Sweet & Spicy Cinnamon Roasted Almonds, Pecans, or WalnutsMakes 2 cups
2 cups of almonds, pecans, or walnuts – roast each type of nut individually
2 tablespoons sugar free syrup or 6 Drps FTS ZERO
1 tablespoon grapeseed oil, canola oil, even coconut oil
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne powder
Place a rack in the middle of your oven. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
Place nuts in a large bowl. When you roast the nuts, roast each variety in separate glass or ceramic baking dishes as their roasting times vary slightly. You can put two dishes of nuts in the oven at once so long as they fit on the same middle rack. If the nuts are too close to the heating element they’ll burn.
Combine syrup, oil, cinnamon, salt, and cayenne powder in small bowl. Pour mixture over nuts and toss to coat completely. Place nuts in a glass baking dish in a single layer. Bake for 12 – 15 minutes, stirring after 6 minutes. Test for doneness at 12 minutes. Nuts will still be soft when done and get crispier as they cool.
Once removed from the oven, stir to toss nuts in any remaining cinnamon mix left in the pan. Place on heavy duty aluminum foil to cool completely, separating nuts as much as possible so they don’t dry in clumps.
Almonds take a few more minutes to cook. Since the almonds have no ridges to soak up the flavoring, you may need to add a little extra salt, cinnamon, or cayenne right after removing from the oven.
Other variations:
Try 1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder in place of the cinnamon and cayenne
Try coconut oil in place of the grapeseed/canola oil
These are a cinch to whip up but very addicting! Remember portion control
2g carbs per 1/4 cup.
When Christmas rolls around I plan to make big batches of these mixed nuts and package them up as gifts in little tins or gift bags with pretty bows! Getting a little ahead of myself but I love the holidays...
