This is an irresistible recipe for cocktail nuts, perfect for the holiday season or any gathering, really. It's sweet and spiced and incredibly easy to make. Customize how hot and spicy they are according to your taste. They are ready to eat in less than an hour and last several days.
It uses egg whites, so it's a great recipe for leftovers and can be easily doubled or tripled, pretty handy for end-of-year edible gifts and hosting.
Sweet and spicy
This recipe (with two variations) for sweet and spicy nuts is very easy to make and can be a last-minute addition to your holiday table. Just in case you think you need one more thing on your list.
But they're pretty hard to resist! If you're used to sweet, traditional candied almonds, these are a welcome spicy change. So I think you should start a new tradition. You won't regret it.
I'm sharing two options with the same base ingredient: one has cinnamon and the other chili powder. So you can make a large batch, divide it in half before adding the final spices, and flavor each slightly differently.
The second variation, spicier, came to be when I ran out of two of the ingredients and had to improvise. It turned out amazing! So I started alternating between both, depending on the hotness I wanted in my nuts. Because one has cayenne pepper, and that always comes with a lot of heat attached.
I serve them every New Year's Eve with roasted olives and these very popular sun-dried tomato appetizers. Which is fitting, since they're a no-brainer appetizer for cocktails and holiday parties.
But you can also add them to salads, especially those with fruits and cheese, like the salad with pear or the festive pomegranate feta salad. Or make them for game day or evening snacking.
Testing Notes
What nuts can you use? Walnuts and almonds are one of my favorite combinations for cocktail nuts, and I used them for the first flavor option. Sweet and spiced pecans are very popular, creamy and crunchy, with that unique flavor we all love. We use them on their own for the second option.
Stir the nuts after 5 minutes in the oven. This is important for them to bake as evenly as possible. Do this carefully and try not to tear the paper.
When done, remove the pan from the oven and move the nuts around carefully with a spatula so they cool down without sticking to the aluminum paper.
Ingredients
Quantities are listed on the recipe card towards the end of this post. The Ingredients page has more details and lists the brands we use.
- Sweet part: I use regular granulated sugar. But you can use any type you like. Brown sugar works well and adds a caramel undertone. If you use coconut sugar or muscovado, consider that they don't sweeten as much as white sugar does.
- Spiced part: the recipe with cayenne pepper is spicier than the other. This spice can be very hot, so consider that; you may want to start small the first time you make them. And then the paprika can be sweet paprika, hot, or smoked paprika. We use a mix of smoked and hot paprika.
How to make sweet spiced nuts
Grab a bowl, a fork or whisk, and a spatula.
Egg whites
Lightly beat egg yolk with sugar until foamy.
I use a fork since it's quick, but you can use an electric mixer and beat until it barely begins to form peaks.
Add spice mix
Just stir with a fork or whisk until it's even colored. Make sure you don't have clumps of dry spices.
It will be a reddish-brown, quite ugly color if you ask me.
Coat nuts
Make sure all the nuts are thoroughly coated in the egg white mixture. I use a spatula or a spoon.
Baking
Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper; it makes cleanup easier.
Spread the nut mixture with the spatula. Overlap them as little as possible to avoid clumping during baking.
This sweet spicy nuts recipe is a great appetizer for a party, a gathering, or a buffet table. Even a picnic, if you ask me.
They keep well and are ready so fast that it is a savior recipe for celebrations!
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Sweet Spiced Cocktail Nuts (2 options)
Ingredients
For both:
- 1 egg white
- ¼ cup sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
- 2 cups nuts of choice
Spicy option:
- Dash to ¼ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
Cinnamon option:
- ½ teaspoon ground chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350ºF (180ºC).
- Line a baking sheet with aluminum paper. Reserve.
- In a bowl, lightly beat 1 egg white with ¼ cup sugar and ¼ teaspoon salt until thick and foamy, about 1 minute with a fork or whisk.
- Add 1 tablespoon smoked paprika.
- Cayenne nuts: add between a Dash to ¼ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper and 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce.
- Cinnamon nuts: add ½ teaspoon ground chili powder and ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon.
- Add 2 cups nuts of choice to the mixture, and stir until very well coated.
- Spread on the prepared baking sheet, single layer if possible, and bake for 5 minutes.
- Remove the pan, stir the nuts with a spatula being careful not to tear the paper, and return to the oven 10-15 more minutes, stirring once more before they're done.
- Remove from the oven and immediately stir again so they don't stick while cooling down. Transfer to a clean baking sheet or pan (if it's non-stick even better) and check as they cool down and stir again if needed.
- Let cool completely and store in airtight containers.
Sharon Koszuta says
I am going to try the cocktail smokies, I will let you know how they turned out. Thank you.
Tami Price says
This was perfect for gifts for my co-workers! Made Christmas jars with this recipe and passed them out as gifts! They were a huge hit! Thanks so much for sharing!
David says
Mmm, thinking this would be perfect to nibble on with a glass of bubbly on New Year's!
angiesrecipes says
That's how I made my sweet cinnamony nuts too. Merry Christmas, Paula.