Irresistible Spiced Nuts – the Perfect Oil-free, Sugar-free Party Starter!

 Spiced nuts are a real treat!

They are not something I recommend having on a regular basis, but for holidays and special occasions, they can be a fabulous addition to the party!

Unfortunately, most recipes call for sugar or maple syrup to make that delicious coating.

There's a real simple trick to create a substitute for liquid sweeteners like maple syrup: dates blended with water.

The result is a sweet paste with a smooth consistency that can be made thinner or thicker by adjusting the proportion of dates to water.

This recipe wasn't intended to be candied nuts, so the dates syrup is kept to a minimum. The slight sweetness is the perfect complement the delicious spice blend of curry, rosemary, and cayenne pepper!

Chances are this sounds like an odd combination of spice and herb, but trust me... It's amazing!

To increase the healing power of the spice blend, I decided to use a bit of pure turmeric powder in place of some of the curry powder I initially included.

Even with the cayenne pepper, there's no need to worry about these nuts being too spicy. You probably wouldn't even recognize it, if you didn't know the recipe. By all means though, if you like heat, feel free to add more cayenne.

These spiced nuts are amazing! You'll have to watch yourself though - they're that good!

This is why I love making them for a party—I can enjoy a few, but the other guests will also indulge and keep me from having too many. Perfect for a New Year's Eve party!

A mason jar filled with these colorful nuts also make a beautiful gift for the party host!

They're irresistibly delicious!

SOS Free Spiced Nuts

By Chef Katie Mae

Makes 2 cups | Ready in 40 minutes | Stores 2 weeks at room temp

INGREDIENTS

• 2 Medjool dates, pitted and chopped
• ¼ cup water
• 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
• 1 teaspoon curry powder
• ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• ½ cup almonds
• ½ cup pecans
• 1/3 cup cashews
• 1/3 cup walnuts
• ¼ cup pumpkin seeds

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 325°F. Lay a piece of parchment paper over a sheet pan
2. Add the dates, water, rosemary, curry powder, and cayenne pepper to a small blender and blend until completely smooth.
3. Add the almonds, pecans, cashews, walnuts, and pumpkin seeds to a mixing bowl. Use a small spatula to add the blended date paste to the bowl of nuts and mix it all together so the nuts are well coated.
4. Spread the nuts out on the baking sheet. Bake for 18 to 22 minutes, stirring half-way through.
5. Remove them from the oven. Let them sit for 10 minutes before eating.

CHEF'S NOTES

When you first take them out of the oven, they will be a bit soft. As they cool they will become crunchy. Do NOT let them stay in the oven until they are crispy, as they will most likely just burn. Store these in either a jar or an airtight container at room temperature.