Cocktail Nuts

Cocktail nuts always remind me of my mom.  She was a member of a very exclusive Yahtzee Club in my neighborhood growing up where the neighborhood ladies would get together and play Yahtzee once a month to the wee hours.  My siblings and I could never sleep that night and would watch TV in my parents' room to the hoots of the Yahtzee ladies.  They always had a good time.  I always remember as a kid loving the one time a year that my mom hosted because that meant hors d'oeuvres for dinner.  It was my favorite dinner then and is my favorite dinner now.

The Yahtzee rules entailed that each member would only host once a year, but on that day of the year the hostess did everything, all the food, drinks, etc.  I remember my mom deciding what to make and getting it all prepped the day of.   She would set up card tables in the living room and on each table were a bowl of M&M's and a bowl of nuts.  I think she would make sure not to set those tables up too early because the M&M's were quite a draw for us as kids.   As an adult, the nuts are more of a draw for me.

These aren't the cocktail nuts that my mom would have, but I think she would have liked them.  They are a little bit sweet and a little bit spicy.  I brought them to a Christmas Party that I went to this weekend and they were a hit.  I used my favorite nuts: walnuts, pecans and almonds, although I still found myself picking out all the pecans.  Use your favorites.  They would also be a great homemade gift and are pretty simple to make.  Enjoy!

Trish's Tips:  Make sure to really let the nuts glaze and cook for the last part.  If not the sugar won't fully dissolve in the water and evenly coat and you will get more of a grainy texture.  Either way it will still be good, but will clump together more.  I made this mistake once.

Spiced Nuts
Adapted from Emeril Lagasse

Ingredients:
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
4 C unsalted mixed nuts, such as walnuts, almonds and pecans
4 TBL unsalted butter, cut into pieces
6 TBL brown sugar
1 tsp salt

Directions:
Line baking sheet with aluminum foil.  Put aside.  Mix spices and reserve.  Heat the nuts in a dry skillet over medium-high heat and cook, stirring frequently until they begin to toast about 5 minutes.  Add the butter and cook, stirring, until the butter melts and the nuts begin to darken, about 1-2 minutes.  Add the spices, the sugar, 1 TBL water and the salt and cook, stirring, until the sauce thickens and the nuts are glazed about 5 minutes.

Remove the nuts from the heat and transfer to the baking sheet, separating with a fork.  Let the nuts stand until cooled and the sugar has hardened, about 10 minutes.  Store in an airtight container.