Give the gift of maple cinnamon spiced nuts this holiday season! I can think of a million reasons why you should have these at your next dinner party or why you should gift them to friends, but the most important reason is because they’re absolutely the most delightful holiday treat that smell phenomenal.
Maple cinnamon spiced nuts
One of my favorite things about holiday time is the scent.
You know, that nostalgic smell that brings you back to childhood or brings you back to a certain time.
I feel like the holidays have so much SMELL.
Cinnamon, pine, snow, firewood, peppermint; there’s just so much! It’s interesting how a specific scent can evoke so much emotion.
Just like hearing that song on the radio that you haven’t heard in years; but as soon as you hear it, it brings you right back and you remember the exact time and moment and you can swear you’re there.
That’s kind of how I feel about these maple cinnamon spiced nuts.
I remember going through the city or mall with my parents when I was young and smelling these amazing spiced nuts.
I have always wondered how they were able to make it smell so good.
I loved the sweet and spicy note that they gave off. It was a nice marketing ploy to have this amazing smell lure you to the stands.
I never attempted to make them because I thought, if this is something you only really see at kiosks or street cars, it must be something that’s hard to make. Ha, my naive mind.
Most food items are easy to make, which is why they sell them. After some researching and testing, I came up with this version and oh my gosh, you seriously have got to make this for every family member and friend.
What do spiced nuts taste like?
They’re sweet but they have a kick of spice.
But the “spice” is kind of like a warm spice, not something that your mouth would be on fire over.
Do you have to use egg whites?
Yes, this is what coats the nuts and what the cinnamon sugar and spices will stick to.
If you can’t have egg, you could try to do it with aquafaba; which is the liquid from a can of chickpeas!
What other nuts could I use for spiced nuts?
Pecans and almonds are the best nuts to use with this but if you want, you can also use walnuts and hazelnuts.
How would you store spiced nuts?
I love putting these in glass jars around the house so when guests come they can snag some.
They also well in open bowls for several days.
How long do these last?
Haha, in our house? Not very long.
But, these last quite a while if you store them correctly.
About a month or so or even longer!
How would you gift spiced nuts?
Put them in mason jars and tie a red ribbon around it!
Christmas gift, done.
Stocking stuffer, done.
Other creative homemade edible gift ideas:
Maple Cinnamon Spiced Nuts
Ingredients
- 1 egg white
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 2 cups pecans
- 1 cup almonds
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon cardamom
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a large bowl beat the egg white until frothy with the maple syrup.
- In a small bowl, whisk together sugar, salt, cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, and cayenne pepper.
- Pour the pecans and almonds into the bowl of the egg white and maple syrup. Toss the nuts and coat them well.
- Pour the bowl of the sugar and spices over the nuts and toss and make sure everything is coated well with the spice mixture.
- Pour the entire bowl onto the lined baking sheet and spread in an even layer.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes, occasionally turning the nuts so they don’t burn.
- Store in an airtight container.
Where is the actual recipe. I’ve scoured this page 4 times !! Help!
Omg, so sorry — I recently switched recipe plugins and it didn’t convert this recipe for some reason. Anyway – it’s back! :) refresh your browser!
I made a test run with this recipe today. I used walnuts rather than pecans and almonds, and they came out beautifully. Sweet and crunchy, nice cinnamon note, but I think I am going to try doubling the cayenne. I used a cooling rack sprayed with non-stick spray set on a cookie sheet to roast the nuts-this way no turning is necessary. This recipe is definitely a keeper, it’s perfect for Christmas gifts!
It really is! I’m glad this recipe passed your test run! :)
I have been unable to find a way to print this recipe. What am I missing?
Are you on a desktop computer or on a mobile device? If you are on a desktop computer, there is a ‘PRINT’ button at the top right of the recipe. If it comes up blank, refresh the page and it should show up. Please let me know if you need more help.
Can you just use almonds instead of pecans? And how much almonds do I use?
Yes, you can. Just replace the pecans with almonds. So you’d use a total of 3 cups of almonds for this recipe.
Can you make these in the crockpot? I’m making a big batch for church.
I have not tried that so I can’t give any tips :(
How long do the last for? I am hoping everyone will love them and eat them quickly but just for my timing on making before giving as presents :)
They last for a bit! I would say about a month or so. :)
What a delicious recipe, made some as gifts for friends at Christmas and again today to take to another friend tomorrow. They are the best recipe I have tried by far. Thanks for sharing.
So sweet!
Should these me raw nuts? Thanks!!
Yes!
I just made these with fresh peanuts OMG so good I didn’t have nutmeg so added extra cinnamon they are so good thank you for sharing.
Yay! They’re my FAVORITE holiday traditions!
Made these today, they are absolutely delicious. Thank you so much for the recipe
So glad you enjoyed these! Thanks for letting me know!
Mine are in the oven and seem very sticky, too moist after 25min. Will they crunch up when cooled?
Yep, they should crust and the exterior firm up after they cool; I’ve also put them in longer at 30 minutes before.
But they smell delicious!
Oh Julie 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 You hit it out of the park here. These nuts are TASTY!!!! I can barely stop eating them. I only had pecans on hand and used about 3 1/2 cups and it was perfect. The combination of spices is so delicious and my favorite part is that hint of heat (from the cayenne) on the back of my throat after eating a few – it keeps you coming back for more. I will definitely be making these again 👍🏻
These are so good. Gave them as gifts last year and plan to again this year. Thank you!
This was ok, but not great.If I make it again, I’ll increase the spices (but not the sugar) by at least 50%. Be aware that upon cooling this turns into brittle and you’ll need to break it up (by hand) to get individually coated nuts.