For my first recipe on this blog, I bring you Cinnamon Roasted nuts.
When you make this recipe, you’ll find that your entire house will fill with an incredible warm cinnamon smell, and after they have had a chance to harden, you won’t be able to stop eating them. They are far too addictive to stop eating them, don’t say I didn’t warn you!
With COVID-19 still in full swing, many markets that usually have the most amazing warm cinnamon-roasted nuts have been closed down.
Every year, there was a small German Christmas market in my home town where my family and I would visit each year. There were stands filled with various Christmas-style gifts and numerous food stands, including cinnamon-roasted nuts.
Credit: Christkindlsmarkt
Of course, you’d have to take out a second mortgage on your house when you wanted to buy some, but they were so good! They were always warm, and they were perfect on a cold winter day in an open-air Christmas market.
So, this year I set out to try to replicate them. I went through about ten batches, dissatisfied with every one of them (can you tell we take recipe development very seriously!?). I tried doing them in the oven and on the stove and experimented with various flavors until I made the perfect recipe.
If there is one thing I learned from all this experimenting, the nuts you get at a market don’t taste all too much like cinnamon (or at least not as much as I wanted). I accidentally made a batch identical to the ones I bought but decided I could significantly improve them.
This recipe is very straightforward and has an outstanding balance of cinnamon with an extra hint of ginger for a new taste element. It is the best cinnamon-roasted nut recipe you’ll ever find!
You may also notice something that you may haven’t seen in other recipes, a “quick recipe.” This recipe is like the more detailed one, but I’ve taken out many finer details. So, as you become an expert at this recipe and make it more and more, you’ll find that reading the quick recipe will be faster and more helpful.
Cheers,
Chef Olson
“The Flying Chef”
Cinnamon Roasted Nuts
Yield: ~2 Cups
Prep Time: ~15 Minutes Inactive Time: ~30-35 Minutes Total Time: ~45-50 Minutes
Ingredients
1. 1 Egg White
2. 1/4th tsp Salt
3. 2 tsp Cinnamon
4. 1 tsp Honey
5. 1 2 tsp Fresh And Finely Grated Ginger
6. 8 tbsp Caster Sugar (Ultrafine Baking Sugar)
7. 2 cups Nuts (Pecans, Cashews, Almonds, & Hazelnuts Work Best)
8. 3 tbsp Unsalted Butter
Guide
1. Heat your oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit (165 degrees Celsius)
2. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk the egg white until white and frothy. Add in the salt and whisk to combine.
3. In the same mixing bowl, add the cinnamon, honey, sugar, and ginger. Mix well to combine; you don’t want large clumps of ginger.
4. Add the nuts to the cinnamon mixture and mix with a wooden spoon till coated.
5. Place butter on a large rimmed sheet pan and put it into the oven. Once the butter has melted, evenly spread the nuts on the pan.
6. Bake for 30 minutes, stirring with a wooden spoon every ten minutes.
7. Spread the nuts out on a sheet of parchment paper and let sit for at least 30 minutes.
Recipe By: Chef Olson Thewoodenspoonchefs.com
Did you make this recipe? Take a picture and tag on instagram at the_wooden_spoon_chefs
Chef Notes
- The nuts will become crunchier as time passes, so don’t be concerned if they are soft coming out of the oven.
- Depending upon your oven, you may need to cook the nuts for 5 minutes longer to make them crunchier. You are looking for a medium to deep brown color like the one in the recipe picture.
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