7 Holiday Spiced Nuts Recipes (2024)

FAQs

How to get spices to stick to nuts? ›

How do you get spices to stick to nuts? While some recipes rely on added oil or syrup to do the job, we utilize the binding power of egg white to adhere our spiced sugar to the cashews and almonds.

Store in an airtight container in a cool, dry place for up to three weeks. These nuts will get sticky and clump together if they are left in areas that are too warm or humid. Can you freeze spiced nuts? Spiced nuts freeze well and thaw quickly, so keep some on hand for last minute gatherings.

You may think it's a nutty idea, but the best place to keep nuts is in the freezer! Nuts contain a lot of oil and can become rancid if stored in the pantry. Instead, place them in separate airtight containers or sealable plastic bags, then label, date and freeze for up to six months.

How to roast nuts on the stove. You can toss the nuts right into a pan over medium heat, no oil necessary. Just shake the pan occasionally so they toast evenly and don't burn. When they're finished, transfer them out of the hot pan so they don't keep browning.

Soaking your nuts beforehand will lead to better absorption of the spices and result in a crunchier, easier to chew texture. You may be tempted to turn the heat up, but don't! If you roast them at too high a temperature you'll have a dark outside and a raw inside, leading to an inconsistent flavor.

Nuts' fragile unsaturated fats can go rancid quickly. While that may not hurt your health, it can definitely be bad news for flavor. Keep nuts tasting fresh by stowing them in a sealed plastic or glass container in the refrigerator for four to six months.

When it comes to detecting spoiled nuts, the best bet is to use your nose. As LaMarita explains, the most dominant sign is an unpleasant odor. "Rancid nuts give off an aroma—a sour, moldy, paint-like, plastic-like smell," he says.

Fresh pecans have a distinct aroma, characterized by their sweet, nutty scent. They should have a firm, almost crunchy texture and a rich golden or amber color. On the flip side, bad pecans may show signs of spoilage, such as a rancid smell, a shriveled appearance, or a soft and rubbery texture.

Q: Do Nuts Expire? A: Nuts can't expire; however, they can change in taste or go rancid. Nuts contain much-unsaturated fat, an oil that makes nuts likely to go rancid.

Nuts that have a large surface area, like walnut halves, with their complex network of ridges and valleys, will go rancid faster because of a greater exposure to oxygen. And fattier nuts, like macadamia or Brazil nuts, will oxidize quicker than leaner almonds.

What causes nuts to go rancid? ›

Exposure to heat, light, oxygen and humidity can all make your nuts go rancid before you've gone through half the bag.

However, roasting nuts may damage their healthy fat, reduce their nutrient content and lead to the formation of a harmful substance called acrylamide.

Because the dry, indirect heat the oven offers will toast the nuts more evenly than a skillet will. Using a skillet might trim a few minutes off your cook time, but the heat is uneven. Even if you're using medium or medium-low heat, you'll still get black or charred spots.

For the best result, toast your pecans as whole pieces, then chop as the recipe suggests.

Toss the nuts with the melted butter in a bowl and spread on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Roast for 8 minutes. Remove pan from the oven and toss the nuts with a spatula for even toasting. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of the Tajín seasoning, tossing again to coat.

Spritz food with water or broth before seasoning it for the oven. Before you hit your food with those seasonings, use a spray bottle to spray it with a light coating of water, broth, or cooking vinegar. This adds a wet coating for salts and other seasonings to stick to, without the need for oil.

To ensure that the seasonings stick to the nuts, you can lightly coat the nuts with a small amount of oil or melted butter before adding the seasonings. This will help the seasonings adhere to the nuts and create a flavorful coating.

Seasoning. Now it's time to season. Toss the seeds in a bit of olive oil or melted butter first to help the seasoning stick (and to add some extra flavor and keep the seeds from burning). For seasoning, you could just use salt and call it a day, nothing wrong with that!