Hello, autumn.

A few of my favorite things about the town I’m currently living in are the autumn activities – corn mazes, fall harvest festivals, Oktoberfest, and Christkindle.  Especially when the air takes on the sweet aroma of cinnamon from the German roasted nuts being made at one of the food stands.

It seriously draws me in every single time.

Until I get up there and see that it’s going to cost me one million dollars [said in a Dr. Evil voice] for a 12 oz. bag of roasted nuts.  Then I’m like “no way” and make a beeline for the $8 lemonade.

Okay – so I may be exaggerating a little bit.  Butttt, I still don’t want to pay that much for some roasted nuts.  Even if they are addicting as f@#$!   Especially because I’m most likely going to eat them in one day.

Okay, okay.  I’d probably eat them all before I even leave the event.  But like I said.  German roasted nuts = addicting.

So, it really is no surprise that when I was thinking of items to make for my autumn-inspired cheeseboard I would choose to recreate these.  I mean, the board was made for my family’s annual Oktoberfest, so it seemed only fitting.

Traditionally, German roasted nuts are made with almonds, but I’ve been making the recipe using pecans for a while now, and they tastes just as good – if not better.  And I also really wanted to use cashews, too.  Because I don’t discriminate.  So, I settled on a trio of cashews, almonds, and pecans.

And I’m so friggen’ glad I did.  Because I’ve been eating the leftovers on top of salads every day since. And eating them by the handful.

You see, after the nuts get a good coating of a blend of sugars, cinnamon, and cayenne pepper, they are slowly roasted until they form a thick crunchy exterior.  The combination of cinnamon and sugar adds a great balance to the roasted nut, and the cayenne pepper adds just enough heat to make these simply irresistible.

So, I’m pretty dang sure you’ll be wanting to eat them just as much as I am.

Candied Nuts

• 1 1/2 c. granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 c. packed brown sugar
• 3 tbsp. ground cinnamon
• 1 tbsp. kosher salt
• 1/4-1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
• 12 oz. pecan halves, unsalted
• 12 oz. cashews, unsalted
• 12 oz. almonds, unsalted
• 3 egg whites

Preheat your oven to 300 degrees F.

In a gallon Ziploc bag, add the granulated sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, and cayenne pepper.  Set aside.

In a large bowl, add the egg whites and whisk.  Add all of the nuts to the bowl, and stir until the nuts are completely coated with the egg white.  Pour the nuts into the Ziploc bag and shake until coated in sugar mixture.

Spread the nuts into a single layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet (you may need two baking sheets depending on how large your sheets are).  Bake for 40 minutes, removing the nuts and giving them a stir halfway through.

Remove the baking sheet from the oven and allow the baking sheet to cool until the nuts have reached room temperature.  The sugar coating will harden as the nuts are cooling.  Transfer the candied nuts to an air tight container and store until ready to use.

**I tripled this recipe to make the nut trio.  If you only want one or two types of nuts, the recipe is easily divided and multiplied to suit your desires.

 

 

 

I’m sure these are completely acceptable for a midnight snack, as well. Right?