These maple syrup candied nuts tossed with cinnamon and nutmeg are an easy appetizer, snack or gift for the holidays. A dash of cayenne pepper also packs spicy personality into every bite!
Elevating your holiday gifts and baking projects is simple with these baked candied nuts. All you need to do is mix everything together and bake them until golden and toasty. Once ready, wrap them up pretty or sprinkle them over your favorite desserts. They’ll add extra crunch and lots of cozy, warm spices to everything.
Why You’ll Love This Candied Nuts Recipe
If you love taking your holiday desserts and treats to the next level, these candied nuts are for you.
- Great for gifting. Store them in small boxes or jars, stick a bow on them, and give them away as yummy presents.
- Perfect for the holidays. Candied nuts with warm spices just scream fall and winter. Add them to your favorite recipes!
- Versatile. Make them on the stove, add a pinch of fruity cardamom, or turn them into crunchy chocolatey goodness.
- Twist on a classic. A bit of heat sets them aside from traditional candied nuts that are nothing but sweet.
What You’ll Need
Cayenne pepper adds a gentle kick of heat to enhance the warm spices’ flavor. Scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of the post for exact ingredient amounts.
- Nuts – You’ll need pecans, cashews, and almonds.
- Maple syrup – Raw honey and agave nectar work too.
- Cinnamon – It adds warm earthiness to the mixture. Don’t skip it.
- Nutmeg – Feel free to swap it for more cinnamon.
- Cayenne pepper – This is optional.
- Salt – Kosher salt is best because it’s very fine and won’t leave chunks of salt in the nuts.
What Are The Best Nuts To Use?
You can use your favorite kind of nuts, like pecans, almonds, or walnuts, to make these spiced candied nuts. Combinations of your favorite nuts work too. However, make sure they’re unsalted and raw (not toasted) so that the maple syrup mixture can stick to them properly. If you use toasted nuts, the batch will likely burn in the oven.
How To Make Candied Nuts
All you have to do is mix the ingredients and bake away! Scroll to the bottom of the post for the full recipe card.
- Prep the oven. Preheat it to 350F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set it aside. You can also use a silicone baking mat to prevent any sticking.
- Spice them up. Gently mix all of the ingredients together until well combined. You can also mix the spices and maple syrup together before adding in the nuts.
- Bake them. Evenly spread them out on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 12 minutes, stir well, and bake for another 12-13 minutes. Remove from the oven. Let them cool and enjoy!
Tips & Variations
Sweet fragrant spices and cocoa powder can add more toastiness to these festive candied nuts.
- More spices. Stirring 1/8-1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom and 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves into the mixture adds more depth.
- Use the stove. If you don’t feel like firing up the oven, set a skillet over medium heat. Grease it with cooking spray and add 1/4 of the nut-maple mixture. Cook for 15-18 minutes, stirring continuously, until the maple syrup caramelizes. It should thicken and almost dry out. Remove from the heat and set them on a parchment lined plate. Repeat for the rest of the nut mixture.
- Go all in for the holidays. Add 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice or apple pie spice for more holiday flair.
- More nuts. Mixing 1 cup Brazil nuts, walnuts, or macadamias into the medley adds more crunch.
- Make them chocolatey. Whisk 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder into the maple syrup until smooth, then combine with the rest of the ingredients for chocolatey candied nuts.
Ways To Use Them
These candied nuts are a great topping for your favorite holiday desserts. I love them on my Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes and Vegan Pumpkin Pie Bars. They’re also amazing on my Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes with Oatmeal Pecan Streusel. For a Christmas vibe, try them on my Chocolate Cake with Peppermint Buttercream.
Proper Storage
Place them in an airtight container, away from direct heat and sunlight, for up to 10 days. Keep them away from moisture too to prevent them from softening.
More Holiday Snacks To Try
- Pesto Chicken Pinwheel
- Assorted Holiday Goat Cheese Balls
- Coconut Bliss Balls
- No Bake Almond Joy Bars
Spiced Candied Nuts
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 3 cups 1x
- Category: Appetizer
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Description
This homemade candied pecans recipe with warm spices and spicy cayenne pepper will pack your holiday treats with sweet crunch.
