Name: Rosemary Spiced Nuts
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 8
Ingredients: 2 cups unsalted nuts; 1.5 tsp orange zest; 1 tbsp fresh rosemary, finely chopped; 2 tbsp maple syrup; 1/2 tsp sea salt; 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper, (or less if you like it less spicy); 6 strips of bacon, diced and cooked until crisp (optional)

With New Years Eve less than a week away, I can’t help but bust out my cocktail hour recipes. Alongside my cheesy gougeres, you’ll definitely find these tantalizing rosemary spiced nuts.

Rosemary Spiced Nuts

These rosemary spiced nuts are so easy to whip up and absolutely delicious. They’re salty, sweet, and have a hint of heat from the cayenne that’s sprinkled over them.

I’ve tried making cocktail nuts before where the sweetener used caused the nuts to clump all together into one hard mass. Talk about disaster.

Not these, though. These rosemary spiced nuts are made simply.

A little bit of orange zest, a little bit of fresh rosemary, some salt, maple syrup, and cayenne pepper are all you need to flavor your favorite nuts.

I typically just use whatever nuts I have on hand, but my favorites include pecans, cashews, and peanuts. I think it’s better to buy the unsalted version of whatever nut you like, just because the salted kind can be too salty sometimes.

Instead, mix unsalted nuts with the rest of the ingredients until the nuts are coated in the flavorings. Then spread the nuts out onto a baking sheet and roast for about 30 minutes, rotating the sheet halfway through.

Once they’ve finished roasting, you can scoop them off the pan with a spatula and transfer them to your serving bowl. Let the nuts slightly cool before giving them a mix to break apart any nuts that clumped together.

When I have the time, I like adding in diced, crispy bacon for extra flavor. Honestly, you are going to love cheers-ing in the New Year with these rosemary spiced nuts!

Rosemary Spiced Nuts

Yield: 8

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

Cocktail nuts flavored with orange zest, rosemary, cayenne, maple syrup, and salt. adapted from The Pioneer Woman

Ingredients

2 cups unsalted nuts
1.5 tsp orange zest
1 tbsp fresh rosemary, finely chopped
2 tbsp maple syrup
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper, (or less if you like it less spicy)
6 strips of bacon, diced and cooked until crisp (optional)

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350°F. To a large bowl, add all of the ingredients. Stir everything together until the nuts are coated in all of the ingredients.
Spread the nuts out onto a baking sheet. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, checking on the nuts periodically to make sure they don't burn, and rotating the pan halfway through the baking time.
Use a spatula to transfer the nuts into your serving bowl and allow them to cool. Once cool, give them another mix with a spoon to break apart any nuts that clumped together. Taste test and add a sprinkle of more salt if desired.