Sweet and Spicy Nuts and Pretzels

These sweet and spicy nuts and pretzels are the kind of snack that you eat half of before your guests show up. They’re crunchy, sweet, salty, and just spicy enough to keep you reaching for more. A mixture of nuts and pretzels gets coated in melted butter, brown sugar, maple syrup, salt, cinnamon, and cayenne, then baked for a toffee-like consistency. It’s an easy, make-ahead snack that feels simple enough for a weeknight but special enough for a holiday table.

Author: Cooking with Conks

Meal Type: Eggs Free

Cuisine: American

Difficulty: EASY

Prep. Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

Servings: 12 Servings

Calories: 365 kcal per serving

Ingredients

3 cups - mixed nuts
3 cups - pretzel twists
2 tablespoons - butter
5 tablespoons - brown sugar
2 ½ tablespoons - maple syrup
cayenne
1 tsp - cinnamon
1 ½ teaspoons - salt

Instructions

Toast the nuts on a foil lined sheet for 3 to 4 minutes, then remove them from the oven and let them cool while you make the sauce.
Add butter, brown sugar, maple syrup, cayenne, cinnamon, and salt to a small pot and cook until fully melted and emulsified, about 3 minutes.
Add the toasted nuts and pretzels to a bowl and toss with the sauce until everything is coated, careful not to break the pretzels. You can also toss everything with the sauce on the sheet tray but it will be more challenging (in our experience).
Bake the nuts and pretzels at 350°F on the same foil lined sheet for 7 minutes. Remove from the oven and use a spatula to toss the nuts, then place them back in the oven and bake for another 7 minutes.
Toss the nuts again, then let them cool completely before eating.

Nutrition