Dessert · Topping · Snack · Nuts · Vegetarian · Gluten-Free
Quick Candied Nuts
Ten to fifteen minutes in the oven and a quick flame at the end. Keep a jar around for salads and ice cream, or for eating by the handful.
Prep
5 min
Cook
15 min
Total
20 min
Makes
1 cup
- Equipment
- small oven-safe pan or rimmed baking sheet · long lighter · parchment or a plate for cooling
- Oven
- 350°F
Instructions
- Preheat. Heat the oven to 350°F.
- Mix. Spread the nuts in a small oven-safe pan. Add the brown sugar, white sugar, honey, butter chunks, salt, cayenne, and the cinnamon if using.
- Toast. Bake, stirring every 5 minutes so the sugar and butter coat the nuts evenly, until the nuts begin to toast and smell nutty, about 10–15 minutes.
- Flame. Take the pan out of the oven and set it on the stovetop, away from anything overhead. Quickly pour the brandy over the top, light it with a long lighter, and stir rapidly until the flames die out.
- Cool. Spread the nuts out on parchment or a plate, sprinkle with flake salt, and let cool. Once fully cooled, break the clusters apart.
Storage
Keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week.
Notes
- Use them on salads, over desserts, or eat them straight as a sweet treat.
- The brandy burns off in seconds. Keep your face, hair, and towels clear, pour from a spoon rather than the bottle, and never pour more brandy while anything is still lit.
- Any mix of nuts works. Sliced almonds toast fastest, so keep an eye on them near the end.
