I love to make these sweet and spicy Maple Spiced Nuts around the holidays in December. They make for a great snack to serve with drinks and make lovely holiday gifts for friends and neighbors.
The spice combination that I have used in this recipe with garam masala and red chili pepper gives a bold spicy flavor to the nuts. Garam masala is an Indian spice blend that has cumin, coriander, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, black pepper and nutmeg. Most Indian households have their own recipe of home made garam masala with varying quantities of spices, but you can easily find a good garam masala powder at any Indian store or even regular grocery stores. Do try it once for a flavor explosion!
But really, once you have this method down, the possibilities are endless. If you don’t like things spicy, you can omit the spices completely. Here are some other combinations that you may like.
Combinations:
Omit garam masala and red chili powder and add ½ teaspoon of ground black pepper.
Omit garam masala and red chili powder and add 1 ½ teaspoons of either apple pie spice or pumpkin pie spice.
Omit garam masala and add 2 tablespoons of chopped fresh rosemary leaves. I absolutely love rosemary!
Substitutions:
Nuts: For the recipe, the total amount of nuts should be 5 cups. You can choose any combination of nuts you like. When I was making this recipe for the post, I was out of walnuts, so I used 2 cups of pecans instead. I have not tried it personally, but you can try adding pistachios also. Whatever nuts you choose, make sure they are raw and unsalted.
Sweetener– Maple syrup is my choice of sweetener for this recipe. If you are not vegan, you can use honey as a substitute.
Holiday Gifts:
These Maple Spiced Nuts make great holiday gifts or house presents. Package them in Mason jars or cellophane bags and put a ribbon around it. The quantities provided below will fill 3 pint size Mason jars. People get a lot of cookies and treats around the holidays so receiving something unique and delicious will be a welcome change.
If you are making these nuts for gifting it helps to make a double batch. Just double the recipe provided and spread it on 2 cookie sheets. Place the cookie sheets on the middle and bottom rack of the oven. Rotate the cookie sheets between the racks when you take it out of the oven to stir the nuts. This will ensure even cooking.
10
servings5
minutes30
minutesIngredients
2 cups Raw unsalted Cashews
1 cup Raw unsalted Almonds
1 cup Raw unsalted Pecans
1 cup Raw unsalted Walnuts
1/4 cup Maple Syrup
2 tablespoons cooking oil (I use Avocado Oil)
2 tablespoons Light or Dark brown Sugar
2 teaspoons Salt
1 teaspoon Garam Masala
1/2 teaspoon Red Chili Powder
Oil for greasing the pan
Method
- Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a cookie sheet pan with oil.
- In a bowl mix maple syrup, brown sugar, oil, salt, garam masala and red chili powder.
- Spread the nuts on the greased cookie sheet pan. Pour the wet ingredients all over the nuts. Use your clean hands to completely coat the nuts in the syrup. Once coated, lay the nuts in a single layer on the cookie sheet.
- Bake for 30 minutes, removing it twice from the oven to stir with a large spatula. Make sure that the nuts are in an even layer after each stirring.
- The nuts will be glazed and golden brown after the cooking process is over. Stir the nuts once after they come out of the oven. This will prevent them from sticking to the pan. Cool completely and store in an airtight container.
Tips
- Total time is 30 minutes, which includes time to remove from the oven, stir and put back.
