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Sweet and spicy nut mix is a healthy snack of crunchy almonds and pecans, tossed together with pretzels, fresh herbs, and spices. The snack mix makes a great holiday food gift for friends and neighbors!
I don’t know about YOU, but I am tired of eating sweets right about now. I love and appreciate the truffles, fudge and chocolate covered pretzels that my friends and family make me. Sometimes, a savory nibble to break up all of the sugar consumption is a welcome addition.
Here enters my recipe for sweet and spicy nut mix. This is a great holiday food gift to make for friends who are health conscious. Making use of pure maple syrup and fresh herbs to enhance the flavor of the pecans and almonds makes this recipe one of my favorites. If you like pretzels, definitely add some to the recipe. They bring a bit of saltiness to the spicy sweetness, which is a good thing. Adding more flavors and textures will just increase your love for this snack.
If you plan to start the new year with a healthy eating plan, this nut mix recipe is one you should Pin for future reference.
Anyway, this sweet and spicy nut mix is a knockout winner in the gift and small plates department.
Total Servings 6 cups
Adapted from Cooking Light
10 minPrep (inc. refrigeration & rest time)
20 minCook Time
30 minTotal Time
Ingredients
- 3 TB brown sugar
- 2 tsp fresh thyme, chopped
- 3/4 tsp kosher salt
- 3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground red pepper (or less to taste)
- 2 1/2 C whole pecans
- 2 1/2 C unsalted roasted almonds
- 2 TB unsalted butter
- 2 TB pure maple syrup
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Combine brown sugar, 1 tsp thyme, salt, cinnamon, and red pepper in a small bowl.
- Combine almonds and pecans on a jelly-roll style baking pan.
- Bake at 350 for 10 minutes or until the nuts start to brown.
- Combine the nuts and the butter in a large bowl until the butter melts.
- Stir in the syrup and toss to combine.
- Sprinkle the sugar mixture over the nuts and toss to combine.
- Spread it in a single layer on a jelly-roll pan and bake for 10 minutes, stirring once.
- Remove from oven and sprinkle with remaining thyme.
- Cool and store in an airtight container.
- *You can adapt this recipe and add small twist pretzels and crisp rice square cereal. To do this use 1/2 C pecans, 1/2 C almonds, 3 C pretzels and 1 C cereal. Everything else stays the same. Toss cereal in when you add the syrup.
