Spiced Honey Glazed Cashews

This is the time of year when guests descend on our homes in the form of family, friends, friends of our kids, and neighbors. Having a few snacks and easy “on-hand” treats ready to go if unexpected company arrives can save time and create a stress-free zone for entertaining. Spicing up some nuts – read into that anything you wish – can turn a boring snack into something … well … hot!

We’re used to having candied pecans or honey peanuts around, but cashews are decadent little crescent-shaped bites of buttery goodness. While they’re a bit on the pricier side, they’re well worth the splurge on occasion, especially for whole cashews. Bake them with a honey glaze then sprinkle a little heat on top and you have the perfect “by the handful” snack to share with guests.

What exactly is a cashew?

The cashew tree is native to Central America and the Carribean Islands. The tree produces the cashew seed and cashew apple. It is the seed that we consume as a “nut”.

The shell that contains the cashew that we eat is actually toxic and cannot be ingested by humans. To remove the toxin, cashews go through a roasting or steaming process to ensure they’re safe for us to eat. Thankfully someone figured this out because cashews are my all-time favorite “not really a nut” nut!

Add some heat to it!

Making spiced nuts is pretty simple. The same process works whether you use cashews, peanuts, or tree nuts. I used one pound of whole cashews for this recipe and they turned out delicious. They didn’t last long, though!

Local honey is always in my pantry as are chili powder, cumin, and ground cayenne pepper. The combination of these gave the cashews a little sweet heat flavor that was almost addictive. A touch of salt brings out the flavors and a little brown sugar adds a hint of maple.

Spiced Honey Glazed Cashews

Recipe by Niki Davis

Servings

1

pound

Prep time

0

minutes

Cooking time

15

minutes

Calories

kcal

These cashews have a sweet heat flavor that you guests may find addictive! 

Ingredients

• 1 pound whole cashews

• 3 tablespoons butter

• 2 tablespoons honey

• 1 tablespoon brown sugar

• 1 teaspoon chili powder

• 1/2 teaspoon cumin

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Directions

• Preheat your oven to 350°F.
• Melt the butter in a sauce pan over medium heat then stir in the honey and brown sugar. Continue cooking until the sugar dissolves then turn off the heat.
• Add the cashews and stir until the cashews are well coated.
• Place the cashews in a single layer on a greased baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes, stirring every 3-4 minutes. 
• While the cashews are in the oven, combine the chili powder, cumin, salt, and cayenne in a mixing bowl. 
• Sprinkle this evenly over the warm cashews and toss until they are well coated. 
• Let the cashews cool before serving. They will be sticky when warm by will crisp up a bit when they cool down. 
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