sugar-and-spice candied nuts
I am, without a better way to put it, swimming in nuts.* Appalled by the price of nuts everywhere around here but insisting that it wasn’t going to keep me from baking with them, I asked my mother out in the ‘burbs — a place where people are less confident they can get away with swindling $9.99 for 1.25 cups of pecans — to see if she could do better. She came back with fifteen pounds for about $30 from Costco, five of walnuts, five of pecan and five of almonds. It is, in a word, awesome.
And yet, despite the fact that many of my favorite recipes involve them in one way or another, I had not made even the slightest dent in the almonds and only a paltry one in the pecans as of last week, and they’re taking up a lot of space in the pantry and freezer. (I believe this is called The Costco Effect.) Obviously it was time to break out the big guns, a recipe sure to be so addictive, pounds would disappear (from the pantry, not our guts, that is) at a breakneck pace and the only thing left to do (besides sit-ups) would be to ask my mother to go back to Costco again.
These worked, and then some. The recipe is courtesy of Elizabeth Karmel of Hill Country a Texas-themed honky-tonk barbecue joint on 26th Street whose moist brisket is becoming something of a religion to us, and who shared it with New York Magazine in their roundup of favorite holiday food gifts from local chefs. I didn’t actually get to it in time for gifts, but it doesn’t mean a single person has complained (and then politely asked for more) when I’ve given them away since. Because I can’t have them around us anymore. They are dangerous.
I hope you all have wonderful New Years, merciful January 1sts and get everything you want, including that pony, in the 2009.
* My goal is to see how many times I can get certain people to giggle before the end of this entry.
** I’ll try to get one of those nice little 2008 round-ups together tomorrow. A certain someone that I genuinely adore but still might throttle because he refuses to wear a hat (and often gloves and a scarf and omg I have turned into all of our mothers) brought home a stuffy head and cough to his wife who always wears a hat, gloves, a scarf and even a hood and it’s slowing me down a bit today not that I am rubbing it in or anything.
Sugar-and-Spice Candied Nuts
Adapted from Elizabeth Karmel of Hill Country
Karmel says: “A mason jar full of nuts and a pretty ceramic bowl is my favorite gift. If you bring these to a party, tell the host or hostess to hide them, or they will disappear.”
Deb says: These are so insanely easy to make — and from ingredients you probably already have on hand — they’re perfect to bring to any party. Like that one tonight.
1/3 cup dark-brown sugar
2/3 cup white granulated sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt (I might up this by a 1/2 tsp. next time for more of a sweet/salty balance)
Generous pinch of cayenne pepper (I swapped this with 1/4 teaspoon of hot smoked paprika)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 pound walnut or pecan halves or whole peeled hazelnuts
1 egg white, room temperature
1 tablespoon water
Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Mix sugars, salt, cayenne, and cinnamon, making sure there are no lumps; set aside. Beat egg white and water until frothy but not stiff. Add walnuts, and stir to coat evenly. Sprinkle nuts with sugar mixture, and toss until evenly coated. Spread sugared nuts in a single layer on a cookie sheet fitted with parchment paper. Bake for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from oven, and separate nuts as they cool. When completely cool, pour the nuts into a bowl, breaking up any that stick together.
Looks good! If you need a bit less, Trader Joes has good prices on nuts as well. Happy New Year!
Looks great!
Happy New Years Eve! I want these nuts so I’m gonna make them (that’s what she said..omg..I really said this here, didn’t I?). Thanks, Deb! Have fun tonight!
I bought my nuts this year at Costco…I was amazed how much I could get for so little! Thanks for the recipe and for your awesome blog!!! It is one of my favorite finds of 2008…Happy New Year!
Thanks for the Costco tip, Deb! And thanks for the recipe - snowstorm in Boston means leaving work early with plenty of time to make them for a party tonight :)
I made these this year too and gave them away as gifts. (Also made from Costco’s Nuts!) Everyone loved them, and I got way more compliments on them than on any of the other things that took considerably more time. Next year, I might just make these and forget the cookies. I love the paprika suggestion… might have to try that next time. Happy New Year!
One word. YUM. I also go to lengths (like TJs) for cheaper nuts. I need to organize all of them taking up room in my freezer!
I hear many good things about the hot smoked paprika…must get my hands on some and try it! Happy New Year.
I’ve always wondered how to make these and now I know. Definitely want to try this recipe!
Yeehaw! I love getting these from street vendors. It one of my favorite things about New York.
