These candied nuts are still in a cluster. It’s fun to break them apart to serve, but I like the way they photograph into one fairly large mass.
Another salute to David Lebovitz. If you keep up with my blog, then you know that I sent out a Brown Sugar Pecan Cookie recipe of his just a couple of months ago. I have probably made that cookie at least 3 times since I sent it out.
Here is another of David’s recipes that I’ve been making and adapting for years. I j recently brought the nuts to a friend’s home for the Fourth of July, so they are upper most on my mind.
I wouldn’t say this is superior to all my candied nut recipes, but it is right up there. Plus it is the easiest. All my other candied nut recipes call for boiling the sugar syrup, where with this one all you need to do is measure out the ingredients and stir them together. And since I don’t like doing dishes, all I have left to wash is one bowl. The nuts bake on parchment so no washing needed.
This is the ideal recipe to take out your scale. Why bother measuring out 12 tablespoons of powdered sugar ( if you’re like me, you forget where you are after number 8) when you can simply add 110 grams to the bowl on a scale?
I’ve doubled the recipe and substituted cashews for half the pecans. David uses all pecans. Feel free to use any nuts you like—-just weigh 420 g of nuts. I think pistachios would make a great substitution, The nuts freeze so well i would never think of making a small amount. There is always someone I can bring them to, if I don’t want to freeze them.
My other deviation from David’s original recipe, (aside from doubling the recipe and changing the nuts) is I don’t stir them once or twice during the 10 minute bake time as suggested. In fact, I don’t stir them at all. Maybe it is my oven, but I’ve found I can skip that step altogether, which is always a royal pain in the you-know-what. Ten minutes in the oven and they should be bubbling nicely, so take them out, let them cool and they will be candied into small clusters which are easy to break apart.
Stir nuts together with powdered sugar, water and spices until nicely coated.
Glazed nuts on parchment-lined baking sheet, not yet baked.
In the above picture before the nuts are baked, they still look wet. In this photo, after they are baked they look glossy and dry.
After nuts cool, they will be candied and stuck together. Simply break them apart with your fingers.
Spiced Candied Pecans & Cashews
12 tablespoons, (110g) powdered sugar
5 teaspoons water
2 teaspoons flaky sea salt or kosher salt
3/4 to 1 teaspoon cayenne powder, 1 teaspoon is mildly spicy and David’s suggestion
2 cups (210g) pecans, untoasted
2 cups (210g) cashews, untoasted, salted are OK
1.Arrange rack in the center of oven and preheat the oven to 350oF (180oC). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2.In a large bowl, stir together the powdered sugar, water, salt, cayenne, pecans and cashews. Stir well so that the nuts are coated with the mixture.
3. Spread the nuts on the baking sheet.
4.Bake until they are bubbling and shiny, 10 to 12 minutes. Cool on the baking sheet, breaking up any clusters as they cool.
To make ahead: Candied nuts may be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks. They may also be frozen.
Makes 4 cups.
