Homestead Collective Recipe Archive

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Mike's Hot Spiced Nuts

1 c unsalted dry-roasted peanuts
1/2 c sugar
1/4 c water
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground cardamom
ground dried chile pepper to taste
1/4 tsp salt

Heat: 1/4 tsp commercial ground cayenne pepper will be mild. 3/4 tsp commercial ground cayenne pepper will be pretty hot.

Combine sugar through salt in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, and boil with occasional stirring until a candy thermometer registers 235 ^oF. Remove from heat, stir in peanuts and mix thoroughly.

Coat a cookie sheet with cooking spray. Pour mixture onto cookie sheet and spread out with a fork. Allow to cool.

Preheat oven to 225 ^oF. Separate peanuts with a fork; this will require breaking the peanuts apart and will take a bit of time, but this step is important if you want to get the candy-coated peanuts dry enough to be able to store them.

Place cookie sheet in oven and leave for 9 minutes to remove excess moisture; candy may still be a little bit sticky after 9 minutes but should air-dry okay. Remove peanuts from baking sheet and place on a large plate to cool. Store in an air-tight container.

Adapted from a recipe in Cooking Light.

This recipe was added: 12 December 2003