Funny/worrisome aside about the too-cheap-to-probably-be-a-good-idea nuts: I treated myself to a mani/pedi on Monday (heaven!) and couldn’t help but notice that the plastic wrap, lotion and spray-dryant brand they used at the place was the same as the nuts — “Kirkland Signature”. Alex tells me they’re like a Sysco, and they distribute everything, but still: Ew.
Happy New Year Deb!
Thanks for another wonderful year of your blog!
I gave out sugared pecans as gifts this year since I was short on time for making cookies or other baked goods. Costco rocks my world with their great prices on nuts! I found the pecans I got there much better than the ones at my local grocery store.
I did cookies this year too, and I think next year, in pretty containers, this will make a great companion. And yes, I’m going to whip up a batch for the NYE party I’m going to tonight, because relatives in Alabama sent me a pound of pecans and I need to get rid of them too!
I buy my pecans from a guy from Georgia, who sells them even CHEAPER than Costco or Trader Joe’s and his are fresher.
I am putting these on my pear and gorgonzola salad for New Yrs Eve tonight.
Happy New Year Debra. Looking forward to reading you in 2009.
Stacey Snacks
Deb, you’re a corker! Thanks for the ever entertaining blog and a delightful perspective on life…just skewed enough to give stuffy types a moment’s pause. BTW, Smitten Kitchen is tied for the lead over at Apartment Therapy’s best food blog of the year. Thought you’d like to know (as if you didn’t already). If it’s not too late to vote, put SK over the top.
Deb, these look divine! And being from Texas, where our state tree is the pecan tree, I am constantly surrounded by gallon bags of shelled pecans from my boyfriend’s grandmother. Now I have a recipe where they will be used more quickly!!! Thanks a million for all the awesome recipes. Happy New Year!
Deb,
Kirkland Signature is Costco’s “generic” brand. They contract with other companies to provide items for them (from nuts to plastic wrap and beyond!) It’s not the same company that makes all the items. :)
These look delicious. I will definitely try this recipe.
these look awesome! i’ve already made my nuts for tonights “big” new years celebration (thanks david leite!), but i’ll have to try these soon!
BTW, the feta salsa…also a HUGE hit when i made it the first time last week. That’s making another appearance tonight as well.
Yum Yum, I love candied nuts. I typically make maple glazed pecans.
I also made the feta salsa and it was a huge hit.
That’s what SHE said. I literally spit up my water ALL OVER THE COMPUTER SCREEN after reading the first sentence. Those nuts WERE dangerous. I ate all but 4 of them monday night and then of course, finished the last 4 last night and lamented their disappearance. These were AMAZING. I hope you and Alex feel better - Happy New Year to you both - and good luck with the pony. I can pony-sit for you when you’re out of town.
Oh my. These look good! They probably won’t even make it to a bowl before they’re in my belly. Seriously. A weakness.
yum! i make these for the holidays each year, but i also add rosemary - delicious! try it.
Don’t you love the dilemma of buying bulk nuts so that you’ll have them cheap, then trying to figure out ways to use them before they go bad and b/c they’re taking up so much space?
These look delicious!
I’m a fan of making the nyc streetcart nut b/c they don’t use eggwhites which I find messy. Jacques Torres gives a great online demo on the foodtv site. You basically cook sugar and nuts together on the stove until the sugar melts, caramelizes, then turns sandy.
Happy new year!
Hi Stacey Snacks-
As a transplanted North Carolinian who no longer has a back yard pecan tree, I ask, nay plead, with you to share contact info for your cheap nuts guy with the rest of us!
Pecans rule!
oh yum, I’m so making this for tonight!
Maybe these will get my husbandl stop asking why I have a grocery bag of assorted nuts in the freezer at all times? I don’t know why he even cares since they usually go in tasty baked goods which he loves!
Ah, I miss the nuts. Yum.
I just whipped some up for my friends to nosh on after bar this evening with leftover nuts from various recipes and some almonds I picked up at the grocery store today. My bf gave me smoked paprika in my stocking, so that worked out. Can’t wait to try them in 30 minutes!
I LOVE these! Sweet and Salty is the best combination.
Happy New Year! Thank you for all the great recipes, photography and humor. I always enjoy and look forward to your posts.
These look fantastic! Have a Happy New Year and thanks for keeping up the good work!
In addition to the salt called for, I add a little more salt to my nuts while they’re still fairly warm from the oven. Quite wonderful!
