Chocolate Chili Spiced Pecans
Spiced pecans with cocoa, chipotle and chili powder are a tasty snack, a quick appetizer or a thoughtful gift from the kitchen. They are both gluten-free and only take 20 minutes to make.
Table of contents
Why We Love This Recipe For Chili Pecans
Who else loves spiced nuts? If you are a fan of my crispy spiced nuts, then you know how good spiced nuts can be! And I am a big fan of spiced nuts in general! They are the perfect last minute appetizer to whip together for unexpected guests. I also love making them during the Christmas holiday season to give as gifts to friends and neighbors.
To mix things up, today I thought I would do a little Southwest meets Vermont/mole sauce-inspired spiced nut recipe. I’d use my West Texas pecans my grandpa sent me and some pure Vermont Maple Syrup from our sugaring business.
Thankfully, these nuts only take 10 minutes of effort (8 actually.) They have a bit of chili powder, a bit of chipotle powder and some cocoa powder too. I sweetened them with Vermont maple syrup. But since maple syrup has invert sugar, the sweet hot coating was too sticky, even after it cooled off, so I had to add some brown sugar to make them set up.
They make for an amazing snack, but an even better gift. All you need is a few mason jars and some string!
Key Ingredients for This Recipe
Pecans
Pecans are perfect for this recipe as they have a slightly bitter, sweet and very buttery flavor that goes well with the spices I chose. If you can’t find pecans, you can always go with walnuts. However, I do recommend sticking with pecans.
Maple syrup
For this recipe, golden or amber maple syrup is the best. It’s a great way to add a bit more natural sweetness to the nuts.
Chili powder
Chili powder is where the spice-kick comes in. However, chili powder is only mildly to slightly moderately spicy (depending on the ratio of the spice blend). You can make your own Chili Seasoning or purchase it at the store.
Additional Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 teaspoon unsalted butter, melted
- 1 teaspoon cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoon chipotle powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
Step by Step Instructions to Make These Mexican Nuts with Chili
Step 1: Preheat oven
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Step 2: Combine ingredients
Stir together the brown sugar, maple syrup and butter in a medium bowl. Add the pecans, cocoa, chili, chipotle and salt and stir to coat. Spread the nuts out on the parchment lined baking sheet and bake until the cocoa mixture is bubbling, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir the nuts and continue baking until the nuts are sticky and the maple mixture is coating them, 4 to 5 minutes longer.
Step 3: Cool & serve
Let the nuts cool before eating or storing them in airtight containers.
FAQs and Expert Tips
Chili powder is often made up out of a few different ingredients such as chili, cumin, oregano, cayenne, and paprika. With that being said, it depends on the brand.
If stored properly, seasoned and spiced nuts can last up to 3 months at room temperature. If you want them to last even longer, store the jar/container in the fridge or freezer. During humid weather they can become tacky, so plan to eat them soon after baking if making these in the summertime or in hot and humid weather.
Pecans are recommended for this recipe, but if you can’t find any, use whatever nut you want. You could use walnuts, almonds, or even cashews instead.
Additional Recipes to Try with Pecans
- My Gluten-Free Sweet Potato Praline Bundtlettes are so delish!
- And if you want even more dessert, try out this Maple Pecan Tart.
- Thanksgiving Salad is great any time of the year, and any day of the week.
- This Easy Sweet Potato Casserole is a go-to and topped with sugared pecans instead of marshmallows.
At Healthy Seasonal Recipes, we specialize in cooking with fresh veggies and creating weeknight meals. Sign up HERE to get more produce-forward dinner ideas for FREE! If you make this recipe, please come back and leave a star rating and review. I would love to hear what you thought! Happy Cooking! ~Katie
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Chocolate Chili Spiced Pecans
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 3 cups 1x
Description
Spiced pecans with cocoa, chipotle and chili powder for a gift from the kitchen or appetizer. Gluten-free and only 20 minutes to make.
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup, preferably golden or amber
- 2 teaspoon unsalted butter, melted
- 2 cups pecans
- 1 teaspoon cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon chipotle powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment.
- Stir brown sugar, maple syrup and butter in a medium bowl. Add pecans, cocoa, chili, chipotle and salt and stir to coat. Spread the nuts out on the parchment lined baking sheet and bake until the cocoa mixture is bubbling, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir nuts and continue baking until the nuts are sticky and the maple mixture is coating them, 4 to 5 minutes longer. Let cool.
Notes
Storing:
If stored properly, seasoned and spiced nuts can last up to 3 months at room temperature. If you want them to last even longer, store the jar/container in the fridge.
- Prep Time: 8 minutes
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Category: Snacks
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/4 cup
- Calories: 115
- Sugar: 5 g
- Sodium: 101 mg
- Fat: 14 g
- Saturated Fat: 2 g
- Carbohydrates: 7 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 2 g
This recipe is amazing!! I made it a few days ago and could not believe how fabulous it is. I am making it again tonight to have at a party tomorrow and am going to make more to give as gifts. If your spices are old, buy new. This recipe deserves it! Every flavor comes together to make a beautiful statement! Mine came out crispy and rich and flavorful and spicy! Make this – you won’t regret it!
Wow! Thank you for the nice review Diane! Happy holidays!
These are addicting! Like a potato chip, you can’t have only one lol. They also have a fantastic gift and are extremely easy/simple to make! I have made them 4 times now and I have only used fake maple syrup so I can’t wait to try it with real maple syrup! 🙂
I totally agree! Spiced nuts and I can’t be in the same room together! Lol!
What a delicious snack! Great for movie nights or friends gatherings, thanks!
This is one of the most exciting recipes I’ve made this year! The sweetness, the slight bitterness of the cocoa, and smokey chipotle is a combination to die for and one I would have never thought of myself! A luxury snack!
Love the combination of the spice with the chocolate. These will make a really welcome gift too.
What a great idea for a gift. I’d probably eat them all before they got to the recipient though. Love pecan nuts!
Needed a pinch more zip. i miss the nice “shell” of tbe egg white. If you want to crisp them up a bit… Do not think another minute or two.
Have you had these with the egg white: https://www.healthyseasonalrecipes.com/sweet-and-spicy-nuts/ ? I love the crunchy shell whites give it too!
As far as the results you got with this recipe, you’re right not to let them crisp too long. The candy coating will become hard as they cool.
If it is very humid this recipe is not as crispy. It has to do with the types of sugars present in Maple Syrup. Also I am not sure what kind of syrup you used, but some have more invert sugars in them so the candy shell will become sticky after a few hours. The darker grades are typically higher. So if you can find a bottle of golden delicate that would be safest. I usually only make these in the winter time when it is less humid.
I’m collecting ideas for homemade gift ideas for holidays and this is on my list for sure 🙂