I’m not sure why, but I like making these soaked crispy nuts when it is cold outside. Maybe because it warms the house and smells like Christmas. Anyway, they are easy to make, delicious, and are better for you than eating nuts out of a bag. First of all the ones out of the bags are dirty, second the soaked nuts digests better which means you get more nutrition from them.

They are great for a snack or make them for a holiday party. Everyone always loves them. Start by making the soaked crispy nuts and pull them out anytime to eat for a snack or to use in one of the recipes below. Try to find and use organic raw nuts if you can.

Soaked Crispy Nuts

Mix together in a glass bowl:

4 cups pecans, and/or almonds, peanuts, macadamia nuts, walnuts or even pumpkin seeds (I do pecans, almonds & walnuts most often) – NOTE:  you can also use cashews, but only soak them for 6 hours.

• 1 T. sea salt
• Enough filtered water to cover

Stir and leave on the counter overnight, at least 7 hours. Drain well in a colander and spread onto a oiled cookie sheet. Sprinkle with sea salt. Bake at 150 degrees for 15-20 hours, depending on how crispy you like them. I keep them in the refrigerator and they are good for months. These are great to have on hand for a quick healthy snack, for school lunches, or for recipes.

To add a kick to your nuts or to change them up a bit follow some of the recipes below.

Spiced pecans

• 1 pound pecan halves
• 1 tablespoon packed dark brown sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• A pinch of cayenne pepper
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Mix together and bake for 10 – 15 minutes at 350 degrees.

Chile-Lime Walnuts

• 6 tablespoons lime juice
• 6 tablespoons chili powder
• 4 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1/2-1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 6 cups raw walnuts

Mix together and bake for 10 min. at 300 degrees

Salty, sweet, and spicy goodness

• 
1 cup walnut halves
• 
1 cup pecan halves
• 
1 cup almonds
• 
1 cup cashews
• 
1 teaspoon sea salt
• 
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 
1/4 cup raw sugar
• 
1/4 cup water
• 
1 tablespoon real butter
• Coconut oil spray

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray a cooking sheet with coconut oil spray.

Put all nuts in a large bowel, add everything except sugar and butter and water.

Heat sugar butter and  in a small pan until melted. Remove from heat and pour over nuts. Put nuts on cookie sheet and bake for 10 minutes. Mix nuts

up on the cookie sheet and put back in oven for another 5 minutes until nuts are sticky.

Lisa’s nuts

Take a bag of raw almonds and roast them at 300 for 15-20 minutes. While this is happening put 1/2 cup of water, 1 cup sugar and a tablespoon or so of cinnamon in a saucepan. ( I used Vietnamese cinnamon from Whole Foods-so much better than the regular stuff). Bring it to a boil.

Once boiling add 2 cups of almonds to the saucepan. Leave it at low boil stirring frequently until the liquid turns into a dry, sugary substance. It took at least 20 minutes or more for this to happen. Then put them on a cookie sheet on parchment paper and separate with a fork and let cool.

Note: I saved the rest of the almonds and put a little sea salt on them for snacking.

I started eating them even when they were hot! So good!

Toni’s Union Square Cafe’s Bar Nuts

Yield:
2 1/4 cups mixed nuts

Ingredients

2 1/4 cups (18-ounces) assorted unsalted nuts, including peeled peanuts, cashews, Brazil nuts, hazelnuts, walnuts, pecans and whole unpeeled almonds
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh rosemary leaves
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons dark brown sugar
2 teaspoons Maldon or other sea salt
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted

Directions

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Toss the nuts in a large bowl to combine and spread them out on a baking sheet. Toast in the oven until light golden brown, about 10 minutes.

In a large bowl, combine the rosemary, cayenne, sugar, salt and melted butter.

Thoroughly toss the toasted nuts in the spiced butter and serve warm.  Once you eat these, you will never want to stop.

 

I hope you love the soaked crispy nuts and the yummy recipes!

Sherry