Yum! Happy new year. Thanks for all your lovely posts this year!
They’ve done studies that show cold weather really doesn’t make you cold (unless you go hypothermic or are cold and wet for extended periods or something). Getting sick more often in winter is actually because people stay inside more!
(Don’t hate me. I’m a non-hat-or-heavy-coat wearer in Chicago. I already get enough flak from the coworkers!)
Ah-ha! Great minds think alike! As I am also overrun with nuts at present, so I just made two batches of my new favorite thing, called “Pecan Puffs” that my friend’s sweet elderly mom first made for me. They are so simple–basically, pecans in a brown sugar meringue–but SO addicting! They’re like pecan CRACK!
But now I need to try this recipe, too. Thanks a lot, Deb! ;-)
HAPPY NEW YEAR! –Gina
P.S. The recipe for the Pecan Puffs is on my own little blog, if anyone is interested. Here’s the link (the recipe is about midway through the long post): http://lindseysluscious.blogspot.com/2008/12/christmas-wrap-up.html
Girl, you must live on a treadmill. Just letting you know that your sacrifice is appreciated. ;-) I always wondered why the sugar never stuck to my candied nuts before, but for some reason I’d never thought to use egg whites. Maybe next time they’ll turn out better.
Checkout Sunnyland Farms online for the best, freshest nuts anywhere. They are located in Albany, Ga My sister gets hers at Costco and I sent her some from this site for Christmas. She could not believe how much better they were.
Enjoying all the recipes.
So how often does this happen? 2 hours before I have people coming over, I decide I need one more thing on the buffet table. Certainly Deb hasn’t posted anything new today…but wait! Something I want to make and I actually have everything on hand! Received rave reviews on your nuts! ;)
I love recipes with nuts. They make such beautiful bites for those in-between times that one feels hungry.
These are delicious AND dangerous! I used Penzey’s Vietnamese cinnamon and smoked Spanish paprika. The cinnamon overpowered the paprika so next time I’ll probably up the paprika and cut back on the cinnamon. I suggest doubling the salt so it doesn’t get lost in the sugar.
I’m experiencing the same CostCo effect with the same nuts in my own house. My solution originally was to make banana bread with pecans, but that will barely make a dent. Thank you for saving the space in my kitchen. Again, you’re my hero.
I love spiced nuts. I always do pecans. The recipe I use is done in the microwave, and doesn’t have the egg whites (husband is allergic to eggs!). Whenever I take them anywhere they are the first to go. Aren’t they amazing? and SO simple!
this looks delish! the nuts don’t need to also be toasted beforehand?
Just a word to the wise…read the labels at Costco and other stores. I don’t know where their nuts are from, but I do remeber how excited I was about a bag of pine nuts from Costco… That is, until I read the back of the package, and it said they were from China. I am not usually squeamish (sic) but I am now afraid of food from China. The same goes for the bulk foods sections in grocery stores. I work at a grocery store and when I asked where the pine nuts were from, guess what? Yep, China. Waahh!
These look great, my dad happens to farm 20 acres of walnuts and insures a lot of almond farmers(who give us bags and bags of them at Christmas) so I have tons of nuts I wasn’t sure what to do with, I think I’ll get busy and make some of these tasty nuts!!
That’s a delicious looking set of nuts, Deb!
These look simply amazing. I love pecans and I love anything sweet and cinnamony with a touch of the exotic. And now I know what to do with that jar of smoked paprika I brought back with me from my last trip to the US.
I just bought some bulk pecans at Whole Foods for a brunch dish I’m making tomorrow… highway freakin’ robbery.
I wanted to shake the cashier, but it wasn’t her fault.
Unfortunately, I have enough storage room to actually make a Costco membership useful… If I’ve ever flush though, this recipe is on my list ;)
Happy New Years,
Nick
Just one more reason for my husband to eat his nuts. That didn’t come out right. Oh well.
I think that I might be able to make a pound of these a week and they would disappear at my husband’s work.
I love nuts and anything to do with sweet and salty. This recipe is perfect and I’m excited to try this at home..
Nicole
And just yesterday my Mom called me up for a candied almond recipe…I’m going to pass this one along to her. Looks great!
