Low-Sugar Cocoa Dusted Nuts with Variations

Satisfy your chocolate cravings and sweet tooth with these simple cocoa-dusted nuts. They have only 4 grams of added sugars per serving, but they’re delicious enough to serve at parties or for dessert or snacks. They’re a far healthier choice than nuts or peanuts coated with butter toffee, yogurt, or chocolate. 

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Use mixed nuts or choose your favorite type of nuts like almonds, cashews, walnuts, or pecans. Peanuts, sunflower, and pumpkin seeds work well, too. They all have heart-healthy fats, fiber, and protein. This recipe calls for roasted nuts, but you can start with raw nuts and roast them yourself.

Flavor Variations

• Cinnamon spice: add 1 teaspoon of cinnamon and a pinch of nutmeg to the cocoa mixture.
• Spicy heat: add a pinch of red pepper flakes or ¼ teaspoon of cayenne pepper to the cocoa mixture.
• Mocha: add ½ teaspoon of regular or decaf instant coffee powder to the cocoa mixture.
• Citrus: add 1 teaspoon of orange, lemon, or grapefruit zest to the cocoa mixture.
• Peppermint: add ¼ teaspoon of mint extract to the nuts before tossing with olive oil.
• Vanilla: add ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract to the nuts before tossing with olive oil.
• to the cocoa mixture.
• to the cocoa mixture.
• Matcha: add 1 teaspoon of matcha powder to the cocoa mixture.

Serving Suggestions

• Serve over frozen pureed banana or oatmeal.
• Package in a jar, wrap it with a ribbon, and give it as a gift. 
• Make a party mix with broken whole-grain crackers and whole-grain cereal like whole-wheat squares, puffed brown rice, and oat O’s.

Recipe for Cocoa Dusted Nuts

Makes 8 servings

Ingredients

• 2 cups of nuts or mixed nuts
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• 3 tablespoons of cocoa powder (baking cocoa)
• (Optional) 1-2 tablespoons of sugar, stevia, or sweetener of choice

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 325°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or spray it with cooking spray.
2. In a small bowl, gently stir together the cocoa powder and sweetener if using.
3. In a medium mixing bowl, toss the nuts with olive oil until they are coated evenly.
4. Add the cocoa mixture into the bowl with the nuts. Stir to combine. 
5. Spread the nuts on the baking sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes, stirring 1-2 times throughout. Be sure not to burn the nuts.
6. Let the nuts cool before removing them from the sheet and serving or storing them.

Nutrition information per serving (if using sugar): 240 calories; 20 grams of fat; 3 grams of saturated fat; 150 mg of sodium; 11 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams sugar; 2 grams of fiber; 7 grams of protein

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