It’s that time of the year again! People start getting out their mixers and dusting them off! Whether you bake for tradition, to eat or to pass out to friends/neighbors, it would seem that baking goods fly off the shelf this time of year.
I’m a sucker for the box of chocolates. I work at a school and many parents send in chocolates with their children or co-workers bring in to share (of course over indulging as you hear the words, “….might as well get it all in as the diet starts Jan 1st” — right??? Do you hear the same thing? Or better yet, say the same thing?) It’s no secret that I’m a chocoholic so I do find myself sifting through to find the dark chocolate and hoping it’s not filled with a fruity filling but with nuts or even ganache!
A few years back, I dabbled in the kitchen with coconut oil, unsweetened cocoa powder and stevia. I found myself making little chocolates in my mini muffin pan and would pass them out to friends when at a gathering. I had them on hand in the fridge as well (being the chocoholic that I am) and would offer to guests as well. Little bites of dark chocolate are delish in my opinion but someone suggested adding nuts or even a nut butter. I was in the kitchen the next day, making another “batch” with nuts and nut butter! It never occurred to me to write out a recipe….every time made ’em, I just kept adding to taste until I was happy with it and voilà, into the fridge they went! I realize a lot of people aren’t stevia fans — I hear that it leaves an after taste but I personally haven’t experienced or at least don’t notice it. So in this recipe you’ll find that it’s made with a dab of honey.
This particular recipe came along after making the Sweet’n’Spicy Pecans. Leave it to me to munch on sweet and spicy pecans and say, “Ooooh….these would be good in a chocolate bark too.” When you eat and picture the food dunked in chocolate, you realize you are a chocoholic, to say the least!
So when you’re baking away this holiday season, remember these little bites of fun! Each bite is like a party in your mouth 🙂
- 12 oz raw pecans
- 3 tbsp raw honey
- 1 tbsp ghee
- 1 tbsp cayenne pepper
- Sprinkle of pink salt
- 1/3 cup melted coconut oil
- 3 heaping tbsp's unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 tbsp Enjoy Life Dark Chocolate Chips
- 1 tbsp melted raw honey (you can also use a few drops
of stevia if desired) - OR
- 1 cup darkest chocolate chips/bits you can handle (I like 90%) or Enjoy Life Dark Chocolate Chips
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- In a small pot, melt honey and ghee. Just to melting point ...
- In a medium bowl, combine pecans, ghee/honey to evenly coat. I use my hands to make sure it's evenly distributed.
- Sprinkle in the cayenne and mix in evenly (you can use hands but be careful of cuts or it'll burn).
- On a parchment lined baking sheet, place pecans on in a single layer. Sprinkle pink salt.
- Bake for 5 min -- with spatula, toss a bit and bake another 2-3 min.
- Cool and chop 1 cup of the pecans into smaller pieces.
- If making your own chocolate: In a bowl - mix in your chocolate chips with warm melted coconut oil, add in the honey and mix well. Once combined, carefully incorporate the unsweetened cocoa.
- ~ OR ~
- Melt chocolate in double boiler or in microwave for 20 second increments.
- Combine pecans and melted chocolate in bowl.
- Pour onto parchment lined tray and smooth out into a thin layer.
- Refrigerate at least 30 minutes to harden.
- Break apart into random pieces or cut uniformly with a knife.
- These will melt in warmer temps. Store in fridge til ready to eat/serve 🙂