Just stuck these is the oven. It sure seemed like a lot of sugar. I wouldve liked the lb. measurement in cups,as I had a partially used 3lb. bag of Costco pecans. I estimated a pound to be about 4 cups (?). I will post back in about an hour to say how they turned out. Most of the posts that precede this one talk about how good they look, how they cantwait to make them, etc etc but very few that actually say they made them and how they came out, so I shall do that soon. I am making these in the hopes that they’ll be great on salad as the candied walnuts in WF are around $18.49 per pound!!!!!!
Mmmmm…bet some rosemary would be nice as well in this recipe.
What kismet! I saw this post on the 31st and just happened to have a pound of pecans and a pound of walnuts at home. My uncle harvests them so they were fresh and free! I used both kinds of nuts and took them to the NYE party I attended that night. They were a hit! Folks tried one kind first and loved it, then tried the other and thought they might like that one better. It worked whichever nut they ate first. Plus, they couldn’t believe there wasn’t any butter. If/when I do these again, I will add more cayenne because that flavor barely came through and it would have added a nice kick, but overall a great recipe. Thanks!!
Okay–Im back. They are good and I think they will serve my intended purposes for sprinkling on an arugula salad but—-I find that for eating out of hand, they are just a bit too sweet. I know there will probably be many that disagree with me, as I dont have a huge sweet tooth. Also, I can see where this does make a nice gift in a mason jar tied up with a pretty ribbon and a label. Its different than the usual thing that people give such as cookies. I will keep it in mind for next year. Id love a recipe for glazed nuts that have a shiny coating, similar to the ones that I saw in Whole Foods—-anyone have one?
Hi Maria — In the shinier category, you might be looking for something closer to the ones I use in this salad. They’re much, much less sweet.
In response to Maria — I think your sugar estimate was off; hence the “too sweet” decision. One cup is 8 ounces, so you needed just 2 cups of sugar to make your pound. These do sound good. . .
A friend of mine led me to your blog, and I’m so glad she did! Wonderful, wonderful. I can’t wait to steal more recipes from this site and then pretend I made them up because I’m an untrained culinary genius.
These nuts look great! I don’t have a Costco membership, but I always ask friends that do to buy me walnuts when they go. It is quite the deal compared to grocery stores. Happy New Year!
please. please. post something. anything. to push the nuts below my screen.
I love spiced/sweet nuts, and I need not be eating them right now.
they are TOO tempting.
Always the tinkerer, I was leery of using the whole batch of sugar mix and left out about a third. Some of the nuts are deliciously crunchy, but other have a bit of soft sugar-egg-white softness on the bottom. Do you think I can re-toast these?
These nuts look delicious. Since I live in nyc and dont have a car I dont get to experience the costco effect anymore.
I cant wait to make these
Dear Deb,
I am addicted. Your information is as addictive as the nuts must be!
In response to elizabeth-I was estimating what a lb of NUTS(not sugar) would be–and I came up with about 4 cups–I wasnt estimating sugar. I used the exact amounts the recipe called for with regards to sugar. If I’d used a full 2 cups of sugar in this recipe, the nuts wouldve been inedible. As it was, with the 1/3 c dark sugar and the 2/3 c gran. sugar, I still found them a bit too sweet. However, like I said, I must be kinda weird in not having a real sweet tooth. I liike sweets, just dont like my sweets to be cloying. Having said that, my 15 year old son loved the nuts and had many helping of them.
Thanks Elizabeth for your help anyhow and thanks Deb for the shiny nuts recipe.
Id love to see posts of others who’ve actually made the sugar and spice candied nuts!!
i use orange juice instead of egg white and water. brown sugar, salt and cayenne. they are perfectly sweet/salty balanced and not as sugary looking. they also bake off a bit more caramelized.
My mother is always swimming in spiced nuts around the holidays too…Costco is amazing, you never know what you are going to find there!
Do what I do.. put them in the freezer! They DO go rancid quickly in a warm place.
You really don’t have to use all your nuts right away. I have a side-by-side refrigerator/freezer, and I just freeze nuts in either heavy plastic bags or in glass. They last several months like that, and don’t go rancid. After all, I like to use nuts along through the year, not just when they’re in season!
How I wish I had room for 15 pounds of nuts in my freezer! I may have underestimated the space in there. By 10 pounds or so. :)
Oooh, this kind of recipe is the best. I Costco’d myself into something like 50 cups worth of spiced pecans as Christmas gifts for the office/neighbors this year, and they were awfully well received.
