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Rosemary Nuts & Happy Holidays!

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These nuts infused with rosemary and brown sugar are perfect for the holidays or entertaining.

Bowl of rosemary nuts.

Hi Everyone, I’m on vacation and enjoying a little break from the kitchen, so this recipe is an oldie but goodie from the archives. It’s one of my all-time favorites and perfect for the holidays. Wishing you a wonderful holiday season and Happy New Year — be back in January!

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Rosemary Nuts

These nuts infused with rosemary and brown sugar are perfect for the holidays or entertaining.

Servings:

Ingredients

  • 2½ cups unsalted mixed nuts, such as pecans or cashews
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
  • ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper (use less or omit if you don't like heat)
  • 2 teaspoons dark brown sugar, packed
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Line baking sheet with aluminum foil. Combine nuts on baking sheet and toast in oven until warm, fragrant and lightly golden, about 5 minutes.
  3. In a large bowl, combine rosemary, cayenne pepper, brown sugar and butter. Add the warm, toasted nuts to the spiced butter and toss well. Add kosher salt and toss to coat thoroughly. Serve warm.
  4. Note: You can use any combination of cashews, whole unpeeled almonds, peeled peanuts, pecans, hazelnuts, Brazil nuts or whatever suits your taste; just keep in mind that pecans work particularly well because their crevices hold the seasoning. You can also use raw unsalted nuts for this recipe, just be sure to toast them a bit longer, about 10 minutes, or until lightly golden.

Gluten-Free Adaptable Note

To the best of my knowledge, all of the ingredients used in this recipe are gluten-free or widely available in gluten-free versions. There is hidden gluten in many foods; if you're following a gluten-free diet or cooking for someone with gluten allergies, always read the labels of your ingredients to verify that they are gluten-free.

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Comments

  • This is my new favorite recipe! I’ve made it twice in the last month (exactly as you wrote it) and it always turns out perfectly. I love this site and all of your recipes. Thanks for sharing!

    • — Molly Hopp on December 14, 2023
    • Reply
  • Jenn,
    These are Wonderful!
    I used 1C pecans, 1C Salted cashews, and 1/2C walnuts.
    I combined everything except the Kosher salt.
    I spread them out on parchment paper to dry out a bit (I plan on giving this as a hostess gift and using a pretty gasket top jar)
    Tasted to see if needed the salt…yep. 😋 DELICIOUS
    I do have one question,.
    What do you recommend for a cayenne pepper substitute? Some people are sensitive to spicy goodies.
    Thank you for your creative, user friendly, home cook recipes.
    You are my GO TO CHEF.
    Happy Hanukkah 🕎

    • — Michele Glemser on December 12, 2023
    • Reply
    • So glad you like them – I hope the recipient does too! You can just omit the cayenne (or cut back on it).

      • — Jenn on December 13, 2023
      • Reply
  • These are my daughter’s favorite nuts- they are the first thing she reaches for when she gets home from a long day at work. Very satisfying!

    • — Stefanie on April 21, 2023
    • Reply
  • South of the border…. we made these delicious nuts to add to the cocktail party tonight! Chips and salsa one can not live on alone! With margaritas and sunsets, these nuts will surely be a hit!

    • — Diane on June 26, 2022
    • Reply
  • I am not a fan of cumin and you can really taste it in this recipe. I threw the whole thing out. First time I didn’t like your recipes.

    • This recipe is always a winner! I can’t tell you how many times I’ve shared it!!! You get so much bang for your buck – quick, easy and made with common ingredients. Thank you Jenn!

      • — Jopo on April 30, 2023
      • Reply
  • I went the nut route this past Christmas, instead of candy or cookies. I gave my friends and neighbors these nuts and they were delicious! I used pecans only and fresh rosemary from my garden. I love sweet and salty, but it’s the rosemary that’s the real star here and that little bit of heat. The benefit of using pecans is that the coating gets caught in the little crevices on the nuts so you get a nice little burst of flavor. I doubled the recipe without any trouble.

