Christmas 2010 - Spiced Nuts

I spent this Christmas with my husband's family and I wanted to give each in-law something simple but delicious. I got the idea for homemade spiced nuts from one of my food blogs and decided to go with it. I found adorable glass containers with green lids at World Market, filled them with the nuts, then used baker's string and little cardboard tags to create a no-fuss "wrapping." Easy and elegant!

The chipotle and rosemary spiced nuts combine herby with smoky with sweet in a perfect balance. They are amazing. Ina Garten has done it again!

If you aren't making Christmas gifts anytime soon (and if you are you're weird), these are highly recommended for any party. Serve them warm or cool; they are delicious either way.

Chipotle and Rosemary Spiced Nuts

from Ina Garten

I doubled the below recipe and it made 3 quart-size (I think?) jars of nuts as well as two additional tupperwares to keep for myself. Point is, it made a lot of nuts.

vegetable oil

3 cups whole roasted unsalted cashews

2 cups walnut halves

2 cups pecan halves

1/2 cup whole almonds

1/3 cup pure maple syrup

1/4 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed

3 tbsp freshly squeezed orange juice

3 tsp ground chipotle powder (recipe calls for 2, I added one)

4 tbsp minced fresh rosemary leaves

salt

Preheat the oven to 350.

Combine the nuts in a large bowl or tupperware with a cover. Add 2 tbsp vegetable oil, the maple syrup, brown sugar, orange juice, chipotle powder, 2 tbsp of the rosemary leaves, and 2 tsp salt. Cover and shake the heck out of it.

Spread the nuts in a single layer on a greased baking sheet. Roast for about 25 minutes, stirring a couple times throughout, until glazed and golden brown. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with 2 more tsp of salt (taste it first because I didn't end up needing this extra salt) and the rest of the rosemary.

Toss to combine and set aside to cool, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. They can be served warm or cooled completely and jarred as gifts. My brother-in-law just finished his today and said that they were delicious until the end, so I know that they will last at least 3 weeks in an airtight container.