Holiday Candied Nuts

Festive Holiday Candied Nuts combine toasted pecans + cashews with a cinnamon sugar blend, warm nutmeg and touch of Aleppo pepper for a gentle heat. These homemade cinnamon sugar nuts are sweet + salty as well as reminiscent of the German style nuts found at winter markets in Germany and Christkindlmarket in Chicago - they're easy to make and fill your house with wonderful holiday spice smells!

I often serve these on a charcuterie board alongside smoked cream cheese, at a cocktail pairing, or on a dessert platter with Christmas Crack. This crunchy snack also makes great gift bags for teachers, co-workers and friends!

A Quick Glance At This Holiday Candied Nuts Recipe

Why You'll Love This Recipe

• Irresistible sweet + savory combo with tons of texture!
• Spiced nuts are a great holiday make-ahead moment. These cinnamon sugar nuts + eggnog cheesecake both fit the bill.
• Offers an added hint of heat with Aleppo pepper.

Recipe Ingredients

• Egg White: Whipped egg whites create a binding agent for the sugar and spice mix to stick to the nuts while creating a crackly crust when baked, similar to meringue. Coating the nuts in the egg mixture also allows for even coating.
• Cinnamon Maple Sugar: This spice combo is from The Spice House and can be ordered online or bought at the store front if you live in the area.
• Aleppo Pepper: Aleppo Pepper has a similar level of heat as crushed red pepper. While it will add a bit of spice to the nuts, the amount is small enough not to make the candied nuts too spicy.

See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.

Substitutions & Variations

• Feel free to swap out your nuts. Walnuts and almonds are also great options. Just keep the volume of nuts the same for the recipe.
• If you're unable to find or order Cinnamon Maple Sugar, add an additional ½ teaspoon cinnamon, 2 teaspoon granulated sugar and 1 tablespoon maple syrup to the recipe. Alternatively, if you're left with a jar of Cinnamon Maple Sugar you can use it to make Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cookies or Banana Coffee Cake.
• Try fun spice combos like chipotle powder + rosemary, Chai spices, or even ranch powder along with the sugar blend for flavor variations to match any occasion.
• Adding 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract, 1 teaspoon of orange zest, or 1 tablespoon of orange juice brings additional depth of flavor that pairs well with holiday flavors and charcuterie boards.

This recipe has not been tested with other substitutions or variations. If you replace or add any ingredients, please let us know how it turned out in the comments below!

Expert Baking Tips

• Make sure your egg whites are stiff - the peaks should not fall down at all when you lift the beaters. Bringing the egg whites to a stiff peak allows for that crackly crunchy outer coating on the mixed nuts for added texture.
• Stir the nuts partway through baking to keep from burning.
• Line the baking sheet with parchment for easy cleanup, as well as easily transferring the nuts to a container.
• Use holiday candied nuts on top of candied sweet potatoes for an irresistible taste combination and texture.
• Use a sheet pan that's large enough to spread the roasted pecans and cashews out without crowding or stacking. If you're making a double batch, use two pans rather than one. Crowding and stacking creates a steaming effect rather than roasting and can cause underdone, chewy or soggy texture.

Holiday Candied Nuts Recipe FAQs

Why These Nuts Work For Both Sweet + Savory Applications

These spiced nuts can work with sweet or savory dishes. Use them as a stand alone dessert or sweet snack, or add them to your Christmas cookie platters. Candied pecans are a bold choice for Thanksgiving charcuterie boards, cheese boards or chopped and sprinkled onto Harissa Hummus.

📖Recipe

Holiday Candied Nuts

Krista Stechman

Festive Holiday Candied Nuts feature toasted pecans + cashews with a cinnamon sugar blend, a dash of nutmeg and sprinkle of Aleppo pepper for a gentle heat.

5 from 3 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 40 minutes mins

Course american, german

Cuisine appetizer, dessert, snacks

Servings 10 servings

Calories 229 kcal

Equipment

• ▢
  1 electric hand mixer

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• ▢ 1 cup pecans
• ▢ 1 cup cashews
• ▢ 1 large egg white
• ▢ 1 tablespoon water
• ▢ ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• ▢ 1½ teaspoon kosher salt
• ▢ ½ cup granulated sugar
• ▢ ½ cup brown sugar
• ▢ 1 tablespoon cinnamon maple sugar
• ▢ 1½ teaspoon cinnamon
• ▢ 1 teaspoon nutmeg
• ▢ 1 teaspoon aleppo pepper

Instructions

 

• Preheat oven to 300°F and line a sheet tray with parchment paper
• Place pecans and cashews into a large mixing bowl
• Beat egg white, water and vanilla in a small bowl with a whisk or an electric hand mixer until stiff peaks form
• Mix salt, both sugars, maple cinnamon sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and aleppo pepper in a separate small bowl
• Add egg white mixture to bowl of nuts and toss until fully coated. Add spice mixture and toss well then transfer nuts to sheet tray
• Bake 15 minutes then stir and bake an additional 15 minutes. Remove nuts from oven and allow to cool before breaking apart and serving. Top with flaky sea salt if desired.

Notes

Stiff peaks are when the whisk is brought up out of the bowl and egg whites remain straight up in the air without folding over. Achieving stiff egg whites is imperative for proper finished texture. 

Do not crowd or stack the nuts on the pan. Use a pan large enough to spread them out to avoid underdone or chewy texture. 

Omit Aleppo pepper to remove any heat, although it's not too spicy.

If you're unable to find or order Cinnamon Maple Sugar, add an additional ½ teaspoon cinnamon, 2 teaspoon granulated sugar and 1 tablespoon maple syrup.

Stirring the nuts halfway through the baking process will prevent any burning.

Serve holiday nuts as a snack, dessert or on a charcuterie board!

Nutrition

Calories: 229kcalCarbohydrates: 28gProtein: 4gFat: 13gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 7gSodium: 362mgPotassium: 152mgFiber: 2gSugar: 23gVitamin A: 66IUVitamin C: 0.2mgCalcium: 25mgIron: 1mg

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