we made these for christmas gifts, but they just happen to be superamazing snacks that i just want to eat all the time. they are taken from ina garten’s recipe here.
here is the nut mix i used; obviously, this is very flexible. i don’t like walnuts and peanuts are cheap to buy, and so this plays a factor.
2 cups cashews
2 cups peanuts
1 cup pecans
1 cup almonds
2 tbsp oil
1/3 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup brown sugar
3 tbsp orange juice
2 tsp chili powder (we have a nice blend with lime zest)
fresh rosemary (ina calls for 4 tbsp, but i use a little more than half of that)
salt
preheat oven to 350. mix the oil, syrup, sugar, juice, and chili. then toss with the nuts. then toss with 2 tbsp minced rosemary and 2 tsp salt. put onto a well-greased baking sheet and send it into the oven for about 18 minutes, mixing it up twice along the way. (ina says to roast for 25 minutes, but that was way too long for me.) by the end, the liquid portion should be bubbly and sticky.
remove from the oven, toss with 2 tsp each of rosemary and salt, and stir pretty regularly. these will harden and cluster up pretty quickly, and a metal spatula is the best way to get them off the pan and break them up once they are finished.
they will be delicious warm, and they will remain delicious until you are done eating them all.
milehigheating 