12ozRaw Walnut Pieces and halves- or 3 1/2 cups Nuts of Choice! (SEE NOTES)
Instructions
Preheat oven to 300-degrees F (conventional) or 275-degrees F (convectional).Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and grease the paper with non-stick cooking spray.
Mix cinnamon sugar: In a small bowl, add both sugars, cinnamon, salt and cayenne. Whisk, breaking up any large clumps of sugar, until thoroughly combined. Set aside.
Whisk egg white: In a large bowl, vigorously whisk the egg white until frothy, about 1-2 minutes.
Add flavor: Add the maple syrup and vanilla to the bowl. Whisk again until frothy.
Add nuts: Add the nuts to the bowl and gently toss until the walnuts are evenly coated.
Add cinnamon sugar: Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar over the nuts. Gently toss until evenly and thoroughly coated.
Arrange on pan: Transfer the nuts to the prepared baking sheet, arranging them in an even, single layer.
Bake. Stir. Bake: Place nuts in the oven on the middle shelf and bake for 20 minutes. Remove nuts and use a flat spatula to lift the nuts off the pan and gently stir. Return to the oven and bake for an additional 16-20 minutes, or until nuts are very fragrant and mostly dry to the touch. (Note: The candy-coating will continue to harden as the nuts cool!)
Cool: Transfer the baking sheet to a wire rack and sprinkle with flaky sea salt and sanding sugar if using. Let the candied nuts cool to room temperature.
Serve or Store! Serve and enjoy immediately with crudité, cheese boards, salads, pancakes, waffles and more! Or store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.
Notes
Egg White: Egg temperature matters! It’s easiest to cleanly separate egg yolks from whites when they are refrigerator cold. However, your egg whites will whip up easier at room temperature. So, separate your white straight from the fridge and set it aside for later.
Tip: It’s important there isn’t any egg yolk in your white or the mixture won’t properly froth-up!
Nuts: You can swap the walnuts for any raw nuts (whole or halves) you love. I’ve used cashews, peanuts (unsalted), pecans and almonds with delicious success!
Nutritional information is an approximation based upon 12 servings. Exact information will depend upon the brands of ingredients and precise measurements used.