Cinnamon Sugar Candied Nuts
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You won’t believe how easy this is to make, and it’s the perfect budget-friendly gift for family and friends!
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Candied nuts. What a holiday staple! Made so easily on a sheet pan (thank you parchment paper for a quick and easy clean up), and so perfect for snacking, entertaining or gifting. These bad boys disappear fast though so a double batch may be absolutely necessary here.
why make candied nuts at home
- Budget-friendly. Candied pecans or candied almonds are so easy to make with a short ingredient list (about 5-6 ingredients) using pantry staples.
- Versatile. Great for salad toppings, appetizers, cheese boards and holiday snacking.
- Makes for great gifts. Candied nuts also make for a lovely last-minute holiday treat for friends, family, teachers, neighbors, dog walkers and co-workers.
Ingredients
Egg white
This serves as a great binder to help the cinnamon sugar coating adhere to the nuts.
Sugar and brown sugar
A combination of granulated and light brown sugar is ideal. Coconut sugar can also be substituted.
Cinnamon
A good quality cinnamon is best.
Nuts
Use a combination of your favorite nuts! Just be sure to start with raw, unsalted nuts to avoid any unwanted added flavors.
tips and tricks for success
- Try different nuts. You can use your favorite combination of nuts – almonds, pecans, walnuts, or cashews – all of them will work very well here.
- Double the recipe. Need a big batch? The recipe can easily be doubled using two sheet pans to avoid overcrowded pans.
- Mix it up. Add chopped fresh herbs (thyme or rosemary) or a pinch of cayenne pepper for a little bit of heat!
Tools For This Recipe
Baking sheet
Cinnamon Sugar Candied Nuts: Frequently Asked Questions
Any combination of almonds, pecans, walnuts or cashews are all solid choices.
Store-bought cinnamon sugar is fine to use in a pinch but we recommend making it homemade (using granulated sugar, light brown sugar and good quality cinnamon) for the best results possible. This allows you to control the cinnamon-sugar-ratio for the most perfect spice level.
You can add a little bit of chili powder or cayenne pepper for a kick of heat!
Candied nuts can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 1 week.
Pack them into mason jars or clear gift bags, tied off with a ribbon or bow.
Cinnamon Sugar Candied Nuts
Video
Ingredients
- 1 large egg white
- ½ cup sugar
- ¼ cup brown sugar, packed
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 2 cups raw almonds
- 1 cup raw pecans
Equipment
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside.
- In a small bowl, whisk together egg white and 1 tablespoon water until frothy, about 2 minutes; set aside.
- In a medium bowl, combine sugars and cinnamon; set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine almonds, pecans and egg white mixture until well combined. Stir in brown sugar mixture until evenly coated.
- Spread almond mixture onto prepared baking sheet in an even layer. Place into oven and bake for 25-30 minutes, stirring at halftime.
- Let cool completely before serving.
Did you make this recipe?
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WOW! I made these for the first time today to use with a charcuterie tray for Christmas. I doubled the batch, used pecan halves, walnut halves and cashew halves. Otherwise, followed recipe exactly. I ended up with a bit too much glaze after baking, but I let them cool completely, then stuck the whole pan, one at a time, into the fridge to get really cold. Then I just broke it up the clumps, rolled them in my palms to remove the excess, and they were PERFECT!!!!!
My husband loves them, so I’m sure everyone else will, too! I might use just a touch less sugar cinnamon mix next time, but I am definitely making these again. Sooo simple and sooo good. Thanks for the recipe!!
I made these as an afterthought for a holiday snack. I only had raw pecan halves and lightly salted jumbo cashews on hand. They were amazing! Thanks for this fast, easy delicious recipe, that doubles as a great holiday home scent too!
Interested if this same recipe would work but replacing the cinnamon with cocoa powder or spekulatius powder?
I have only used pecans and make sure you use parchment paper or cleanup will ruin the easy factor of this recipe!!
I have made this same recipe for years and everyone LOVES it!! Super easy to make and it will be a holiday staple after all the wonderful compliments you will receive!! These are great on a spinach apple/pear fall salad with a maple vinaigrette!!
How do we know what is a good quality cinnamon? Any you can recommend?
Yes! We prefer the flavor of Ceylon cinnamon made by Simply Organic.
This is my go to recipe for candied almonds. My family and friends lovesthem.
Can I do this with hazlenuts?
Bought dry roasted, unsalted nuts by accident. Can I use them instead of raw? Can’t believe I did that! Erg.
Nice and easy for gifts! Thank you.
These are so good!!! I ended up using pecans, walnuts, and cashews. Everyone loves these, and I think it’s safe to say they’ll be a new tradition!! Going to try some of the suggestions in the comments next time, just started with the recipe as is first go around
Make these every year! To. Die. For!
Oh my goodness these were so yummy and yet so easy to make!
Way easy!! Thank YOU for sharing.
This is my favorite recipe! So easy to make and so delicious. They’re so good, in fact, that my in-law’s determined they’re the only thing I absolutely have to bring to holiday dinners. This will be the 4th year I’m bringing them to Thanksgiving.
Love to make these. Lately I have been substituting the sugars with Swerve brown sugar & Lakanto Monkfruit sweetener, and add 1/2 tsp of cinnamon. Additionally I use 1 tbsp of bourbon instead of water and add 1/4 tsp of vanilla extract. Positively received!
Why are you commenting when you didn’t even make this recipe??
Great idea with the bourbon!!
Love this variation with bourbon and vanilla!!! Thank you!
This recipe looks great but do they have to be raw? Happy Holidays
I add a pkg vanilla sugar in the sugar mixture and a teaspoon of vanilla in the egg mixture. Makes them even better. Also a 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Also almonds need more time in oven than pecans so I do them separately.
What a Holiday Treat! I happened to be wrapping up my Christmas cookie baking when this popped up! I had all the ingredients and followed instructions fully (only added cayenne and sea salt after reading other reviews). They came out perfect (25 minutes stirred once after 15 min.) Now I have the final touch to the Christmas tins! Thanks again for a wonderful, easy recipe! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
These are delicious! I have been making them for years but today in all my haste and multitasking, I forgot to double the sugar and spices for a double recipe Is there a way to fix them now?? Help, anyone???
I can’t keep my hands off them! Made these tonight as directed. Just a dash of cayenne added. Perfect! Was going to make some as Christmas gifts, but they are going fast! Definitely will be making more! THANKS! Happy Holidays!