Cookie Cookie Cookie Starts with C!

I never seem to follow directions very well.  For the second year Jz has graciously allowed me to participate in her Great On-line Cookie Exchange.  Last year my recipe was Sausage Balls which look like cookies but really are not.  This year do you think I'd come up with a cookie recipe in order to follow the rules?  Of course not, as my 3rd grade teacher once told me "Ryan you little diablo!"

So for my entry into the Great On-Line Cookie Exchange I present -

Holiday Spiced Nuts!

 

 

Hey now, I know it's Thursday but those are actually nuts with spices on them as in pecans, cashews, almonds, etc.  There not.... you know....., well this is Thursday I just wanted to clarify that Spiced Nuts was not some sort of crazy Holiday HNT.  OK so onto the recipe and I'll add a festive holiday punch as well.  That's something to drink, not a slap in the face for looking at my nuts!   :)

 

Hey don't stare at my NUTS!

Holiday Spiced Nuts

 

This is a wonderful appetizer for a holiday party or perhaps and after-dinner treat.  You know that old idiom "soup to nuts" means you start a formal dinner with soup and end with nuts.  These would also make a really nice gift to co-workers or neighbors.

 

You know my grandfather always used to ask me "Ryan, have you been good; but not too good?"  These nuts are kind of like me, sweet but not too sweet with just a little spicy kick on the back side!  Those sweet and spicy pecans remind me of my deep southern roots and my fondness of New Orleans cuisine.

 

Ingredients:

 

*     2 Tbs of peanut or neutral oil like grapeseed or corn

*     2 Cups of Sugar (prefer Turbinado Sugar)

*     2 tsps of Garam Masala (an Indian spice blend of black and white peppercorns, cloves, cinnamon, cumin, and cardamon)

*     1/2 tsp of Cayenne

*     1 tsp of salt

*     2 Cups of mixed unsalted nuts (prefer to include pecans, cashews, and almonds)

 

Directions:

 

*     Pre-Heat oven to 450 F.  Grease a baking sheet with oil.

*     In a sauce pot bring 2 Cups of water to a gentle boil.  Stir in sugar and mix in slowly until combined.  Gently stir in spices until combined.  Slowly add nuts into pot.  Reduce heat to medium, do not let mixture boil or simmer at this point.  Stir frequently and cook mixture until liquid is reduced to syrup texture.

*     Once reduced, turn heat down to low and remove nuts with slotted spoon allowing excess syrup to drain off.

*     Spread nuts evenly across baking sheet.

*     Roast nuts for approximately 10 minutes tossing occasionally with a spatula.

*     Remove nuts from oven and allow to cool.  Stored in airtight container these nuts can be served for 2 to 3 days.

 

 

Holiday Punch:

 

A great accompaniment to those spicy nuts!  :)

 

Ingredients:

 

*     1 Gallon of Apple Juice

*     1/3 Gallon of Pineapple Juice

*     2 oz of Cinnamon Disks (Red Hots)

 

Directions:

 

*     In a crock pot pour in apple and pineapple juice and warm to normal hot beverage drinking temperature.  Stir occasionally.  Once warm stir in cinnamon disks until then are melted and mixed into beverage.  Leave on low heat for about an hour before serving for ingredients to combine.

 

 

And here is that cookie song again...

 

 

And here are the other cookie monsters!  Take a look, some wonderful recipes out there!

 

Jz	4:28 PM (15 hours ago)

 

Advizor54

aisha

Ally

Autumn in jeans

Beth

Dana

Elysia

Emi J,

Fiona

Greengirl

Hedone

HisLilAngel

Joey

Julia

Jz

Krissy

lil

Linda Long

Little Monkey

mouse (her recipe here, her blog here)

Mrs. Soft Bottom

Ms. Constance

Naughty Kitty

nilla

Penelope

Ronnie

Ryan Beaumont

Sassy

selkie, (her recipe here, her blog here)

Serenity

sin

Striving for Peace

TemptingSweets

Tom

Veronica