CrockPot Roasted & Spiced Nuts Recipe

Day 341.

How are you doing on your holiday shopping? If you're still in need for a quick gift and would prefer the homemade touch, these nuts are perfect.

Unless your recipient is allergic to nuts. Then you should make something else.

The Ingredients.

1 cup raw, unsalted pecans
1 cup raw, unsalted almonds
1 cup raw, unsalted pistachios (no shells, just the meat)
1/2 cup raw, unsalted pumpkin seeds
1 1/2 T maple syrup
1 tsp curry
1 tsp rosemary
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp kosher salt
cooking spray

The Directions.

I used a 6.5 quart crockpot. Anything over a 4 quart should work just fine. This makes enough nuts to feed 12 people as a snack; I'd guess maybe 3-4 gift containers.

Spray the inside of your crockpot with cooking spray. This is the only grease/butter, which creates a fantastic non-oily nut. I love this.

Put in your nuts/seeds, and add all of the spices and the maple syrup. Toss well to coat.
Cover and cook on high for 2 hours, stirring every 20 minutes or so. The nuts will burn if you don't stir, but if a few do get burnt, don't worry about it. That's part of the charm of a homemade gift.

Spread the nuts out on a layer of foil or wax paper to completely cool, and store in an air-tight container.

The Verdict.

We all really liked these, and so did my dad. The kids ate a bunch, and then waved at their tongue because of the slight kick from the cayenne, but kept going back for more. Both the maple syrup and cayenne is there, but not over-powering, which is sort of scary because you can eat a bucket load.

Looking for more gift ideas?
How about some lovely I Heart CrockPotting merchandise?
Rocky Road Candy
Frito Candy
Peanut (not brittle) Candy
Apple Butter
Jam
Puppy Chow
Caramel Apples
Candles!
Soap!
Brownies-In-a-Mug