Every year at Christmastime my three friends and I gather for what I call “Christmas with the Girls.” We have been doing it since were 18, so I’ll just say decades! Well, when one of us four moved away it was sad. We couldn’t have the four of us meet for Christmas. Three of us still meet. There is usually eating, drinking, opening of gifts, laughing and visiting. Well, last year our distant friend sent us some mixed nuts. She had made Sweet-and-Spicy Mixed Nuts from a Bon Appétit recipe. They were pretty good. A little spicy for me as they had crushed red pepper flakes in them, but they were good. I thought I could just leave the peppers out when I made them. The recipe also calls for maple syrup. We didn’t have maple syrup. When I would go to the store I would forget to buy some. Plus I was thinking I needed a couple of tablespoons and I didn’t want to buy a whole bottle for just that. So I kept putting off making the recipe. Eventually I did buy the nuts (from Amazon). But when I went to the store I kept forgetting the syrup. Finally one day I remembered to buy the syrup and it was sitting on the counter and my husband says, “What did you buy maple syrup for?” And I explained the whole thing to him. He says, “We have maple syrup.” He explained to me that someone went to Vermont and had asked him if he wanted anything and he said, “Maple syrup.” So she had brought a little bottle back. It probably would have been the perfect amount. Oh well, I am sure I will make these nuts again. Although I did not use the recipe my friend used. I ended up making something up. I am not too big on the spicy so I didn’t use any crushed pepper flakes.
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Sweet and Savory Mixed Nuts
–1 1/2 cup raw unsalted almonds
–1 cup walnuts
–1 cup raw unsalted pepitas
–1 cup raw unsalted pecans
–2 tablespoons of olive oil
–1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon of worcestershire sauce
–1/2 teaspoon thyme
–1 1/2 teaspoons rosemary leaves
–1/2 teaspoon cumin
–1 teaspoon salt
–1/3 cup and 1 teaspoon maple syrup
–tiny sprinkle of cayenne pepper
Preheat the oven to 350° F. Put all the nuts on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Put the pan in the oven, letting the nuts roast, for 10 minutes. In a big bowl mix the olive oil, worcestershire sauce, thyme, rosemary, cumin, salt, maple syrup, and sprinkle of pepper all together. Then put the nuts in the bowl and mix. Coat the nuts with the mixture. Then transfer all the nuts back onto the parchment lined baking sheet. Let the nuts toast/bake for 20 minutes, but toss them occasionally.
Allow nuts to cool before storing.
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This makes a flavor snack. And, of course, you can use whatever type of nuts you like. And perhaps futz with the amount of spices and herbs.
Now I need recipes that call for maple syrup.
Do you like mixed nuts? Do you have any recipes that call for maple syrup?
Terre Pruitt's Blog 