Friday, December 3, 2010

ffwd - sweet and spicy nuts

I've been making different versions of spiced nuts for years - a tradition I picked up from my parents who had been making them starting some 25 years ago. My most recent favorites (though not everyone's - but, hey, I'm the one making them!) are a honey & fresh rosemary combination, that also have that "pinch of cayenne" that most of my favorite mixtures have. This is one of those things that I also love to package up as a little gift, particularly at Christmas - so I was excited when I first saw the recipe, and even more so when I saw the voting totals add up! Plus, it's a pretty do-able kind of recipe for a busy season.

I like to make batches of mixed nuts - it seems everyone has their favorite type, and it all works out in the end. I was originally going to make a single recipe, but one thing led to another...

my ingredients, ready to start
I wanted to use sea salt, and my favorite cinnamon - Penzey's Vietnamese
also used their chili powder, it's pretty good - I usually make my own spice blends, but this one is nice
 
almonds, pecans, walnuts and cashews

sugar, salt and spices ready to blend

after the egg whites cover the nuts, on goes the sugar & spice
 
before baking

and after...
I can't wait for these to cool off so that I can try some
the smell was amazing as they cooked for their half-hour

These turned out great!! I loved the combination of flavors. The spices come through, but also the flavor of the nuts - and I really like the texture! I'm going to be serving these to my friends tomorrow, who are coming over to make wreaths for the holiday, so this should be a nice treat. Since I always serve soup and bread at this party - I'm going to make Dorie's leek and potato soup (probably hot & smooth). Hopefully they'll like the latest Dorie recipes!

10 comments:

  1. All the reviews I have read about these nuts, are so great that this is my recipe for next week. Yours looks amazing.

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  2. Must ... make... more! Mine were made last night and they are already gone!
    Trevor Sis. Boom.

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  3. I love these nuts, too. And I can't wait to try the other variations!

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  4. Yum, yum! This was such an easy recipe and so darn good!!

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  5. Very nice! I can't wait to make more of these. :)

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  6. These look delicious! This recipe was definitely a favorite at my house as well.

    (In addition? A rosemary and honey combination in ANYTHING sounds awesome!)

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  7. Well, everybody is raving about the nuts! I guess I'll have to make them for my dad and husband in a day or two.
    Now, did you go to the trouble of separating the nuts or not? I am torn. Simplicity vs. beauty:)
    Lana

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  8. I did not separate the nuts. It makes for a nice, crunchy coating - and I liked the texture. I wouldn't do it myself. I read one person's blog post that said that she made them a 2nd time, and increased the nuts - so it had the same effect.

    I love making this kind of thing, but I'm a little too lazy to pick out nuts one-by-one, and scrape off any excess. I'm sure it would be great, but...

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  9. Your combination of nuts is wonderful. I enjoyed all of your "how to" photos. I'll be making these nuts soon...I can almost smell them now!

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  10. I agree with. The aroma of those nuts, coming out of the oven was overwhelming. It was worth making them,just for that. Then there was the taste which certainly was good although I should have added more cayenne.

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