Frannie's Holiday Spiced Nuts

Homemade edible gifts are a great alternative to store-bought presents. Not only are they thoughtful and personal, the process of making them is often fun and memorable - especially with kids. From buying the ingredients to packaging them, there is definitely a sense of accomplishment which comes from creating something. And who doesn't love receiving these types of delicious gifts? 

Recently I was asked to help make a batch of Holiday Spiced Nuts by my friend Frannie. She put out a request via email to a committee of volunteers (it takes a village) and several of us responded. A recipe for roasting nuts was sent with the request. These nuts would be packaged to give away as holiday thank-you gifts to donors after a recent fundraiser. 

When reading the recipe and seeing the blend of spices I could tell right away these spiced nuts were going to be incredibly good. After the first batch I confirmed my suspicion. The flavor profile of these spiced nuts is perfect. They were savory with a slight kick of heat and a little sweetness to them to balance everything out.

True story: my husband tried a couple nuts (because I would not let him have more than 3 or 4 pieces) and raved about them. I immediately knew I had to hide them from him because he has this way of sneaking things I make. Most of the time I think it's cute, but since these nuts were technically not mine, I really had to hide them well. And of course when I found him in the kitchen searching for them nonchalantly I had to tell Rob I hid them because my reputation was at stake. Frannie's Holiday Spiced Nuts makes a wonderful Christmas gift to give away. Just make sure to make at least two batches so you can enjoy them for yourself as well.