sugar and spice candied nuts

Have you ever had one of those days weeks (groan) months where your to-do list seems to grow at an irrational rate of speed all while your time to complete said tasks rapidly vanishes making you feel like you are moving in slow motion when in fact you’re running around like a mad person trying to get everything done atthisverymoment. Ack! That has been me for, oh, since Thanksgiving. You see, Josh and I are planning on skipping outta this cold weather that seems to have taken over these here parts (and just when I was starting to get used to the 65-degree November/December weather too. No, please come back!) — in fact we plan on being quite the grinches this year by spending Christmas whisked away falling asleep on beach beds and having waiters bring us blended cocktails with brightly colored umbrellas — it’s ok to be jealous.

But our sun tanned skin and salt-water smelling hair will (apparently) be sorely missed by the family members we are leaving behind to enjoy a hopefully white Christmas. So celebrations, gift-giving, and Christmas dinner all have to be done in the twelve days (who am I kidding, yes I am counting days) before we go through see-through-your-clothes scanners and pat downs that would make you rather endure another ’09 blizzard — and believe me, I want to do practically anything but that again.

So, gifts — they include a lot of baking and holiday tins. Except for these which I put in a mason jar, because, well, that is just what you are supposed to do with nuts. And, thankfully, after my fourth batch and an empty wallet (nuts will do that to you) these are not only a perfect holiday gift, but they are easy and quick, which really helps me feel better about that endless checklist.

Sugar-and-Spice Candied Nuts
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen and Elizabeth Karmel of Hill Country from the New York Magazine

1/3 cup dark-brown sugar
2/3 cup white granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon of mild smoked paprika, or for more heat you could add a pinch or two of cayenne
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 pound walnut or pecan halves, almonds or whole peeled hazelnuts
1 egg white
1 tablespoon water

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Mix sugars, salt, paprika, and cinnamon, making sure there are no lumps; set aside. Beat egg white and water until frothy but not stiff. Add nuts, and stir to coat evenly. Sprinkle nuts with sugar mixture, and toss until evenly coated. Spread sugared nuts in a single layer on a cookie sheet fitted with parchment paper. Bake for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from oven, and separate nuts as they cool. When completely cool, pour the nuts into a bowl, breaking up any that stick together.