Winter Spice Candied Nuts (& recipients)

This isn’t for right now.

This sweet, spicy mixed nut situation is for your holiday-ing. Your entertaining, your cheeseboard-ing, your gifting.

Your teacher gift. Your mail carrier gift. Your coworker-who-shares-an-“open-concept-workspace”-with-you gift.

These nuts aren’t for tomorrow (although, if you’re in desperate need of something to bring or looking for a little snacky option for guests, these would totally do!). These nuts are for December. We’re planning ahead. Making lists, checking them twice and all that jazz.

Winter Spice Candied Nuts are so quintessentially Christmas. Toasty, sweet, and comforting – a perfect snack or edible gift to celebrate the season. This recipe utilizes egg whites to help the sugars adhere to the nuts, while maple accentuates their natural flavor without sacrificing sweetness. Feel free to vary or omit the spices to suit your personal tastes or the tastes of the lucky recipients of all your hard work!

Winter Spice Candied Nuts

• Prep Time: 5 minutes
• Cook Time: 35 – 40 minutes
• Total Time: 40 – 45 minutes
• Yields: ~ 8 cups mixed nuts

Ingredients:

• 12oz. pecan halves
• 6oz. walnut halves & pieces
• 4oz. whole almonds
• 2oz. sliced almonds
• 2 tablespoon unsalted butter
• ⅓ cup pure maple syrup
• 2 egg whites
• ¼ cup brown sugar
• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• ½ tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 ½ tsp. ground cinnamon
• ¾ tsp. allspice
• ¼ tsp. nutmeg
• Pinch of cloves

Directions: Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Line a baking tray with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat and set aside. In a large bowl, stir together the pecans, walnuts, and almonds, set aside. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over low heat. Whisk in syrup, egg whites, and sugars. Remove from heat and stir in salt, vanilla, and spices. Pour sugar mixture over nuts and stir to coat. Spread over prepared pan and bake in preheated oven for 25 – 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes. Nuts are done when they are toasted, fragrant, and remain coated in sugar mixture. Remove from oven and allow to cool to room temperature before storing in a sealed container.