Sometimes, You Just Need to Munch.

Got a sweet tooth and demand a crunch? Munch on some chocolate roasted nuts, my friends.

We are addicted to crunch in this house.  My husband doesn’t think it counts as a meal unless there was plenty he had to chew.  He’s not totally off-base on this, either – there’s plenty of research that links chewing to being satiated.

BUT… coming off of junk food for this is HARD.

Ok, so there are plenty of real-foodists and paleo-people that will tell you just to chew up some raw almonds.  But sometimes, you feel like you just NEED junk! I’ve attempted several recipes that try to quench this craving.

None, however, are this crazy easy!

I promise you… this keeps both sides of your psyche calm, cool, and collected.

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 c chopped pecans
1/2 c chopped walnuts
1/2 c chopped almonds (or almond slivers will work for this, too)
1/2 c cocoa powder
1/4 c maple syrup
2 tbl coconut oil, room temperature (or liquid… just not in a hard/super-solid state)
sprinkle or two of salt (*DO NOT SKIP THIS!*)

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees.

Mix all the ingredients, except the salt.  You will have to mix this … for a couple of minutes.  Just keep mixing before adding anything.

If you think it’s too “liquidy,” add more chopped nuts of choice, 2 tablespoons at a time.  (I have had this happen occasionally – I think it depends on how warm the syrup and coconut oil are.  The runnier they are, the runnier the mix is.)  If you think it’s too “dry” – in that not all nuts are coated – drizzle a little more maple syrup on.

Here’s the trick on this:  when you stir and see the bottom of the bowl, you don’t want to find a bunch of nuts with no coating, nor do you want to see a bunch of liquid mix at the bottom.

Once it’s thoroughly mixed, sprinkle some salt, and mix again for another 10 seconds.

Spread the nuts on a parchment-lined baking sheet.

Bake for 15 minutes.  Pull out tray, stir them around, and put them in for another 5 minutes. *Leave your oven on* while you pull a nut and taste it.  It should feel a little crunchy, but not burnt.  If it still feels pretty soft, put back in the oven for another five minutes.

Pull them out and let cool.  Then gobble.  Ours are gone quick, eat them while you have the chance!

 

This recipe was featured as part of the Homestead Barn Hop.

Tagged: chocolate, nuts, snacks