One of my favorite things about Italian dining is the fact that they serve fresh fruit and nuts after most meals.  In honor of my adopted home I try to incorporate their traditions with ours.  These 15 minute candied spiced nuts are the perfect addition to our blended Thanksgiving table.

This recipe is adapted from @minimalistbaker. As you will see in the ingredients section I heavily adapted this recipe based on what I had in my cabinet.  It's a pandemic, we do what we can!  Either way, I followed her method to the letter and ended up with a beautiful end product! 

Ingredients

• 1 cup raw pecans (I used raw almonds)
• 1 cup raw walnuts (I used raw almonds)
• 1 1/2 Tbsp melted coconut oil or olive oil (I used olive oil)

• 2 Tbsp coconut sugar (plus more for topping) (I used brown sugar)

• 1 tsp ground cinnamon (I used pumpkin pie spice)
• 1 healthy pinch cayenne pepper
• 1 pinch ground nutmeg (I used pumpkin pie spice)
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 2 Tbsp maple syrup (divided) (I used honey)

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (176 C).
2. Add pecans and walnuts to a bare (or parchment-lined) baking sheet (or more baking sheets if increasing batch size) and top with oil, coconut sugar, cinnamon, cayenne, nutmeg, salt, and half of the maple syrup (1 Tbsp as original recipe is written // adjust if altering batch size). Toss to coat.
3. Bake for a total of 12-15 minutes, or until golden brown and fragrant, tossing/stirring once at the halfway point to ensure even cooking. Then remove from oven and immediately drizzle with remaining maple syrup (1 Tbsp as original recipe is written // adjust if altering batch size). I also like to sprinkle on a little more salt, cinnamon, and coconut sugar to coat, but this is optional.
4. Stir to combine/coat and enjoy warm or let dry/cool completely on the pan (they'll crisp up as they dry/cool) before storing in an airtight container at room temperature up to 2-3 weeks (or in the freezer up to 1 month).