Chocolate-Covered Cashews

These chocolaty cashews make a perfect after-dinner treat to serve with coffee or tea.

1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons water
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 3/4 cups whole raw cashews (1/2 lb)
1 table spoon unsalted butter
8 oz fine-quality bittersweet chocolate (not unsweetened or extra-bitter), chopped
3 tablespoons unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder

• Line bottom of a shallow baking pan with parchment or wax paper
• Bring sugar, water, and salt to a boil in a 12-inch heavy skillet, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Reduce heat and simmer syrup 2 minutes.
• Put nuts in a large heatproof bowl, then add syrup and toss with a wooden spoon until nuts are coated and sugar begins o crystallize, about 3 minutes.
• Return nuts to skillet and cook over moderate heat, stirring constantly, until sugar coating is golden and no longer crystallized, 5 to 8 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in butter.
• Spread nuts in 1 layer in baking pan and cool to room temperature, about 20 minutes.
• When nuts are cool, transfer to a bowl, reserving baking pan with parchment. Heat half of chocolate in microwave-safe dish in microwave (see cooks' note, below) and 50 percent power until melted, checking frequently after 2 minutes. Add remaining chopped chocolate to melted chocolate and stir until smooth, then pour over nuts and let stand, stirring occasionally, until chocolate is almost set, 20 to 25 minutes.
• Sift 2 tablespoons cocoa powder over nuts and toss to coat.
• Return nuts to parchment-lined baking pan, separating nuts with your hands, and let stand until chocolate is completely set, about 30 minutes more.
• Toss nuts with remaining tablespoon cocoa powder.

Makes about 3 1/2 cups

Cooks' notes:

• We tested this recipe in an 800-watt microwave oven. If yours is less (or more) powerful, adjust the melting time accordingly.
  
• Chocolate-covered cashews keep in an airtight container at room temperature 3 days.