Sweet and Spicy Mixed Nuts

I returned from our China trip (recap coming soon!) to find Jan Scott's and Julie Van Rosendaal's new book Gatherings waiting for me in my mailbox. Getting good mail like this always makes my day. Move aside lame Michael's coupons and fliers for snow removal, there's a new cookbook to try!

 

The book outlines a number of potential entertaining situations ranging from kid's birthdays to unique events like a pantry party (!!) or pie party. Each party has it's own menu, recipes, and lots of entertaining tips to ensure that your gathering goes smoothly. It's a clever idea and the photos are beautiful.

 

It just so happened  I was having my parents over for a tree decorating party that weekend, so I read through the holiday open house menu and decided to try out the sweet and spicy mixed nuts because they looked amazing and (more importantly) the steps were simple enough for my jet lagged brain to follow. Had I not chosen the nuts I would have gone with the birthday cake popcorn, it was a close second. Still planning on making that in the spirit of testing all birthday cake flavored confections.

 

The nuts are first folded in whipped egg whites and then shook up in a bag full of sugar and spices to coat them evenly. It was sort of like making shake-and-bake.. actually, it was exactly like making shake and bake minus the meat. 

The nuts bake in the oven, and once cool they've got a crispy, sugary coating that shatters in your mouth and tastes both sweet (thanks to the cinnamon and brown sugar) and spicy (thanks to the cumin and pinch of cayenne pepper).

I'm looking forward to trying out the rest of the recipes that I have marked off, and seriously considering throwing a pantry party with my canning-loving friends.

Sweet and Spicy Mixed Nuts

Recipe from Gatherings by Jan Scott and Julie Van Rosendaal

1 egg white

2 cups (500ml) mixed nuts (cashews, almonds, walnuts, pecans, peanuts)

1/4 cup (60ml) granulated sugar

1/4 cup (60ml) brown sugar

1 TBSP (15ml) cinnamon

1/2 tsp  (2.5ml) cumin

1/2 tsp (2.5ml) coarse salt

pinch cayenne pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 325F (160C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper

2. Place egg white in a medium mixing bowl and beat until frothy: add nuts and toss to coat.

3. Combine the sugar, cinnamon, cumin, salt, and cayenne in a plastic zip-top bag and shake to mix. Add the nuts, seal the bag and shake vigorously, until the nuts are completely coated with the spice mixture.

4. Spread in the nuts in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes, stirring once halfway through the cooking time

5. Cool completely and break nuts apart if stuck together. Store in a tightly covered jar for up to 2 weeks, or in the freezer for a month

 

Full disclosure: This book was sent for me to review. However, I'm under no obligation to write anything and I only share reviews of the books that I've actually baked from, enjoyed, and would buy for my friends.

But you don't just have to take my word for it! Lots of bloggers are sharing what they thought this week, check out their their posted and upcoming posts:

 

Tuesday

Amy from Family Feedbag has a giveaway!
Jennifer from Seasons and Suppers made a gorgeous pork tenderloin with maple-balsamic cranberry sauce
Heather from The Tasty Gardener made Parmesan thyme puffs

Wednesday

Isabelle from Crumb Blog
Jenny from The Brunette Baker

Valerie from A Canadian Foodie

Thursday

Britt from My Daily Randomness
Robyn from Planet Byn
Libby from Libby Roach Photography
Meg from Sweet Twist of Blogging

Friday

Christina from Strawberries for Supper
Louisa from Living Lou
Liliana from My Cookbook Addiction
Rhonda from Olive and Ruby
Jenn from Chocolate Shavings

 

Comments

[A Canadian Foodie]

Hey, Think you missed me there, Stephanie! Hope I get added back? Love the nuts - they are also on my list!
:)
Valerie

[Stephanie]

Ooops sorry about that Valerie, fixed it! Not sure how that happened.

[Mardi (eat. live. travel. write.)]

*waves* (also Charmian and Mairlyn's posts!)

These look delectable and are perfect for the season! Thanks for joining in this blog tour this week - it's been so great to see what everyone has brought to the virtual table!

[Julie]

Stephanie! You are awesome. Thanks for being a part of this! And for the reminder that I need to make some candied nuts sometime soon...!

[Jan @ Family Bites]

Aw, thank you SO much for participating in the blog tour this week! I'm telling you... it's been like a holiday advent calendar, getting to open up a new surprise each day and see who writes about what. Thanks for sharing the book with your readers - we totally appreciate it. xo

[Robyn]

Oh how I love sweet & spicy nuts in a salad! This page is getting a post-it in my book!

[kristie {birch and wild}]

These are so lovely. Perfect for Christmas afternoon!

[Bec]

What a lovely Christmas gift!!! I love spiced nuts and am a hge fan of the sweet and salty combo! Bec x

[Amanda @ Once Upon a Recipe]

Yum, I love nut mixes, and the sweet + spicy versions are always my favourite. I can imagine myself eating way too much of this stuff at a holiday party! SO addictive.

[Charmian @TheMessyBaker]

I haven’t made spiced nuts in... well, longer than I care to admit. I must address this immediately! They look fabulous!

[kristie {birch and wild}]

Wow, trip of a lifetime! What an amazing experience.

[Armecia Lee]

I make these sweet and spicy nuts for my Christmas baskets I make for friends and family. I actually love to nibble on them while they are still warm and haven't cooled completely.