Recipes

December 15, 2022

Candied honey and rosemary mixed nuts

Sweet, salty, sticky and decadent. These nuts are very easy to prepare and extremely addictive to eat. Served with an aperitive before a dinner party or when you simply feel like a little snack or a nibble. They are most certainly a much healthier option to the ready-made mixed nuts you get off the shelve. Beware as once you try them it’ll be very hard to go back.

MAKES 250 grams

Prep. time: 5 mins

Cooking time: 20 mins

Ingredients

• 50 grams cashew nuts, raw

• 50 grams walnuts, hulled

• 50 grams almonds, skin on, raw

• 50 grams hazelnuts, skin on, raw

• 50 grams pecan nuts, raw

• ½ tsp cayenne pepper

• 1tsp dried rosemary

• 2 teaspoons fine salt

• ½ teaspoon cinnamon powder

• 1 clove garlic, whole

• 30 milliliters olive oil

• 20 milliliters runny honey

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 160°C and line a large baking tray with greaseproof paper.

2. Place the olive oil, honey and the garlic in a small saucepan and cook on a very low heat for 10 minutes to allow the honey to melt and the garlic to infuse.

3. Remove the garlic from the oil and honey mixture and while still hot add all the spices and the rosemary and give everything a good swirl.

4. Mix all the nuts together in a bowl, carefully pour the hot oil onto the nuts and stir well to make sure they are well coated and the spices and herbs are well distributed.

5. Working quickly, transfer the nuts to the lined baking tray and roast in the oven for 15 minutes. 

6. After 15 minutes remove the tray from the oven, carefully give the nuts a good mix and return to the oven for a further 5 minutes.

7. Remove from the oven allow the nut to cool completely on the tray before giving them a good bash to separate them. 

8. Store in an air tight container.

Chef's tips: 

• When mixing the nut with the remaining ingredients you need to work fast as once the oil and honey mix starts to cool it will thicken making it more difficult to toss the nuts and coat evenly. If this does however happen warm up the oil once again slightly to loosen it up.

• When roasting the nuts, bear in mind that due to the honey content in the mixture the nuts will take on colour fairly fast so keep a watchful eye.

• Once out of the oven the nuts will be blistering hot. It is important to allow the nuts to cool off completely on the tray for them to harden on cooling. Bashing them lightly to separate before storing. These will keep well in an airtight container in a cool dry place.