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I keep mixed nuts on my counter all the time for snacking on. I’ve been using varieties of store-bought nuts (for example, spicy cashews mixed with almonds and honey roasted peanuts). My boyfriend asked me if I made the mixes of if they were store-bought. I told him how I mixed various combinations of store-bought nuts, but then I started thinking, “Why can’t I just make the mixes myself?” I roasted pecans to use in spiced pecan chocolate chip cookies, so I already know how to roast nuts. Also, one of my best friends has bees and sells the honey. I have a jar of this year’s honey, and I’m always looking for recipes to use with it instead of just using it in tea.
These were originally supposed to be a sweet and spicy nut mix, but the garlic flavor won out. I was afraid to use too much cayenne, but I ended up not using enough for them to be spicy at all. If you’re really worried about spiciness, you can omit the cayenne entirely. I’ll work on the recipe for the spicy mix and will blog that when I perfect it. But in the meantime, you’ll find me chowing down on the sweet and garlicky mix!
Sweet & Garlicky Nut Mix
Equipment
- Baking sheet
- Parchment paper
- Spatula
Ingredients
Garlicky Cashews
- 2 cups cashew halves and pieces (or one 8 oz. container)
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ¼ tsp chili powder
- ¼ tsp paprika
- ⅛ tsp cayenne
- 1 tbsp olive oil
Honey Roasted Peanuts
- 1 cup unsalted peanuts
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 2 tsp honey
- 2 tsp brown sugar
- 4 tsp sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°.
- Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Combine cashew seasonings and set aside.
- In a mixing bowl, coat cashews in 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add seasoning and stir with a spatula until the cashews are evenly coated.
- Transfer cashews to one of the baking sheets.
- Cook for 4 minutes. Remove from oven, stir, and return to oven. Cook for another 3 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside to cool. (Note: Keep a close eye on the nuts in the last couple minutes of cooking. Oven performances vary. You want the nuts to be brown, but not burned.)
- Coat peanuts in 1 teaspoon olive oil. Add honey and brown sugar and stir until the peanuts are well-coated.
- Transfer peanuts to one of the baking sheets.
- Cook for 9 minutes, removing from the oven to stir at 3 and 6 minutes. (Similar to the cashews, keep a close eye on them in the last couple minutes of cooking to ensure they don't burn. It's OK if you have some burned bits of sugar and honey on the parchment paper, though.)
- Remove the peanuts from the oven and toss in 4 teaspoons sugar.
- Let nuts cool for about 10 minutes (until cool enough to handle). Transfer to a bowl and stir to combine. Allow to cool completely before storing.
Notes
