Measure out your walnuts and spread them in a single layer on your metal baking sheet

When your oven is preheated, bake for 5-10 minutes until the nuts are hot but not toasting. You might hear a slight sizzle when they’re warm!

When the nuts are warm, remove from the oven and transfer to your heat safe bowl.

Pour the maple syrup and vanilla extract and stir to evenly coat the nuts. When you pour over the maple syrup, the syrup may sizzle pretty loudly.

After the nuts and maple syrup have been thoroughly mixed so the maple syrup has cooled slightly and is evenly distributed on the nuts, sprinkle over the salt and cocoa powder. Mix with a wooden or metal spoon until all nuts are evenly coated.

To finish cooling, spread the nuts in an even layer on some parchment paper or a silicone mat. Keep these nuts on the parchment until fully cool and the chocolate coating is no longer sticky.

Once fully cooled, transfer to an air tight storage container like a canning jar with a two piece lid or a food storage container.