Spicy Cocktail Nuts

Lately we've been shelling out a TON of money on the store bought varieties of spiced nuts, they're a great snack to keep on hand but boy are they expensive! They are calling for snow in our area in the next few days so while stocking up on some groceries at Trader Joe's, I spotted a huge bag of mixed nuts for only $5.49. Immediately I thought I should try my hand at making some of these nuts at home and came home with not one but two bags of these nuts. We've enjoyed all of the flavor varieties we've tried this far, sweet, spicy, etc. so when I was researching a recipe to use, this one caught my eye. It's the best of both worlds, using a decent amount of Cayenne for spice and sugar for sweetness. I've been loving the spicy/sweet combo lately, In the last few weeks,  I 've made a spicy peanut brittle as well as a spicy caramel corn (recipes to come!) so these nuts were right up my alley. Now that I know how easy these are to make, you can bet I will make them time and time again and I can't wait to come up with some new flavor variations.

I don't keep Emeril's Essence on hand so the recipe for the spice mix is included here as well but if you do this will be even easier!

Emeril's Spicy Cocktail Nuts
Recipe from "New New Orleans Cooking", by Emeril Lagasse and Jessie Tirsch
Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 large egg white
• 1 teaspoon water
• 4 cups assorted shelled nuts
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons Essence, recipe follows
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, whisk together egg white and water until frothy. Add the nuts and toss to coat. In a small bowl, combine the sugar, Essence, cayenne, and salt. