Maple Candied Nuts

Maple Candied Almonds

These versatile nuts have no refined sugar, are paleo friendly and are crazy addictive! I like to make them in December to have on hand to give as gifts, dress up salads, or eat by the handful for a salty-sweet healthy snack.

There are only three ingredients and they only take minutes to make. Sometimes the simplest things really are the best. I recommend using a silicone baking mat to let the nuts cool. I find it works better than parchment or wax paper. If you don’t have a silicone mat, you may want to spray a little nonstick cooking spray onto the parchment or wax paper to keep the nuts from sticking as they cool.

Maple Candied Nuts

2 Cups raw nuts (I like almonds, pecans, walnuts and cashews, but you can use pumpkin or sunflower seeds if you have nut allergies in your home.)

2 Tablespoons pure maple syrup

1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt or popcorn salt

Prepare a place to cool the nuts by placing a silicone baking mat on the counter near the stove. If you do not have a silicone mat, line a cookie sheet with parchment or wax paper and spray a thin layer of cooking spray over the paper.

Place nuts in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Gently warm the nuts until slightly fragrant, but not fully toasted. This takes about three minutes. Add the maple syrup and stir quickly with a spatula for 30 seconds. When all the nuts are coated and the maple syrup is starting to dry up in the pan, pour the nut mixture onto the prepared mat or cookie sheet. Immediately spread out the nuts into a single layer with your spatula and sprinkle with salt.

Let the nuts cool and then package in cellophane bags or and air-tight container.  The nuts will last 3-4 weeks at room temperature or two months in the freezer. Enjoy!