David Lebovitz has another recipe that’s fantastic - uses melted butter & maple syrup rather than egg white. It calls for a mix of nuts & pretzels, but over time, in our house it’s morphed to all pecans with ground chipotle subbed for the cayenne and fleur de sel just to be extravagant.:) The smokiness of the chipotle smells great with the roasted pecans.
Thanks for the reminder. Years ago I found a recipe similar to this for Cajun Cashews (you can imagine). I never tried it then because I immediately lost the newspaper column it was in.Now that I have a base recipe I’ll try it. Thanks again for this and for your blog. I love your selection, your photography and your sense of humour.
Don
Please vote for Deb in the 2009 Bloggies. She’s been nominated before and I want her to WIN!!! Go to http://2009.bloggies.com/ to vote. Thanks!!!
Just thought you would enjoy hearing that you were wonderful on Martha Stewart. I was so excited to get turned on to your site. I made your candied nut recipe and it was a huge hit.I have told 30 or 40 people about your site. May this year bring you a tremendous amount of joy. Thanks for being such a wonderful blogger.
I am new to blogging and recently discovered yours. Everything looks delicious. I look forward to following it regularly. I was at Costco just yesterday and made a batch of burnt almonds from Delicious Day’s entry of semifreddo with burnt almonds. I plan to give them out tomorrow - dressed as “La Befana” - to a group of my Italian friends who meet for coffee each week. But I will keep your recipe for a future gift idea.
Yum. I made these the other day and they were so good! Thanks for the recipe!
These sound delicious! Can’t wait to try them. Have been looking for a chocolate toffee pecan recipe…any suggestions?
I do a similar combination of sweet and spice, with the addition of ground cumin. But, what my version is sorely lacking is your use of egg white - I have never done that before! I am so smitten (excuse the pun) with the look of your nubbly crust that I am eager to try out yours! These look wonderful, thank you for sharing.
thanks for sharing, deb. these looks delicious! perfect to stave off the bitter cold of january. have you ever made spicy-rosemary cashews? the recipe i’m thinking of may be from ina garten and published in a newspaper that my mom clipped a few years ago, but i can’t be certain. anyway, fresh rosemary and some cayenne! maybe a good way to use up your remaining nuts…
Oh my! This look sooo good! I’ve been wanting to try a candied nut recipe for awhile now, so maybe I’ll give this one a go? :) Diana
Everyone I give these to can’t stop eating them. I even gave some to my new maybe-man-friend, and he was enthralled (I’m pretty sure that I single-handedly ruined his diet). I also wanted to tell you that over the holidays, I also made the Cream Cheese Noodle Kugel (for Christmas dinner, *giggle*), the Creamy Mac and Cheese (also for Christmas dinner), and the Homemade Oreos for the cookie exchange at work. People ask me where I come up with these recipes, and I tell them about SmittenKitchen and your amazingness. So thanks for helping me look so good!
I was looking at the pictures and couldn’t figure out why there wasn’t butter listed in the recipe’s ingredients–but then I realized it was the egg white! No butter–that means these are healthy, right?!
I have already decided to make these next year for Christmas gifts. And I am a big Costco fan too. Can’t believe how much you get for your money.
I recently came across your blog. I have really been enjoying your posts. Your recipes inspire me to keep cooking/baking!
I sell a similar treat at our local mountain market in snack-sized bags for $1/oz and make a killing :) I have samples out for tasting and no one can resist :)
Wow those look so good! I wish I wasn’t allergic . . .maybe the pain would be worth if for those beauties!
Great recipe. Thanks for sharing.
Just had to back up your husband and agree with Dwilah from above: going outside without a coat/gloves/hat in no way increases ones risk for getting the common cold.
The Costco Effect! I remember that when I lived near one.
Whoa, I made these today and they’re delicious, but I forgot to line the pan with parchment paper– don’t skip this step! I’ve been scrubbing and scrubbing to no avail– the sugar is cemented onto the pan and I CAN’T get it off!
Oh no! Try soaking it overnight… sugar usually dissolves. (Though I know that egg whites = glue.)
A very late post to say these look awesome! I do a mix with a honey/soy sauce/sesame oil/cumin/cayenne mix which always goes down a treat, but I love a straight-forward spicy/sweet mix, especially one that looks so nice and sandy/crunchy, so I’ll give these a whirl.
It looks perfect and appetizing, i add with a sweet sauce like a Russian or honey sauce. Think will try it over the holiday weekend. I am eager to try out yours! These look wonderful, thank you for info.