  • Excellent for having people over. Do NOT heat more than 5 minutes at 350 as they will get soggy. I used clarified butter, lessened the amount of sugar and increased the cayenne and they came out great.

  • I absolutely love these spiced nuts. I made them for the holidays and ended up having so many requests for them I gave them away as gifts to friends and coworkers. I made them using mixed nuts and also just pecans. Both were equally delicious. Highly recommend, great nibble to serve with drinks.

    • — Elizabeth Feaganes
    • Reply
  • I have made these twice in the past week following the exact recipe. The first time was for a hostess gift and the second time was when my in-laws popped in. My family and friends all loved them. Luckily I saved enough for us to enjoy as a snack and on top of a spinach and apple salad. Yummy! Thanks for another easy, delicious recipe, Jen.

  • These are delicious! I didn’t have Rosemary so I used Thyme. Very tasty. I’m taking it to a social-distance party this weekend and I’m sure everyone is going to love it. Making copies of this recipe for everyone. Glad I found this recipe!

  • Whenever I make this (which is quite often) I include the roasted chickpeas as well. It’s a terrific combination and the chickpeas add a different kind of crunch. So delicious! Thanks for a great recipe!

  • This recipe is perfection! I’ve made this multiple times for parties, and usually I’m hogging my own bowl. I followed the recipe, and I wouldn’t change a thing! Its incredibly addictive.

  • These are delicious and addicting. I reduced the amount of cayenne because I am a wimp when it comes to heat. There is a little kick but it balances really nicely with the sweetness. The rosemary is bright and adds a surprise to the nuts.

  • A delicious treat! I’ve also made this by adding Trader Joes marcona almonds which are rosemary seasoned and it was a fantastic addition.

  • My husband loves nuts (and so do I) so I had to try these. Boy, are they good! The only problem I had was trying to get the rosemary chopped finely enough. It makes quite a large batch so we had scrumptious eating for over a week.

  • These are the tastiest nuts! I also tried the Gramercy Tavern nut recipe from your site but prefer these because of the fresh rosemary (I add heaping tablespoons because I love the woody taste). These make a great holiday gift for friends and neighbors but an even better snack to stash in the pantry.

  • this was just the thing I needed for our happy hour party…everyone left with a little tin filled with the mix along with a copy of the recipe…thanks for sharing

  • Great holiday gift idea!

  • I have been on a fresh rosemary kick lately, so I will have to make these soon.

  • Delicious for appetizers or gifts!

  • Very easy and people will think you are a master chef!

  • I make these every time family is in town. They refer to them as bacon nuts. Somehow the combo of rosemary and brown sugar reminds them of bacon. I’ve been giving them as hostess gifts for a couple of years now.

  • This recipe is so easy and is great for gift giving, if you can stand to give it away. Be careful, it is addicting. I loved the spicy kick, but if you are giving this as a gift you may want to cut back a bit on the cayenne. I made it with mixed nuts and added some walnuts in there too to make it even healthier. This recipe will be made over and over again in this house.

  • What a great gift idea….

  • These make great gifts – and so yummy!

  • I just saw these on Food Networks “The Best Snack I ever had” Giada recommended these nuts from Union Square Cafe. I was going to go online and try and find the recipe. Thanks so much

  • Rosemary nuts sound amazing!
    Happy Holidays to you

  • I have just fallen in love with your site. I happened to find your website by googling lamb burgers. I used your recipe along with the Tzatziki and my husband (who is Greek and has been spoiled his entire life by a from scratch cooking Yia Yia) now believes I am a Greek goddess. Thanks for sharing such a delish recipe! Next I’m going to make your Carrot Ginger Souffle… Yum!

    • These sound fantastic. How long will they keep?

      • They keep nicely for up to a few weeks if stored in an airtight container. Hope you enjoy!

  • We must be long-lost sisters. This is the one recipe that was on my list to make for Christmas that I never got to! But there are technically a few days left of the “holidays”, right?!

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