Cocoa Dusted Pepitas

Cocoa Dusted Pepitas

Summer brings a snack conundrum.  

You still want to have treats, but you don't want to heat up the kitchen.

Obviously, fresh fruit and frozen delights come into play.  Today, I made up a batch of cocoa-dusted pepitas using my toaster oven.  It didn't heat up the kitchen, so I got the treat without the heat!

Cocoa-dusted almonds are all the rage.  I took this idea and changed it up to make it nut-free and added a little twist.  Where other recipes use agave nectar or sugar, I kept it vegan (no egg whites here) and used all-fruit preserves for a natural sweetness.

I shared this with Wellness Weekend and Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays.

Cocoa-Dusted Pepitas
Makes 1 cup

Ingredients:

• 1 cup pepitas (shelled pumpkin seeds)
• 2 tablespoons strawberry all-fruit preserves
• pinch of salt
• 1 tablespoon cocoa powder

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Line a baking pan with parchment paper.
3. Mix together preserves and salt.
4. Stir in pepitas until well coated.
5. Spoon cocoa powder into a zip top bag.
6. Add coated pepitas.
7. Close bag and shake to coat.
8. Bake 10 minutes stirring once.
9. Let cool.

Note: If you are using a toaster oven, you don't need to preheat it.  Bake them 8 or 9 minutes.

Happy Cooking!
Kim 

My new book Super Seeds, is available now! You can also find tasty recipes in Welcoming Kitchen: 200 Delicious Allergen & Gluten-Free Vegan Recipes.