Seasonal goodies: Spiced nuts

This is a new one this year, sent as a recipe in a pack of coupons from our grocery store. Of course the minute I looked at it I took it apart like a knitting pattern and thought, "I could add this, but oh, take out that, and I'd do this part this way..." I took out the Worcestershire sauce straight off, since I've got a seafood allergy and Worcestershire sauce has anchovies in it. The results of my fiddling were pretty darn good, and while not quite the knock-your-socks-off effect of my blanched almond recipe, these are a lot faster to make.

It's all in the presentation, yanno. Trés chic.

Spiced nuts


Start with 6 cups of raw mixed nuts of your choice. I used one cup each of walnuts, almonds, filberts, cashews, Brazil nuts, and macadamia nuts. Mix them together in a big bowl.

In a small saucepan, melt 3 tablespoons of butter. Add 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander, 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin, 1/4 teaspoon of garlic powder, 1/4 teaspoon of smoked paprika (if you have it -- if you don't, you can get it at Nichols Nursery), dash of black pepper, 1-1/2 teaspoons of salt, 2 tablespoons of brown sugar, and 2 teaspoons of soy sauce. Pour this mixture over the nuts and toss them until well coated.

Spread the nuts out in a pan with sides. Roast at 350 degrees until toasty, which will take about 15-20 minutes. Stir every 5 minutes. Test them after 15 minutes to see if they're crunchy enough to suit you.

Once roasted, spread the nuts out on paper towels to cool.