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!
Featured Comment
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
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.
Video
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These looks so yummy and addicting! I’m pinning this and making a batch this weekend!
I had to tweak this recipe because I burned 2 batches! I always buy jumbo eggs so I used 1 jumbo egg white and omitted the tsp of water when whisking. I increased the brown sugar to 1/2 cup, the cinnamon to 1 tbsp and the pecans to 2 cups. I decreased the oven temp to 250°, baked the nuts for 10 minutes, stirred them, and then baked for another 10 minutes. After removing them from the oven, I stirred the nuts again and let them cool before eating. YUM!
I’m not a huge fan of almonds. Can I change the recipe to only make pecans?
Of course!
I do this every Christmas as little extras for family. They LOVE them! My recipe is nearly the same except the baking time is about 45-60 minutes. And I wouldn’t exactly call it inexpensive–nuts in bulk aren’t cheap so buy them whenever they’re on sale.
Yes, nuts can get expensive but when I use the word “inexpensive,” I mean that in terms of spending on actual holiday gifts, which does add up!
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Just made these and they were so simple and awesome!!!! It’s like Christmas in August in my house right now.
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LOVED these
I was wondering if the nuts need to be raw? Thanks.
Yes, it is noted in the recipe to use raw almonds and pecans.
Made these today and my kids (5, 4 & 1 1/2) all loved them. Had a friend over for dinner and shared some and the recipe. Thanks! Used to love buying at the mall but don’t see them anywhere anymore. Will be making often.
Came across this pin today which led me to you. I am so glad that it did. Love your site and your easy yet delicious looking recipe.
Had to try this one immediately. Made my house smell amazing and they are so yummy! Absolutely delicious. Thank you for the recipe!
Now this is yummmlicious 🙂
I was just wonder about the fool who said ‘You cannot buy happiness’: you can certainly buy, make and gift happiness with candied nuts.
Thanks for sharing the recipe.
This recipe tastes almost identical to those nut stands in the mall / theme parks. I was a bit skeptical as I took them out of the oven but once the cooled, they hardened and crunched up and just tasted amazing.
Would it be okay if the nuts weren’t ‘raw’?
If the nuts are not raw (ex. salted and/or roasted), I cannot predict how much the flavors and textures will change. I highly recommend using raw.
Love the blog and the print option for recipes. The nuts are this year’s foodie treat – a hit with everyone who has gobbled them. Your pictures are inspiring, your recipes taste good, (which is the best thing) and its all user friendly – win win! 🙂
I’m not sure whether to kiss you or curse you. Kiss you because these are soooo good I can’t stop eating them; curse you because these are so good I LITERALLY cannot stop eating them. Fantastic and really easy to make (again another down side, if it were more complicated i would not be stuffing huge amounts of them into my mouth!!!).
Thanks XXX
Sorry about the presentation of the recipe above (may warrant deleting). I have made the Bacon, Bourbon Toffee Nuts before though and they are VERY good – lol.
would love the bourbon toffee recipe. This nut recipe reminds me of my sister in law that passed away 6 years ago, it was her special christmas present to the family every year.
Rachel & Chung Ah
http://www.scrumptiousdelicacies.com/2011/01/31/bourbon-bacon-toffee-nuts/
I was thinking of making these a little bourbon flavored. Do you think they would turn out if I substituted the water with 1 tablespoon of bourbon?
Bourbon sounds amazing! Although 1 tablespoon sounds a bit heavy – maybe start with 1-2 teaspoons?