These addicting nuggets are great as gifts, but make enough your your own pantry!

Use whatever nuts you love! You can add more or less cayenne in this recipe, and more brown sugar if you like things a little sweeter. I’ve used tamari because it does not contain gluten, but if that is not an issue you can also use any regular soy sauce. The freshly dried rosemary makes a difference.

4 cups mixed nuts, unsalted

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

½ tsp. ground cumin

1 tsp. sweet paprika

2 tsp. minced fresh rosemary, plus stems

¼ tsp. cayenne, or more…

1/3 cup brown sugar

2 tbsp. orange juice

1 tbsp. low-sodium tamari

Line a baking sheet with parchment sprayed with oil and set aside. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. You are ready!

In a large, dry skillet, over medium high heat, toast the nuts for around five minutes, keeping them moving. Don’t walk away from these! You will know when they are ready when they start to perfume the air and you see some brown. Remove from the pan and set aside.

Wipe out the pan in case there are browned bits of nut skins. Immediately, add the olive oil, cumin, paprika, rosemary (along with the reserved stems), and cayenne to let the herbs infuse in the hot pan. Set aside for 15 minutes or so, no hurry, you’ll get back to it soon enough. Remember, this is your chill time.

Let the flavors marry

Add the brown sugar, orange juice, and tamari and mix well. Place back on the burner on medium and cook for five minutes or so, until everything is well blended. Fish out the rosemary stems and add the reserved nuts, mix well, and pour out onto the baking dish. Spread this in a single layer, sprinkle with coarse salt and a few grinds of pepper, and place in the middle rack of your oven.

Bake for 10 minutes, stir them up, then return to the oven for another five minutes or so. You will notice the liquid has thickened and is starting to bubble. Remove from the oven and let cool.

When the nuts have cooled a little, use a thin spatula to break them apart, and do this again before they are completely cooled to avoid clumping. Place in jars or cellophane bags and pretty them up for gift giving. These freeze nicely, so you can make them weeks in advance. I freeze them so I won’t eat them all! You can also mix them with dried fruits and chocolate chips for a trail mix type of snack.

 

© Copyright 2017 – or current year, Dorothy Grover-Read, The New Vintage Kitchen