Ratings:

Welcome to our #ScrumptiousSaturday post! Do you find yourself making the same tired, old recipes all the time? Let CatchyFreebies help you out with a delicious recipe that your family and your budget will love. If you have any culinary money-saving tips, we’d love for you to share them with all of us on our Facebook wall or tweet @CatchyFreebies with the hashtag #ScrumptiousSaturday.

The holiday season means lots of parties and entertaining. Yay! Are you looking for a special recipe that will knock the socks off your guests? You’ve got to try these

Festive Spiced Nuts

! Spiced nuts are great for parties because you can make them in advance and serve them as snacks, with cocktails, and for dessert. Sprinkle some over your usual salads for an instant transformation! And…one of my favorite ways to use spiced nuts: pack them up and give as gifts!

A holiday party is the perfect excuse to try making these spiced nuts, but I bet that once you try them, you’ll be spicing nuts like a pro all year! They’re really easy to whip up, and you can change up the spices and nut combos to suit your tastes. I’m including three of my favorite recipes here to get you started.

1. Emeril Lagasse’s Spiced Nuts:

Ingredients:

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
4 cups unsalted mixed nuts, such as walnuts, pecans, hazelnuts, and almonds
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
6 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt

Directions:
Heat the nuts in a dry skillet and cook, stirring frequently, until they begin to toast, about 4 minutes. Add the butter and cook, stirring, until the nuts begin to darken, about 1 minute. Add the spices, the sugar, 1 tablespoon water, and the salt and cook, stirring, until the sauce thickens and the nuts are glazed, about 5 minutes.

Remove the nuts from the heat and transfer to a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil, separating them with a fork. Let the nuts stand until cooled and the sugar has hardened, about 10 minutes. Store in an airtight container.

2. Curried Cashews from Eating Well:

Ingredients:

6 tablespoons lemon juice
6 tablespoons curry powder
4 teaspoons kosher salt
6 cups unsalted cashews

Directions:

Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of oven; preheat to 250°F.
Whisk lemon juice, curry powder and salt in a large bowl. Add cashews; toss to coat. Divide between 2 large rimmed baking sheets; spread in an even layer.
Bake, stirring every 15 minutes, until dry, about 45 minutes. Let cool completely. Store in an airtight container.

3. Sweet, Spicy, and Salty Pecans from Once Upon A Chef:

Ingredients:

1/2 cup Confectioners sugar
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 cups pecans

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the Confectioners sugar, kosher salt and cayenne pepper.
Add the pecans to the sugar mixture, along with 4 teaspoons of water. Stir until the sugar is dissolved into a sticky glaze. (If the mixture is still too powdery after stirring for a while, it’s okay to add a few drops of water — just don’t add too much!)
Transfer the pecans to the prepared baking sheet and arrange in a single layer. Do your best to make sure they are evenly spread out and the nuts are not touching each other. Scrape out every last bit of glaze from the bowl and drizzle over the nuts. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until the pecans are crusty on top and caramelized and golden on the bottom. Immediately slide the parchment off of the hot baking sheet and allow the pecans to cool completely on the countertop. Once cool, remove the pecans from the parchment, breaking apart any clusters if necessary, and store in an airtight container.

What’s your favorite go-to party snack or home-made gift? Share with us on Facebook and Twitter using the hashtag!