Sweet and Spicy Party Nuts

4.46 from 11 votes

Sweet and Spicy Party Nuts

These nuts are a little sweet, a little salty and just spicy enough to give them a kick. They’re great as a canape with drinks and also make an easy last-minute homemade gift.

Prep Time10

Cook Time18

Total Time28

Course: Appetizer, Food Gift

Cuisine: Western

Keyword: roasted nuts, spiced nuts, spiced party nuts

Servings:

Calories: 357kcal

Ingredients

1 tbs salted butter
½ cup superfine sugar caster sugar
¼ cup water
2 cups almonds whole, raw
2 cups cashew nuts whole, raw
1¼ tsp salt flaky
½ tsp black pepper
½ tsp ground cumin
¼ tsp cayenne pepper

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F/180°C, convection/fan forced setting (no steam). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.Put the nuts into a mixing bowl and set aside.
Put the butter, sugar and water into a small pan and cook over medium heat until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture comes to a simmer. Remove from heat.
Stir the salt, pepper and spices into the syrup and pour over the nuts. Stir to combine so all the nuts are coated in the syrup, then spread the nuts and any excess syrup onto the prepared baking sheet.
Bake for 10 minutes then stir to make sure all the nuts are separate and evenly coated. Return to the oven for a further 5 minutes then stir again. At this point, if the nuts are nicely toasted and the coating is just slightly sticky, they’re done. If they aren’t toasted enough, give them 3-5 minutes extra in the oven – the pictured ones took a total of 18 minutes to cook. Remove from oven and stir a couple of times as the nuts cool so they remain separate. They will harden on cooling.
Store the nuts in a well sealed container in a cool, dry place for up to a few weeks. If you’re gifting them, they’ll keep best in tightly sealed clear plastic gift bags.

Notes

You can change up the nuts to use almost any other type, here, so long as you stick to 4 cups total. Pecans, macadamias or peanuts are great additions – just steer clear of walnuts as they tend to toast and burn faster than the sugar and spice coating can cook.
The nuts keep for up to a couple of weeks in an airtight container or tightly lidded jar after cooking, or can be packed into clear gift bags and tightly sealed.

Nutrition