This recipe for roasted maple nuts has been my favorite holiday treat for years. I can eat it, still feel good, and the healthy sugar only makes it taste better.

The ingredients can get a bit expensive, which is why I buy in bulk beforehand, but it’s worth every penny for at least one batch. We wrap the nuts festively and share them with our best friends.

Roasted Maple Nuts

• 2 C almonds (use all raw nuts)
• 1 C pecans
• one C walnuts
• 1 C cashew pieces
• one C pumpkin seeds (the green raw kind)
• 1/2 C Sucanat or Florida Crystals (dried cane juice)
• 1/2 C Pure Maple Syrup (don’t settle for the fake stuff)
• 1 tsp cinnamon or 1 to 2 drops cinnamon essential oil 
• one tsp chili powder mix
• 1 tsp allspice

Chop or break big nuts into halves or smaller pieces.In a large bowl mix the spices together,

then add the sugar and maple syrup and stir.

Dump in the rest of the ingredients and mix well.

Line two large baking pans with parchment paper (it’s oh so easy to clean afterward) and heat your oven to 350°.

Lightly spray the parchment paper with oil and spread mixture evenly between the pans.

Bake for 12-15 minutes on the middle rake, stirring once, until your roasted maple nuts are slightly brown. Watch these like a hawk when they’re almost done so they don’t over brown.

Let pans cool for 10 minutes, then pull paper and nuts onto a rake or counter to finish cooling. The mixture hardens as it cools. Break into pieces.

Here’s the gift basket I made for some family friends. The roasted maple nuts are in a festive bag within the basket.

These baskets are so easy to make! The most important thing to do is hit the after Christmas sales and buy cellophane, ribbon (Costco has it for cheap before Christmas), bags and inexpensive buckets or containers.

I included a loaf of bread in this one, but a few pieces of fruit goes a long way to make it beautiful. Then I just put in my goodies in a separate bag, wrap the whole thing in cellophane and add a pretty ribbon.

Do-it-yourself, beautiful gift giving and addictive, delicious yet healthy, holiday treats.

To see all the Linky lists that this post may be published on, please CLICK HERE.

Print