We’ve spent many years honing the perfect recipe, which is dead simple and inherently flexible
- BYAnne Bogel
- IN
We’respiced nuts fanatics around here. Every season we make pounds and pounds and pounds of them, that we eat ourselves and give as gifts.These are the nuts my kids beg for when the weather turns cooler, that we’re told we must bring to holiday gatherings, and that we can barely keep around the house because they are so addictively good.
Bonus: making these makes your house smellamazing.
We’ve spent many years honing the perfect recipe, which is dead simple and inherently flexible. (In fact, since 2014 when I first published this recipe on Modern Mrs Darcy, we’ve continued to hone it—increasing the spices by about one-third, and decreasing the sugar by about one-half.)
I borrowed thebasic technique from the people at Cooks Illustrated, from a long time ago: beat an egg white with a littlewater, stir in a pound of nuts, add spices, and bake. It’squick and easy and the results are terrific.There are other methods, involving corn syrup and stovetop cooking and other fussiness, and while the end result is tasty, the Cooks’ method is so simple my kids can follow it, and do.
I’ve significantly modified the recipe over the years. I slashed the sugar in half from where we started, because while sugared nuts are delicious, all that sugar makes me woozy (or at least it should), especially around the holidays. These are sweet, but not too sweet.
We’ve also done a lot of tinkering with the spice mix over the years. I like the traditional cinnamon, and the cayenne makes them gently spicy. (If you like heat, double the cayenne. My kids would kill me if I did that.) I adore cloves, so you’ll find them here. 1/2 teaspoon is just the right amount for me; feel free to omit if you don’t keep cloves on hand.
Any nuts will do: I used an equal mix of almonds, pecans, and walnuts. Hazelnuts and cashews are also good in this recipe, and macadamias are straight-up indulgent.
A word of warning: keep these in a tightly sealed container, and preferably on a high shelf. They’re seriously addictive.
Not-too-sweet spiced nuts
1 pound raw mixed nuts (I used equal portions of almonds, pecans, and walnuts)
1 egg white, room temperature
1 tablespoon water
3 tablespoons white sugar
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 1/2teaspoons kosher salt (I use Diamond brand; reduce to 1 teaspoon if using Morton)
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
Preheat oven to 275 degrees. Combine salt, spices, and sugar in small bowl.Whiskegg white and water together in mixing bowl. Add nuts; stir to coat. Sprinkle spice mixture over nuts and stir to coat evenly.
Spread nuts in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 30 minutes, stirring halfway through. Remove from oven. When cool, break the nuts apart and store in a tightly sealed container.
And try not to eat them all at once.
P.S. A very bookish Christmas countdown to start today, easy stovetop sugared nuts, and how to DIY a holiday book page wreath.
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Rachel says:
December 1, 2017 at 9:54 am
Making these right now! Have a holiday party tonight and this is the perfect last minute complement to the menu.
Emily Winn says:
December 1, 2017 at 11:50 am
How fluffy should the egg whites get? Are we looking for soft peaks, stiff peaks?
AnneThe Real Person!Author Anne acts as a real person and passed all tests against spambots. Anti-Spam by CleanTalk. says:
December 1, 2017 at 12:15 pm
Not fluffy! You’re not making meringue, just an egg wash. One of those photos above is of the nuts combined with the egg mixture—they have a glossy sheen after being tossed with the beaten egg + water.
Tonya Talone says:
December 1, 2017 at 2:26 pm
Looks yummy! Do you think it would be ok if I used roasted & salted nuts and just left out the salt in your recipe?
AnneThe Real Person!Author Anne acts as a real person and passed all tests against spambots. Anti-Spam by CleanTalk. says:
December 1, 2017 at 5:16 pm
I’ve tried this—I don’t think they’re quite the same but I would absolutely do it if the alternative was running to the grocery. 🙂
Amy says:
December 5, 2022 at 9:41 pm
Ha ha! I came here to ask that too.
Janelle says:
December 1, 2017 at 5:30 pm
These look amazing, Anne…I can almost smell them from here! Great idea to cut the recipe’s sugar in half & up the spice factor. I’m going to make some as gifts for my Zumba pals! 🙂
Laura says:
December 1, 2017 at 7:06 pm
Anne, thank you for this recipe! I just made these this afternoon and now I know what to give several hard-to-shop-for people on my Christmas list. These are delicious! And I think you have the sugar to nut ratio perfect! Thank you!!
Peppermint Dolly says:
December 3, 2017 at 4:25 pm
Oh dear – I would massacre these if I was near a bowl – delish!
Rebecca
xx
http://www.peppermintdolly.comClaudia says:
December 6, 2017 at 1:38 am
I made these for the first time today and oh – Delicious! I’ve already given away the recipe to a friend who couldn’t stay away. 🙂
Norma Metz says:
December 17, 2017 at 4:35 am
Why are my nuts sticking together? They don’t separate and it’s a clumpy mess. They taste good though.
AnneThe Real Person!Author Anne acts as a real person and passed all tests against spambots. Anti-Spam by CleanTalk. says:
December 18, 2017 at 8:00 am
Are they crisp or sticky? I would use a larger pan for cooking (or separate the nuts into two pans before cooking) so you can spread them out more thinly.