Ingredients
- 1 cup of raw pecans
- 1 cup of raw cashews, unsalted
- 1 cup of raw almonds, unsalted
- 3 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300°F.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Add maple syrup, cinnamon, nutmeg, cayenne and salt to a bowl and stir to combine. To another medium bowl, add nuts.
- Pour the maple mixture over the nuts. Using a spoon gently toss to coat the nuts with the sauce.
- Spread out on a prepared baking sheet and bake for 25 minutes. Stirring halfway through. Let cool and enjoy.
28 comments on “Spiced Candied Nuts”
Thanks for the instructions. I had a little bit of difficulty because (I think) because. i used a glass pan. The sugar kept trying to burn. When I turned temp down it wasnt melting correctly. My solution? I added 2 tablespoons of water and viola’! It created a carmely rich coating for the pecans that easily coated ALL of the pecans. Thanks again for the idea
Yup… glass will definitely start to burn those pecans on ya. But way to improvise on the fly with the water! Glad it did the trick and that they turned out all sugary and delicious! 🙂
I loved this recipe!!!!! I also made them for salads but the rest went as snacks…Lol making for gifts..
haha… awesome! Thats what I love about these too, you can use them in just about anything. 🙂 Plus, such a great and easy gift to make! 🙂
I am so excited about trying these Krista!! My Husband LOVES candied nuts – can’t wait to surprise him, I am featuring this tonight at our Best Of The Weekend Party!!! xo
Yeah, I’m excited that your excited! I hope the hubbie loves them, we just snack on them sometimes. hehe
Thanks so much for the feature girl, eek, what a great surprise. Hope you have a fantastic rest of the weekend!
Yum! Candied nuts are such a wonderful treat, these look so great!
Yes they are, and addictive too! Thanks for stopping by Mal, hope you have a great day!
Ohh these look delicious! I love candied nuts, and want to make some for the holidays this year. I love how simple your recipe is, they look so good!
Maria
www.shopgirlmaria.blogspot.com
Thanks Maria, I love them too, but really love the smell of them! 🙂 I hope you are able to make them this year for the holidays, I know I definitely will.
Ok, I understand closing the pool here in NY it hasn’t gone over 70 degrees in the last 2 days, but Texas? That is cruel and unusal punishment. Good to see you and I love the nuts.
hahaha. I know!!! We are at the park playing and my poor sweaty son is looking at the splashpad in longing. So sad. 🙁 Thanks for stopping by Diane!
I love candied pecans! In fact, I need to make some again!
Love the photos of yours, Krista. Pinning! 🙂
I need to make so more.. they are so stinking good and addictive. Thanks on the photo complements… means alot coming from you! 🙂
These look awesome! I love how easy it is to make this. I was looking for a different hostess gift and this will be perfect. 🙂 Pinning to make!
Awesome! These will be a perfect hostess gift, I know I would love it if I got it. I am definitely making them as holiday gifts this year. 🙂
I love love LOVE the smell of candied nuts!! This is an amazing recipe! Thank you so much for sharing on Wake Up Wednesdays!
It truly is a heavenly smell… and taste. I can’t stop snacking on them! Thanks for the party Lisa, looks like party #2 was a success! 🙂
I love candied pecans…I always wrap them in bags and give them out at Christmas time. So hard not to snack on them all first though!
I am definitely doing that this year. I usually give out cookies but these are super easy and just as good. 🙂
This is great! I love to be able to make things at home that I would otherwise buy.
Yes! Big money saver AND you know exactly what is going in it. Thanks for stopping by Kathy, love seeing your comments. 🙂
I have been wanting to get around to making a batch of candied pecans for a while now — it’s been a long time! They’re so great in salads or just eating out of the bowl. You’re right — that toasted nut smell is just heavenly!
Never a better time than now! I was so glad I did, now I have a bag in my pantry. Just need to have self control so I don’t eat them all. 🙂 Yeah, that roasted nut smell is definitely one of my favorites.
I have always wanted to do this- thanks so much for the recipe my friend!
Absolutely girl! They are so good, my mother-in-law and I found ourselves snacking as we were making them. 🙂 hehe.
Krista, I love candied pecans. I try to add them to salads as much as possible. Thanks for sharing this how-to!
Me too! In fact, I just had one with these candied pecans yesterday. Gives the salad a nice little crunch. 🙂