Description
Delicious and elegant Chocolate Covered Pecans featuring toasted pecans dipped in smooth, tempered semi-sweet chocolate with a sprinkle of flaky sea salt for a perfect balance of sweet and savory.
Ingredients
Scale
Pecans
- 1 cup whole pecans
Chocolate
- 8 oz (115 grams) semi-sweet (dark) chocolate
Seasoning
- Salt flakes, as needed
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 325ºF (160ºC) to prepare for toasting the pecans.
- Toast Pecans: Spread the whole pecans on a baking sheet. Place in the oven for 7-10 minutes, stirring occasionally to ensure even toasting. Once toasted, remove from the oven and allow to cool completely.
- Prepare Chocolate for Tempering: Finely chop all the semi-sweet chocolate. Reserve one-third of the chopped chocolate separately.
- Set Up Double Boiler: Fill a small to medium saucepan with 1-2 inches (2.5-5 cm) of water and heat on the stove until it just simmers. Turn off the heat.
- Melt Chocolate: Place a heatproof bowl over the saucepan, ensuring it doesn’t touch the water. Add two-thirds of the chopped chocolate to the bowl. Cover with a clean, dry kitchen cloth if your kitchen is cold to retain heat. After 5 minutes, stir the chocolate gently. It should be almost entirely melted and warm.
- Temper Chocolate: Remove bowl from heat and stir in the reserved third of chopped chocolate until fully melted. If some chunks remain, briefly return the bowl over warm water, stirring carefully to avoid overheating, which can break the temper.
- Prepare Baking Sheet: Line a baking sheet with non-stick parchment paper for placing the dipped pecans.
- Dip Pecans: Using a fork or dipping tool, dip each toasted pecan into the tempered chocolate, coating it almost completely. Let excess chocolate drip off.
- Set Pecans: Place the chocolate-covered pecan onto the prepared baking sheet. Immediately sprinkle a pinch of flaky salt over the coated pecan for flavor enhancement. Repeat this process for all pecans.
- Store Leftover Chocolate: Spread any remaining chocolate onto a sheet of non-stick parchment paper to let it set. Once hardened, store it in a zip-lock bag for future use.
Notes
- Make sure no water comes into contact with the chocolate during melting to avoid seizing.
- If you don’t want to temper chocolate, you can melt it simply, but tempered chocolate provides a glossy finish and crisp snap.
- Use flaky sea salt sparingly to balance sweetness but not overpower the nutty flavor.
- Store chocolate-covered pecans in an airtight container at room temperature or refrigerate if you prefer a firmer texture.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Snack
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: Chocolate covered pecans, toasted pecans, semi-sweet chocolate, chocolate nuts, holiday snacks, easy chocolate recipe
