Mexican Hot Chocolate-Spiced Pecans

By on January 30, 2011 in Desserts & Baked Goods, Holidays, Winter
This is one of my favorite ways to get a healthy chocolate fix–roasted pecans coated with cocoa powder, spices, and just a touch of sugar.  You can vary the level of sweetness to meet your own taste, of course, and these are a great lunchbox snack.  Pecans are super healthy, with lots of “good fats” and trace minerals and fiber, and if you eat these instead of a candy bar, so much the better.

You only need a few basic ingredients for this: raw pecan halves, a spiced sugar mixture, and an egg white:

Here’s the recipe for this addictive little snack.  For a vegan version, skip the egg white and toss the pecans with two tablespoons of walnut oil before tossing with the spice mixture:

Mexican Hot Chocolate-Spiced Pecans

3 cups raw pecan halves
1 egg white
2 teaspoons water
3 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8-1/2 teaspoon ground chipotle pepper (I use a 1/4 teaspoon)
1/3 to 1/2 cup sugar (I use raw sugar for more sparkle in the end product)

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees, and put the pecans in a medium mixing bowl.  Using a whisk, whip the egg white and water until foamy, then pour over the pecans.  Stir to evenly coat the nuts.

In a small bowl, mix together the cocoa, spices, and sugar.  Stir the mixture in to evenly coat the nuts.

Spray a baking or cookie sheet with cooking spray, and spread the nuts out in an even layer.  Bake for 12-15 minutes and remove to stir.  Reduce the heat to 225 degrees and bake for another 7 to 10 minutes.  Remove from heat and let the nuts cool on the baking sheet.  When they are completely cool, place them in an airtight container to store.

Thanks for reading,

-Angela FRS

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7 Responses to Mexican Hot Chocolate-Spiced Pecans

  1. Treat and Trick January 31, 2011 at 1:59 am #

    Such a healthy and yummy snack! Love your spice mix and this baked version pecan..

    Regarding the dry fruit, I'd used ready made fruit mix, made of sultana, raisin, glaced green/red cherries and mixed peel or mix your own that also works well for the recipe..

    Reply
  2. Anonymous January 31, 2011 at 3:31 pm #

    guess what I'm gonna make =) Yum!

    itsrenee

    Reply
  3. Betsy February 1, 2011 at 12:17 am #

    Are there any other spices that would work well with this?

    Reply
  4. Angela FRS February 1, 2011 at 12:29 am #

    Betsy, you could use ginger or nutmeg for the "warm" spices, and you could use different kinds of chile (or none at all, if you don't like heat). I like the smokey flavor of the chipotle, but any chile would work.

    Reply
  5. Yenta Mary February 1, 2011 at 12:41 pm #

    Those would be absolutely addictive!!! And what a fabulous aromatherapy, too … :)

    Reply
  6. Angela FRS February 2, 2011 at 1:44 am #

    They smell wonderful–unless you burn a batch, which sadly I did…

    Reply
  7. ingridbuck@pecan halves August 22, 2011 at 3:10 am #

    This recipe is so nice and sounds easy to prepare. But I don’t know how to make one. I remember before when I tried baking cookies I end up burning them. I was really upset then.

    Reply

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