Chocolate Nuts
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Little Treats
If I’m needing a little sweet treat now and again I have my trusty Low Carb Chocolate Nuts stashed away. And, I mean way back in my freezer, because if I see them I will eat them.
These little treats are so easy and quick to make using just 3 ingredients.
There’s something about roasting the pecans first that brings out the deep nutty pecan flavor. And is perfect in these Low Carb Chocolate Nuts. I roast a whole tray full of nuts. I let them cool completely (but not cold) before I dip them in my melted Lily’s Stevia Sweetened Chocolate Chips.
The Roasting for Chocolate Nuts
Don’t skip this part in your Chocolate Nuts. The roasting of pretty much ANY nut will bring out a deep rich flavor. Roasting is a very easy and quick process.
The BEST nuts ever for your Low Carb Chocolate Nuts can be found at Magee’s Nuts. Maggee’s is part of the famous Original Farmer’s Market located at The Grove on 3rd and Fairfax in Los Angeles.
The Original Farmers Market has been open since 1934, although the history of the farmers started in 1880. Magee’s Nut House was founded in 1910 and is still hands down THE BEST NUTS and almond butter around.
I preheat my oven to 350*. I use a rimmed cookie sheet and spread out 1-2lbs of any kind of raw nut. Pecans are my favorite for Chocolate Nuts. However, almonds and macadamia nuts are also at the top of the list as they have few carbs.
I like to roast in large batches of nuts. Then store in an airtight bag in my freezer for future recipes or to snack on. The nuts for this chocolate nuts recipe need to be at least room temperature as to not seize the warm chocolate.
If you use cold nuts them when mixed with the melted chocolate your chocolate nuts get clumpy. Yes, thats a word and I have no other technical way of sharing that tip. The point is that when you’re making these Low Carb Chocolate Nuts you don’t want the nuts cold.
AFTER you dip them in the melted chocolate then pop the in the fridge…trust me!
Low carb/Keto Baking Tips
This is not related to these Chocolate Nuts but it’s worth noting when I’m writing about low carb baking.
Stevia and Monkfruit are extracts, kinda like vanilla extract. Just a little packs a big punch of sweetness. But in baking (or cooking, too) we usually need the bulk of sugar alcohols like erythritol or xylitol or allulose.
Sugar alcohols
These sugar alcohols have the bulk like real sugar, but sometimes they do not have enough sweetness. Therefore a combo of an extract and an alcohol brings a recipe to an equivalent sweetness and consistency of traditional recipes.
For example if I am making an old fashion/conventional batch of cookies the recipe calls for 1 cup of sugar. In low carb/keto baking that same recipe is not always a 1:1 alteration. I can not substitute 1 cup of a sugar alcohol for the traditional sugar in that batch of cookies.
I need the bulk of the 1 cup of sweetener plus a little bit of the extracts to bring up the sweetness.
Science behind keto baking
The other part in cooking or baking low carb/keto with sugar alcohols and sweeteners is that they do not alway bake the same way. They also do not store the same way as traditional cookies. There’s some science going on in the bowl and the baking with the flours, sugars and fats.
Back to our cookies example…When you are using almond or coconut flour in place of the traditional flour and you are replacing the traditional sugar. The sugar alcohols the amounts used and the baking time is a little different. Traditional wheat flour has protein in it and coconut flour is VERY absorbent.
Plus…when those cookies cool sometimes they are rock hard or have a cooling effect in your mouth.
Lily’s Stevia sweetened chocolate chips, like the ones used here in my chocolate nuts, have been an easy way to bake. They do the job for you.
Liquid Drops vs Granular Bulk
Back to your original question…stevia drops are readily available at most supermarkets. A few drops to your coffee or to a chaffle or a salad dressing can help replace the sweetness. And you will not have the bulk of traditional sugar.
True monkfruit extract is harder to come by and more expensive, but it does the same thing.
One last thing…and this could just be my experience…when I combine monkfruit with a erythritol it lessens the mouth cooling effect for me….for me this combo tastes and bakes the most like traditional sugar. The brand I use is called Lakanto Monkfruit sweetener (CLASSIC).
I use this brand in my desserts and Chocolate Nuts because they already have combined the two ingredients. Then as I’m making a recipe I may add a few drops of stevia to up the sweetness. This is to mimic a “traditional sugar” recipe.
Pin this idea for later!
Ingredients
- 1 lb pecans raw
- 9 oz Lily’s Chocolate Chips
- 1 tsp olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350*
- On large rimmed cookie sheet place the pecans in a single layer. Roast in oven for 5 minutes. Toss around at 5mins and maybe roast another 3-4 minutes.
- You want the nuts to get darker without burning.
- There is a fine line between roasted and burnt, so watch the nuts. Just know that less time in the oven is better as once they get a tad too crisp the nuts will turn bitter.
- Once the nuts are roasted and cooled it’s time to melt the chocolate chips in the microwave (or do this over a double boiler if you’re so inclined). Place the chips in a microwave safe bowl with a drizzle of olive oil and stir. In 30 second increments melt the chips, stirring in between.
Cluster Method
- Line a mini muffin tin with paper liners. If you have a silicone mini muffin tin you don't need the paper liners. If you do not have a mini muffin tin you can line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Pour all the nuts into the melted chocolate and stir to coat.
- Using a small spoon place spoonfuls of your chocolate covered nuts into each of the muffins cups or in small piles on the parchment paper. About 24-30 servings
Hand Dipped Method
- Have a clean sheet of parchment paper or foil on a flat cookie sheet. You need the cookie sheet to transport and store in the freezer. One by one dip 3/4 of each nut into the chocolate and gently place onto the the cookie sheet.
- You can line these up as closely as possible as they will freeze without touching each other.
Chill Time
- Make room in your freezer or fridge to put the cookie sheet or muffin tin. The nuts need to chill for about 15-30 minutes and then you can transfer the Chocolate nuts to a ziploc bag to store in fridge or freezer.
Notes
Nutrition
My secret to lasting weight loss
Maintaining my weight loss, and quite frankly staying healthy, has always been the main driver for this website. Making treats like these Chocolate covered nuts is really my trick. Sorry, it’s that simple for me. My meal prep and almost always cooking at home is my trick.
I wrote a few articles about this and will write more. Everyone needs to know that cooking at home is one of my major keys to success. Every meal does not have to be epic. When I am prepared I have a much better chance at success.
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MEDICAL AND NUTRITION DISCLAIMER…Please note that I am not a medical or nutritional professional. I am simply recounting and sharing my own experiences on this blog. Nutritional break downs are done using a commercial nutrition calculator. Nothing I express here should be taken as medical advice and you should consult with your doctorbefore starting any diet or exercise program. I provide nutritional information for my recipes simply as a courtesy to my readers, this should never be construed as medical advice.