Say goodbye to mundane, boring, salted nuts! For the longest time I held the wrong perception that nuts were bad for me; I thought they were just loaded with calories and fat. I then read how underrated nuts really are. They are packed with protein, ‘healthy fats’, vitamins and minerals. And, if they are maple glazed, come on, how can they be bad for you? This has been my perfect little snack on the go. Whether you have kids who need healthy nutritious snacks or a person like me who has the munchies 15 hours a day, this is perfect. All you need is a couple of easy ingredients. If you do a little bit of baking, you probably have everything needed in your pantry. These nuts remind me of my crazy days in New York. You walk down the busy streets and immediately you are captivated by the sweet smell of candied nuts, spiced with cinnamon. They were to die for, however, all good things come with a price and the candied nuts came with tons and tons of calories! When you love something so much that your hand and mouth don’t cooperate with your mind, you look for alternatives. So here is my recipe for a guilt free indulgence.

Servings: 16

Prep time: 10 mins + Cook time: 45 mins, Total time: 55mins

INGREDIENTS

• Raw cashew nuts – 2 cups
• Raw pecan halves – 2 cups
• Maple syrup- 4 tablespoon
• Egg whites from 2 eggs
• Vanilla extract (essence) – 2 teaspoons
• Salt – 1/4 teaspoon

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 250 F (121.1 C).
2. Lightly grease the baking sheet with some nonstick cooking spray.
3. In a large bowl, whisk the egg whites until they are slightly foamy. You may choose to use a standing or handheld mixer. If using either, it shouldn’t take more than 2 minutes.
4. To the eggs add the maple syrup, vanilla extract and salt. Whisk until well combined.
5. Add the nuts and mix until all the nuts are nicely coated with the egg maple mixture.
6. Spread the nuts evenly onto the baking sheet.
7. Bake for 45 minutes while stirring them every 15 to 20 minutes.
8. Once cooled completely, they can be stored in air tight containers at room temperature for at least 10 days! 
   
   Go nuts over these wonderful nuts! You can serve them as a snack or with drinks, or even as an additional crunch to your salad. Or, you can pretend you are a squirrel and hide them away for another day.

NOTES

• Maple syrup: You can replace maple syrup with honey. When using maple syrup, read your label. A good quality maple syrup should only show 100% Maple syrup in its ingredients. If it includes other sweeteners or fillers like sugar it is not worth your money.
• Nonstick cooking spray: If you do not have a nonstick cooking spray, use a pastry brush or paper towel to rub some cooking oil onto the baking sheet. If you follow a paleo diet, you could use coconut oil, avocado oil or ghee. Using olive oil may conflict with the flavors of the nuts and maple syrup.

TOOLS AND BAKEWARE

Here is a list of all the tools and bakeware I have used to make this recipe.

Baking sheet by Nordicware
Measuring cup by Pyrex
Mixing bowl by Pyrex
Balloon whisk by OXO
Silicon spatula by Tovolo

Facebook

Pinterest

Twitter

Email

Print