Every year that we have lived in Chicagoland (or traveled to Chicagoland between Thanksgiving and Christmas) we have gone to the Christkindlmarket on Daley Plaza. It is an open air market in the European tradition, with both international flair and local appeal. It is one of our favorite holiday traditions. We start off with some glühwein, a German mulled wine (here’s the recipe for it that we make at home) and a stuffed pretzel. That’s lunch. From there, we pick up some stollen (an almond-flavored cake-like fruit bread) and we do a little Christmas shopping. Many of the shops have hand-crafted items. The carved wooden cuckoo clocks and nativities are beautiful works of art. The glass ornaments and German beer steins are equally impressive.
As we wander around the stalls, the smell of candied nuts always attracts my attention. Whenever we have bought some, they have been delicious. And I always think that I should make some at home. But I have had limited success with making them at home. Until this holiday season! This year’s attempt of a sweet & spicy version was a huge success. We could not stop eating them! Fortunately, there were 5 of us together for an extended period so I did not eat all of the mixed nuts myself because I would have, they are that good. And not at all hard to make!
I used the full 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne since we are all fans of spicy foods. I also used mixed nuts because we all like different nuts. Using a 1/4 teaspoon of cayenne would make for a much milder hint of spiciness. A single variety of nut can be used in place of the mixed nuts, if desired.
Sweet & Spicy Nuts
Sweet & Spicy Candied Nuts (adapted from averiecooks.com) Yields: about 3 cups, Total Time: about 1 hour, Prep Time: 5 minutes, Cook Time: 25 – 30 minutes, Cooling Time: 30 minutes
Ingredients:
1 egg white
1 tablespoon water
3 cups (1 pound) roasted, lightly salted mixed nuts
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 300ºF. Line a baking sheet with a Silpat mat or parchment paper.
In a large bowl, beat the egg white until it is frothy then add the water and whisk vigorously until it is very frothy, foamy, and bubbly, about 2 minutes by hand.
Whisk the egg white until it is frothy.
Add the nuts and stir to coat.
Add the nuts to the whisked egg.
Add the sugars, cinnamon, salt, and cayenne, stirring to coat evenly. (Add 1/4 teaspoon cayenne for a mild heat and 1/2 teaspoon for a more pronounced heat.)
Add the sugar and spices to the nut mixture.
Turn the nuts out onto the prepared baking sheet, spreading them in an even, flat layer. Bake the nuts for 25 to 30 minutes. The coating will appear bubbly, soupy and wet in the center of the baking sheet. Overbaking will cause the nuts to burn. The coating firms up as the nuts cool.
Allow the nuts to cool on the baking sheet for at least 30 minutes. Leaving the nuts on the baking tray, exposed to the air to cool overnight, will help the nuts get extra crispy and crunchy. When the nuts are cool enough to handle, break them apart if need be.
Bake the nuts & allow them to cool.
Transfer the nuts to an airtight container or jar. The nuts will keep in the container at room temperature for at least 1 month.
These are hard to resist!
Irresistibly delicious! ~Linda
Sweet & Spicy Candied Nuts (adapted from averiecooks.com) Yields: about 3 cups, 1# nuts, Total Time: about 1 hour, Prep Time:5 minutes, Cook Time: 25 – 30 minutes, Cooling Time: 30 minutes
Ingredients:
1 egg white
1 tablespoon water
3 cups (1 pound) roasted, lightly salted mixed nuts
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 300ºF. Line a baking sheet with a Silpat mat or parchment paper.
In a large bowl, beat the egg white until it is frothy, then add the water and whisk vigorously until it is very frothy, foamy, and bubbly, about 2 minutes by hand. Add the nuts and stir to coat. Add the sugars, cinnamon, salt, and cayenne, stirring to coat evenly. (Add 1/4 teaspoon cayenne for a mild heat and 1/2 teaspoon for a more pronounced heat.)
Turn the nuts out onto the prepared baking sheet, spreading them in an even, flat layer. Bake the nuts for 25 to 30 minutes. The coating will appear bubbly, soupy and wet in the center of the baking sheet. Overbaking will cause the nuts to burn. The coating firms up as the nuts cool.
Allow the nuts to cool on the baking sheet for at least 30 minutes. Leaving the nuts on the baking tray, exposed to the air to cool overnight, will help the nuts get extra crispy and crunchy. When the nuts are cool enough to handle, break them apart if need be. Transfer the nuts to an airtight container or jar. The nuts will keep in the container at room temperature for at least 1 month.