Mexican Hot Chocolate-Spiced Pecans

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.  Note: I am in the process of updating the photos from some of my older, more popular posts, and this is my most recent update project.

Here’s the old photo:

I have also tweaked the recipe a bit and put it into a printable format.  I decreased the total amount of sugar and went with coconut sugar instead of refined white sugar, and I adjusted the amount of chipotle to make them a bit more mild.  You can do this to taste, of course. I also added in a teaspoon of vanilla for another layer of flavor.

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 melted coconut oil before tossing with the spice mixture.