Warm Cocktail-Bar Spiced Mixed Nuts

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

The bowl of hot nuts that shows up with the first round of drinks: shatteringly crisp, glossy rather than sticky, salty-sweet with fried rosemary, smoked paprika and just enough cayenne to make you reach for your glass. The trick is roasting the nuts dry first, then glazing them in brown butter and maple and giving them a short second bake so the coating sets instead of gumming up.

Ingredients

• 1 cup raw whole almonds
• 1 cup raw pecan halves
• 1 cup raw cashews
• 1/2 cup raw walnut halves
• 1/4 cup raw pumpkin seeds (pepitas)

• 3 tbsp unsalted butter
• 2 tbsp pure maple syrup
• 1 tbsp light brown sugar
• 2 tbsp fresh rosemary, finely chopped
• 1 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp whole cumin seeds
• 1/2 tsp whole coriander seeds
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1 1/4 tsp kosher salt, plus more for finishing
• 1/2 tsp flaky sea salt
• 1 tsp finely grated orange zest (optional)

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 325°F (163°C) and line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment. Set a wire rack on the counter nearby with a second sheet of parchment on it — you'll cool the nuts there later.
2. Spread the almonds, pecans, cashews and walnuts on the lined sheet in a single layer. Roast for 12 minutes, stirring once at the 6-minute mark, until the nuts smell toasty and the cashews are pale gold. Add the pumpkin seeds and roast 3 minutes more, until the seeds start to puff and pop. Slide the sheet out but leave the oven on.
3. While the nuts roast, crush the cumin and coriander seeds coarsely with the flat of a knife or a mortar and pestle — you want cracked, not powdered, so you get little bursts of spice.
4. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat and let it cook 2 to 3 minutes, swirling, until it foams and smells nutty and the milk solids at the bottom turn light brown. Immediately add the chopped rosemary and the cracked cumin and coriander; they will sizzle hard for about 30 seconds and go fragrant.
5. Turn the heat to low and stir in the maple syrup, brown sugar, smoked paprika, cayenne, black pepper and 1 1/4 tsp kosher salt. Cook 30 to 45 seconds, just until the sugar dissolves and the glaze is smooth and bubbling at the edges. Do not let it boil hard or it will turn candy-hard.
6. Tip the warm nuts and seeds into the skillet and stir with a silicone spatula for 1 to 2 minutes, scraping the bottom, until every nut is coated and the glaze looks glossy and clingy rather than pooling.
7. Scrape the nuts back onto the parchment-lined baking sheet and spread them into a single layer, breaking up any clumps. Return to the 325°F oven for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring once halfway, until the glaze no longer looks wet and the nuts are deep golden. Watch closely after minute 8 — sugar goes from perfect to burnt fast.
8. Slide the parchment with the nuts onto the wire rack. Sprinkle right away with the flaky sea salt and the orange zest, if using, then use two forks to separate the nuts as they cool. They will feel tacky for the first 5 minutes and turn fully crisp within 15 to 20 minutes.
9. Serve warm or at room temperature in a shallow bowl. To reheat later, spread on a sheet pan and warm at 300°F (149°C) for 5 minutes.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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