Chocolate Covered Nuts Recipes

Steps:

• Place the granulated sugar and water in a large copper pot or 4-quart heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat and bring the mixture to a boil. Add the almonds and stir to coat them evenly in the sugar syrup. Your goal is to cook the almonds until the sugar crystallizes and caramelizes.
• When water is added to the sugar, the sugar crystals are dissolved. As it boils, the syrup becomes thicker as the water evaporates and big soap-like bubbles begin to form. Soon, all the moisture evaporates and the mixture becomes sandy. The sandiness is the sugar recrystallizing. It only takes the reformation of one sugar crystal to recrystallize the others. Keep stirring! Next, you see the sugar closest to the heat change from sandy to a clear liquid. The melted sugar clings to the almonds. When the sugar changes from clear to golden brown, the nuts are caramelized. Once this happens, pay close attention; the time it takes to pass from caramelized to burned is only a matter of seconds, especially when making smaller batches. You know the nuts are finished when most of the sandy sugar is gone.
• The first few times you make these, I suggest you try the following: When the sugar closest to the heat changes from sandy to liquid, remove the pan from the burner and continue to stir. The residual heat in the sugar and nuts will continue to cook the mixture while you stir it. Lower the heat to medium-low and continue to stir the nuts while moving the saucepan on and off the heat at 10-second intervals. This will give you more control as it cooks. When the nuts begin to caramelize, remove them from the heat and finish stirring.
• Use a wooden spoon to spread the caramelized nuts onto a parchment paper-covered baking sheet. Do not touch the nuts as they are extremely hot. Let the nuts cool completely. If your freezer will accommodate the baking sheet, you can place the nuts in the freezer for about 30 minutes to speed up the cooling process. When completely cooled, break apart any nut clusters that may have formed. At this stage, you can choose to serve the nuts as they are.
• Place the caramelized nuts in the coating pan attached to the stand mixer. Spin at low speed. Use a ladle to add the chocolate to the spinning nuts. Add 1 ladle at a time until the nuts are coated to the desired thickness. If a thicker coat is desired, use more chocolate. If a thinner coat is desired, decrease the amount of chocolate. Finish by adding cocoa powder to the coating pan. Remove and serve.

Steps:

• Place the first cup of chocolate in a microwave safe bowl. Heat the chocolate in 15 second increments, stirring well between each time in the microwave. When the chocolate is almost completely melted, stir in 1 cup of the macadamia nuts.
• Use a tablespoon to scoop up spoonfuls of the nut and chocolate mixture and place on a nonstick silicone baking mat. Repeat with the other two types of chocolate. Allow to cool and harden completely before removing them from the mat to serve.

Steps:

• Melt chocolate as directed on package. Dip each nut halfway into chocolate; place on sheet of wax paper.
• Refrigerate 15 min. or until set.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 250 degrees.
• Place the popped corn and nuts in a large roasting pan and mix together.
• In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine the sugar, corn syrup, salt, and butter.
• Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Stir in the chocolate. Continue to cook, stirring constantly, until the chocolate is completely melted and the mixture becomes very thick.
• Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla. Pour the chocolate syrup over the popcorn and nuts in the roasting pan and stir to coat evenly.
• Bake for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Place the hot poppycock on a large cookie sheet, lined with foil and lightly coated with a nonstick cooking spray, to cool. Store poppycock in a plastic ziploc bag.

Steps:

• Combine the sugars, syrup, butter and 1 cup of the evaporated milk, and bring to a boil. Add the other cup of evaporated milk slowly, stirring constantly, and cook until it reaches 255 degrees on a candy thermometer. Add the vanilla and pecans and mix well. Pour into a 9 by 11-inch greased pan and refrigerate. Bring to room temperature, cut into squares then dip in chocolate. If you'd like to make a turtle, spoon dollops of the caramel pecan mixture onto a greased sheet pan, with 5 pecans in each mound (4 legs and head). Refrigerate to set, then dip in chocolate.;