Cocoa Coated Toasted Hazelnuts

I make spiced nuts year round, but I make more around the holidays to give as gifts. They’re delicious and good for you. All of us need to eat more healthy nuts.  I find it hard to eat raw hazelnuts, which taste bland to me. But sweeten and powder those nutty orbs with cacao, and they’re a delight to eat.

Nuts are essential to a healthy diet, so I don’t worry about their fat content, but I do try to hold back on salt. Hazelnuts and chocolate are a perfect pair. The sweetness of hazelnuts compliments the slightly bitter flavor of chocolate. These cocoa coated toasted hazelnuts are slightly salty, but mostly sweet and completely delicious.

These nuts are sweetened with honey and stevia, with a touch of espresso powder to deepen the chocolate flavor. They do contain a little caffeine in the espresso powder, which you can omit if you prefer.

Make a batch of these homemade nuts to give to someone you love!

Springhouse Turtle Eats

Print Recipe

Cocoa Coated Toasted Hazelnuts

By Springhouse Turtle – Serves: Many

Prep Time: 20 minutes – Cooking Time: 35 minutes – Total Time: 55 minutes

A touch of espresso powder deepens the chocolate flavor of these sweet cocoa coated toasted hazelnuts.

Ingredients

• 1 pound raw hazelnuts
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 2 teaspoons coconut aminos
• 1 teaspoon liquid stevia
• 3 tablespoons raw cacao powder
• 1 teaspoon instant espresso powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Instructions

1

Preheat oven to 275 degrees F.

2

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

3

Put the hazelnuts into a medium bowl.

4

In a small bowl, mix the honey, coconut aminos and liquid stevia.

5

Add the honey mixture to the hazelnuts, and stir until well coated.

6

In a small bowl, whisk together the cacao and espresso powders and salt.

7

Dust the cacao powder mixture over the hazelnuts, and toss until all nuts are coated.

8

Spread the hazelnuts in a single layer on prepared baking sheet.

9

Toast in the oven for 35 minutes until browned.

10

Remove from oven, cool, and break into pieces.

11

Store at room temperature in a covered container for up to a week.

Place the raw hazelnuts into a medium-sized bowl.

Mix the sweeteners together, then pour over the nuts. Stir to coat the nuts thoroughly.

Mix the cocoa powder with the espresso powder and salt. Dust over the nuts, and toss to coat. Spread on a baking sheet, and bake for 35 minutes.

After the nuts have cooled, break apart and eat! Store any extras in a sealed container on the counter for up to a week (they won’t last that long!).

Springhouse Turtle Eats