Mary Fraser says:
December 18, 2017 at 10:04 am
I have a ton of nuts but they are not raw…how do I adjust cook time and temperature?
jina hunt says:
December 19, 2017 at 12:02 pm
I don’t want to run allover town to find raw mixed nuts. How do the roasted salted nuts do under the pressure of this recipe? Did you only leave out the salt or did you have to change the temperature and amount of time in the oven?
Linda Harvey says:
April 18, 2018 at 7:53 pm
I have made these twice and they are wonderful. I use the cloves and we like pecans best because they are softer and a little easier on the teeth. I get the nuts at Costco in 2-lb bags. My son could take more cayenne but this is a perfect blend for gifting. Thanks for your recipe!
Joanna says:
August 16, 2018 at 11:38 pm
Thank you for sharing this recipe, it’s wonderful! They’ve become a classic in our house already!
Gail Cole says:
October 5, 2018 at 6:52 pm
Just wondering…. what do you think would happen if I mixed this recipe with lightly salted mixed nuts?
The idea would be sweet and salty..Caroline says:
December 1, 2018 at 12:07 pm
Thank you for this recipe! My family has made these nuts since you first published the recipe in 2014. We add them to Christmas boxes for friends living far from us, and today, my daughter is selling them at her school’s holiday food & craft fair. They are easy and delicious, and the perfect thing to put out while having a co*cktail before dinner. Thank you so much for sharing this!
Susan says:
December 1, 2018 at 1:47 pm
I can’t wait to make these! Any recommendations for buying the nuts in bulk?
Thanks!
Caroline Cook says:
December 1, 2018 at 2:50 pm
We get nuts from a Trader Joe’s. I haven’t done a lot of cost comparison, to be honest. And we don’t have a Costco membership. Maybe they’re cheaper there? Good luck!
sarah says:
December 7, 2018 at 10:06 am
I realize you may not have these options, but our go to places for raw nuts are Sprouts, Trader Joe’s, and Costco. Sprouts is my favorite of these for nuts because they have all kinds.
Obviously if you go the Costco/Sam’s route you have to buy a lot, but they don’t always cost much more.
Virginia G says:
December 3, 2018 at 4:06 pm
These nuts are so good! They are very easy to make and I love the flavor, just a little sweet/salty/spicy. Thanks for sharing the recipe. I’ll be making several more batches to give as gifts.
Katie says:
December 5, 2018 at 1:08 pm
Personally, these weren’t sweet enough for our taste, to balance the spices (esp the amount of cloves), but they turned out nice and crisp and will make great gifts for the holidays!
Amanda Linnin says:
December 8, 2018 at 4:52 pm
These are really really good super easy to make and everybody loves them. my husband would not leave them alone!!! You have to make these. They are awesome ??
Ranae says:
December 13, 2018 at 6:44 pm
Has anyone tried making them with Stevia or sugar substitutes?
Karin Adair Crichton says:
April 4, 2019 at 10:58 am
How long can these be stored in sealed containers?
Marla Williams says:
February 28, 2021 at 2:41 pm
Can these be frozen?
Milissa says:
November 23, 2021 at 11:44 am
Just made these. So good! 🙂
Susan says:
November 29, 2021 at 5:17 pm
We love the taste of these nuts, but after I put them in a container, t stuck together in one big glob every time I reached in to get some. Was wondering if you had any ideas to solve this problem.
But these nuts are sensational!Jen says:
December 11, 2021 at 4:00 pm
Oh my gosh…I made a special trip to Trader Joe’s today (45 minutes away) just so I could get nuts to make these. You weren’t kidding—addictive! Looking forward to gifting some and enjoying some through the holiday season. Thanks for sharing this recipe!
Diane says:
November 19, 2022 at 2:29 pm
I made these for a party, they were so good I had to make another batch just for us! Yummy
Anne BogelThe Real Person!Author Anne Bogel acts as a real person and passed all tests against spambots. Anti-Spam by CleanTalk. says:
November 21, 2022 at 7:54 am
We just made our first batch of the season yesterday!
Troi Hackett says:
November 21, 2022 at 10:23 pm
Sharing with my sister in law who owns a pecan grove, we both always look for fancy nuts recipes for holiday gifts.
Hillary says:
December 3, 2022 at 7:31 pm
Wondering what I can substitute for the egg white. I’m allergic. 🙁
This recipe sounds SO GOOD!Sandra Mosolgo says:
December 4, 2022 at 6:49 pm
Definitely addictive! Great for gifting.
Liz says:
December 6, 2022 at 7:28 pm
Are they supposed to be hard/crisp when you take them out? Or dry as they cool? Mine are still a little gooey after 30 minutes (probably need to do on 2 trays next time)
Anne BogelThe Real Person!Author Anne Bogel acts as a real person and passed all tests against spambots. Anti-Spam by CleanTalk. says:
December 7, 2022 at 7:16 am
They will crisp up a little as they cool, but if they’re legitimately gooey another ten or fifteen minutes in that low oven shouldn’t hurt them. (Two trays sounds like a good idea for next time!)
Rita says:
December 7, 2022 at 1:41 pm
I use 1.5 times the nuts, so a double batch has 3 pounds and they’re delicious!
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