Thursday, December 9, 2010

Rosemary Spiced Nuts.

 These are the best spiced nuts I've ever made. I've made them for parties for a couple of years now and they are always devoured. I served them for a gathering I had at my house earlier this week, and one of my guests dubbed them crack nuts She swore she was addicted after one hit. Okay maybe they aren't quite that addictive but I dare you to stop with just one handful. These nuts are great for parties or to put them in cello bags tied with ribbons and give them as hostess gifts, either way your recipients will think you're amazing. (just reaffirming what you already know! ha ha) 

I had a hard time finding unsalted nuts the first time I made these so I used salted mixed nuts and left out the salt and they worked just fine. Any nuts will work in this recipe except Brazil nuts, they contain a lot of oil and the spice mixture can't stick to them. I just pick them out and use the regular mixed nuts.

Rosemary Spiced Mixed Nuts 
(printable recipe)
source: Fine Cooking
1 lb. (4 cups) mixed unsalted nuts (if using salted nuts omit adding salt in recipe)
1/2 tsp. ground coriander
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
2 Tbs. unsalted butter
2 Tbs. dark brown sugar
2 Tbs. chopped fresh rosemary
1/4 tsp. cayenne
1-1/2 tsp. kosher salt (omit if using salted nuts)
Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 350°F. Scatter the nuts on a rimmed baking sheet and bake, shaking the sheet a couple of times during baking, until the nuts are nicely toasted, about 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, set a small heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle in the coriander and cumin and toast until aromatic, about 30 seconds. Remove the pan from the heat and add the butter, brown sugar, rosemary, and cayenne. Return the skillet to low heat and stir until the butter melts and the sugar dissolves, 2 to 2-1/2 minutes. Keep warm.
Put the nuts into a large bowl, pour the warm spiced butter over the nuts, and add the salt (omit salt if using salted nuts. Stir until the nuts are well coated. Taste for seasoning and add more salt if necessary. Let the nuts cool completely.

4 comments:

grace said...

i was just watching a rerun of a cute show called 'pushing daisies' and one of the characters said something like 'i like my signals like i like my nuts--mixed. just one kind is boring.' amen--these are great. :)

Laura said...

I've never actually had spiced nuts and this sounds like a great recipe to try! I've always had trouble finding unsalted nuts too... Hopefully I'll have more luck when I try this recipe out. Thanks for sharing!

EFT Therapy said...

This nuts would be perfect for my upcoming party. I'll make sure that my dad isn't gonna get one! He got arthritis!

Emily said...

Wow, these are awesome! So addictive, they're a perfect blend of sweet, salty, and spicy. I also like pouring the spiced butter over air-popped popcorn.