Homemade Cocoa Candied Nuts Recipes

5 MINUTE COCOA DUSTED ALMONDS

Steps:

• Sift together cocoa powder, cinnamon, and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.
• Measure the almonds and place in a medium bowl. Set aside.
• In a small saucepan, heat honey and vanilla extract over low heat. Alternately, use microwave to liquefy the honey, about 10 seconds.
• Once the honey mixture is "runny", pour over the almonds. Quickly stir together and combine.
• Quickly combine the honey coated almonds with the cocoa powder mixture and toss gently together until the almonds are dusted with cocoa.
• Can be stored in an airtight jar or container.

THE BEST CANDIED NUTS RECIPE

Steps:

• Line a Cookie Sheet with Wax or Parchment Paper and set-aside. Keep you oven-mitts handy too.
• Measure out your Nuts or Seeds in a Medium Bowl and set-aside.
• Place your pot on your stovetop over Medium heat. (I use this Cast Iron Dutch Oven - Cast Iron is wonderful for candy making & all types of cooking since it evenly distributes heat over the whole pan - even in the oven!)
• With a Silicone spatula, mix together the Sugar, Cinnamon, Salt & Water in your pot - stirring occasionally during the first 5 minutes. Between 5-10 minutes, your mixture should start to bubble & foam.
• Continue stirring regularly as the mixture continues to heat up for the next 10 minutes. Be sure to scrape the sides of the pot as you go.
• Be sure the mixture is truly at 238 degrees! If you add the nuts too early, or if the temp is not accurate, you will end up with a 'stringy' candy result (which can still be saved - see note section below). I sometimes hold the temp for an extra minute or so until I can see the mixture pull away from the bottom of the pan when I scrape it with a rubber spatula. It is crucial to any candy recipe that your candy thermometer is accurate - I test/calibrate mine regularly against boiling water which boils at 212 degrees F.
• Once you reach the Soft Ball temperature, then work quickly to add your Nuts or Seeds to the mixture - using your spatula to continuously combine everything together - coating each Nut evenly. The coating will go from a shiny, stringy glaze to a dull, sugary coating in less than a minute. The coolness of the Nuts/Seeds will begin to crystalize the candy quickly. There should be no wet glaze leftover - it should have all crystalized.
• Using your oven mitts to handle the pot, remove from heat & carefully dump out the candied nuts/seeds onto your prepared cookie sheet & set-aside to cool completely. Break apart any large pieces. I place my cookie sheet on a cooling rack to avoid any moisture during the cooling process.
• Once the candy is cooled, you can store it in an airtight container or package it up for gift giving.

HOMEMADE COCOA CANDIED NUTS

Steps:

• Add water and coconut sugar to a saucepan and heat over medium heat until the sugar has dissolved.
• Add the nuts and cacao nibs to saucepan and stir to coat them with the sugar.
• Within a couple of minutes the water will evaporate and the sugar will caramelize on the nuts and nibs and turn brown in color. Be careful not to burn the mixture.
• Remove from the stove and let it cool on a plate lined with parchment paper.