Spiced Nuts!

Party favorite sweet & spicy toasted nuts!

Sweet and spicy nuts? Always a party hit when done right! Well this recipe while easy is also a crowd favorite - because why make something that isn't right?

The original recipe is one of my most treasured that was shared with me by a chef in Canada years ago, and over time I have tweaked it here and there and it has evolved into the recipe it is now! The best thing about this recipe is it's flexibility. It's easy and you can adjust the recipe to your tastes as I have. Even better? You can make these spicy nuts with a variety of seasonings...more on that below!

What you'll need to make a small party appetizer portion:

4 cups uncooked / unseasoned nuts (I used pecans)

1/2 cup sugar (I used traditional White)

1 large egg white

1 teaspoon water

spice options:

Sweet: 1.5 - 2 teaspoons cinnamon,

OR Spicy: 1 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp cayenne, 1/4 tsp paprika, 1/4 tsp ginger

So you have a choice to make... sweet or spicy? Now most of y'all reading this know I make pepper jelly so of course I LOVE me some spicy, but I like sweet with just enough heat that you can enjoy your food, so I totally recommend the spicy! What ever you like as long as you keep the spice ratios about the same you will be fine - roughly 1.5-2 teaspoons of seasoning per batch. So have fun and experiment!

This amount makes one cookie sheet full and fills a small to medium serving bowl, so consider making two batches in two flavors if you have a large gathering. They go FAST!

HOW TO:

Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Line a large cookie baking sheet pan with parchment paper.

Whisk egg white in medium mixing bowl with 1 tsp water until frothy (just not hot water).

Stir in nuts. See how hard this is so far?

Stir until the nuts are well coated with the egg wash.

Next take your sugar and mix in selected spices.

I made the spicy version here...sugar, salt, cayenne, paprika and ginger.

Pour that sugar on in... and if you are not singing Def Leopard right now we probably can't be friends...

...in the name of love these nuts are looking good....yes I will be singing that song in my head throughout this entire post.

Stir and coat them well.

Now it's time to get cooking! Onto the parchment and spread them out evenly.

Pop those babies in the oven for 45 minutes at 250. Make sure they are dry when you pull them out. If they still feel a bit tacky cook a few more minutes.

Your kitchen is about to smell sooooo good that you will have to fight hungry hands out of your photo shoot ... ahem.

Now scoop up what you didn't eat while they were warm - cause trust me - you will, and one appetizer done! Cause we know you're probably making two or three or four....