayenne pepper, and salt, and stir until mixed.
Add almonds, hazelnuts, and peanuts, and stir to coat.
Spread the nuts out on the parchment-lined baking sheet and bake until the cocoa mixture is bubbling, 12 minutes. Stir nuts and continue baking for another 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool.
