Maple Honey Roasted Nuts

I made a great salad last night: Spring farmer’s market greens, scallions and fresh parsley, crisp Mutsu apple, feta, and these nuts, all dressed with a simple vinaigrette. It was like the promise of Spring, which is a long time coming this year: we had a brief foray into temps in the 50’s yesterday (yippee!) but snow is back in the forecast for tomorrow. Oi.

Of course, I did not manage to take a picture of said great salad, nor the sweet corn chowder that I have yet to tell you about, or the ridiculously easy and incredibly delicious chocolate chipotle cake that I made for the first time for yesterday’s dinner. Ah, well; all in good time. I did, however, manage to photograph the sweet & spicy roasted nuts, for which you’ll thank me if you try out the recipe. Simple, quick, healthful, crunchy, spicy, sweet, salty, addictive: the best thing this side of bacon. You’re welcome.

Adapted from Honey-Roasted Walnuts in Homegrown: Pure and Simple by Michel Nischan

———————————————————-

Maple Honey Roasted Nuts

INGREDIENTS

  • 1/4 cup maple syrup
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 1/4 cup raw sugar (organic turbinado)
  • 1/2 tsp coarse sea salt
  • 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1 cinnamon stick (or 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon)
  • 2 cups raw, unsalted mixed nuts (I used walnuts, almonds and cashews)

METHODS

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. In a small saucepan, combine maple syrup, honey, sugar, salt, pepper, and cinnamon. Bring to a simmer and, stirring occasionally, cook until sugar dissolves. Add the nuts, stir to coat and simmer over low heat for about 5 minutes, until the nuts become fragrant.
  3. Prepare a baking sheet with a Silpat or wire rack. Place a colander over a heat-proof bowl. Drain nuts (reserve spiced honey for another use) and quickly, while still warm, spread over the baking sheet in a single layer. Roast in the preheated oven for 8 – 10 minutes, or until lightly browned. Let cool completely in the pan; nuts will crisp as they cool.

Yields about 2 cups.

OPTIONS

  1. These are great as a snack, but also in a salad, in muffins or quickbread, with the honey they can be a wonderful glaze for a cake (coffee, pound or cheese). Packaged in a lovely jar, they make a nice hostess gift at the holidays or any time of year.
  2. Reserve the leftover spiced maple honey to stir into yogurt, sweeten a salad dressing, or add to mustard for instant honey-mustard glaze.

STORE

Store at room temperature, in an airtight container, for about 1 week. In hot weather, they can get very sticky, so refrigerator or freezer storage is recommended.

SEASON

Year round.

10 comments

  3. local kitchen

    It’s so easy, Shae; you’re going to wonder what took you so long. I should note that these are just barely spiced for me: spiced, but not spicY, you know? So adjust accordingly.

    Reply

  5. Pingback: C is for Celery Citrus Salad « Hitchhiking to Heaven

    • local kitchen

      Hi Maxine,

      They are a bit sticky; not remarkably so, you don’t feel the need to wash your hands after snacking, but they do have a tendency to stick together. It is weather-related as well: in the summertime, I would not try to put these into a Ziploc bag for fear that they would just be a sticky mess in the bottom. But in cold weather like now, they are fine in a plastic bag.

      I’ve often thought that if you left the sugar out of the initial syrup, then tossed the nuts in 1/4 cup of sugar after they’ve crisped, you would add a little crunch and eliminate any stickiness; but I haven’t tried it yet.

      Reply
  7. tigress

    oh these do look good! my appetite is finally back and i must say your photos are literally mouth watering. i haven’t tried roasting nuts in honey et al. yet. but i’ve a sneaky feeling it’s going to be similar to my mustard making fate. like, so easy, who knows what i was waiting for? 🙂

    Reply

Leave a comment