sugar & spice candied nuts

This time of the year is wonderful for many reasons. I love the joy surrounding the holiday's, spending time with family, being at home, and baking sweets and treats for Christmas. Christmas cookies are delicious, but one of my favorite treats to enjoy this season is my mom's sugar & spice candied nuts. This year I decided to give her recipe a try, so I could share it with all of you. Enjoy :)

Ingredients (makes 2 pounds of candied nuts)

- 1/3 cup dark brown sugar

- 2/3 cup white sugar

- 1.5 tsp. salt

- 1/4 tsp. smoked paprika

- 1/4 tsp. chili pepper

- 1 tsp. ground cinnamon

- 2 lbs nuts (I used 1 lb. of walnuts and 1 lb. of pecans)

- 1 egg white

- 1 tbsp. water

How to make it

- Preheat oven to 300 degrees

- In a bowl, mix brown sugar, white sugar, salt, smoked paprika, chili pepper, and cinnamon until combined and without lumps then set aside

- In a separate bowl beat the egg white and water until frothy (not stiff)

- In a large bowl, mix nuts and coat with egg white mixture

- Once nuts are evenly coated, pour the sugar mixture in and mix/toss the mixture until the nuts are coated

- Spread sugared nuts out in a single layer and distribute evenly on 2 lined baking sheets

- Bake nuts for 30 minutes

- Remove from oven and separate nut clusters as they cool

- Store leftover nuts in a container, or make them as a make-ahead gift perfect for Christmas and store in the freezer

Here's how your egg white should look after beating it.

Finished product

For next time...

I am so pleased with how this recipe turned out. I love when things are sweet, but my mom suggested adding some more spice next time I make this recipe. If I decide to add some more spice I would double the amount of paprika or double the amount of chili powder depending on the desired flavor.

Variations

You can make this recipe with whatever type of nuts you like best. I used pecans and walnuts, but some other ideas include hazelnuts, cashews, peanuts, or a combination of various nuts. Additionally, if you want to avoid the spicy flavor, you can leave out the paprika or chili powder for a sweet treat.

All in all

This recipe is easy to whip up, and it is a perfect treat for this time of the year (or the whole year in my opinion!). My mom likes to bake large batches of these nuts and fill mason jars with them to give to friends and family during the holiday season. It is such a simple gift that your loved ones are sure to appreciate.