Photo: c. foodblogchef 2020
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CHILI CHOCOLATE PECANS
Yield about 4 cups
Ingredients:
½ cup dark brown sugar
¼ cup cocoa powder
¼ cup finely grated dark chocolate (I used unsweetened, but semi-sweet would work.)
2 teaspoons sea or kosher salt
½ teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon chili powder
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper (or more to kick-it-up-a-notch)
¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon allspice
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
2-3 large egg whites
4 cups (about 1 pound) pecans (or your nuts of choice)
1/2 cup pepitas
½ cup Craisins (optional)
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 300°F, position rack in the middle position, line a rimmed baking sheet with tin foil, and grease lightly with oil or nonstick cooking spray.
1. In a medium bowl, stir together sugar, cocoa powder, chocolate, salt, cinnamon, chili powder, nutmeg, allspice, and ginger.
2. In a large bowl, lightly beat the egg whites until slightly foamy. Stir in the spiced sugar mixture until a smooth batter forms. (If the mixture is still dry add the third beaten egg white. You want a thick batter consistency.)
3. Fold in the pecans and pepitas until evenly coated. Spread the glazed pecans in a single even layer on the prepared baking sheet and bake until nuts are lightly toasted, about 30 minutes.
4. If you include craisins, as soon as you remove the sheet pan from the oven sprinkle the craisins over and stir to mix in. (If you bake the craisins they will be overly chewy and tough.)
5. Let cool, stirring several times to separate the nuts. Once cool, break up any remaining clumps and serve. Nuts can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.