During the holidays I spend more time in the kitchen than I do anywhere else. A lot of the gifts that I give are homemade, and more than half of them are food. One of the easiest homemade holiday treats to make is spiced, mixed nuts. They’re sweet and warming and packed with protein. And they make your kitchen smell wonderful while they bake.
This is kind of like a base recipe. You can really use any kind of nuts that you would like, swapping out at equal ratios for what I have used. Next time I want to try adding pumpkin seeds. This makes a nice gift once it’s put into individual treat bags and tied with some twine.
YIELDS
2 1/2 cups
PREP TIME
COOK TIME
TOTAL TIME
- 1 cup raw almonds
- 1 cup walnuts
- 1/2 cup shelled pistachios
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 1/2 tsp maple syrup
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tsp hot paprika
- 1 tsp sea salt
- to taste cracked black pepper
- 1-2 tbsp fresh rosemary
Directions
1. Pre-heat oven to 350* F.
2. In a medium size bowl, mix together the nuts.
2. In a separate bowl, whisk together the oil, maple syrup, brown sugar, paprika, and salt. Pour over mixed nuts.
3. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Pour nuts on to sheet and spread evenly.
4. Using fresh cracked black pepper, season the nuts.
5. Sprinkle rosemary on top.
6. Bake for 20-25 minutes, stirring halfway through, until nuts are toasted and the syrup begins to caramelize.
7. Remove from oven and let cool. Store in airtight container.
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Photo: Lauren Sacerdote
