Brian’s Spiced Nut Bark

I love spiced nuts, a staple for many of us during the holidays. Whether as a feature on the appetizer table or coming as a present in a tin box, spiced nuts can warm us on the coldest winter nights.

My recipe below will surely put some sweat on your brow. This is the first time I have been able to make spiced nuts that are worth a darn. It’s just always escaped me how to do it correctly. I end up with nuts that are burnt, or dry, or lack the flavor I crave.

This recipe is my success. How did I do it? I added. I began with an interesting recipe from Stephen Pyles’ great book Southwestern Vegetarian [more recipes to come from that book by the way].

But I had googled and found other recipes that seem interesting too: adding more and different spices, some honey, …

What should I do? I decided not to select, but to combine. The recipe below is my own amalgam of three different ideas, all merged into my gooey mess.

About the goo. I use an abundance of butter, sugar and honey before the nuts go into the oven. When they had been in the oven for twice the recommended time, the sheet pan was simply one mass of nuts in bubbling sugary broth. So I pulled the pan and put it on our outside porch on a cold afternoon. I ended up with a half-sheet of nuts encased in what can only be termed a solidified butter-sugar-honey candy coating.

Like a bark or a brittle, all I had to do was break the pieces apart. When it’s not freezing out, and I don’t have the porch asset, I will try again with less of the ingredients here that forge the bark, so that hopefully the nuts end up coming out of the oven as individuals instead of a massed army. But for now, with cold at my disposal, this is really a seasonal treat.

Yield: about 5 cups

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons butter
4 cups pecans
¾ cup light brown sugar
3 teaspoons of paprika
4 teaspoons red chili powder
4 teaspoons ground cumin
¼ cup honey
½ cup cider vinegar
Salt to taste

Preparation:

Preheat an oven to 325°F. Cover a half sheet cookie pan with aluminum foil [do not put the nuts directly on the pan unless you enjoy scrubbing, and scrubbing ..]

In a large skillet over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the pecans and sauté for a few minutes until lightly browned. Be careful not to burn.

Add the brown sugar and cook for a few more minutes until the sugar begins to caramelize. You will see pools of brown liquid forming between mounds of the nuts as you stir.

Add the spices and the honey, then stir to mix. Then add the vinegar. You get some sizzling as you stir. Cook briefly until the vinegar liquid has most evaporated.

Spread the nuts on the prepared pan. Place the pan in the oven and cook for 5+ minutes. Do not cook longer than 10 minutes. You want the nuts crisp and the liquid reduced.

Transfer the cookie sheet to a cold environment. Let the whole thing solidify. Break into bits. Serve in bowls. Store the leftovers in ziplock bags.

Brian’s Spiced Nut Bark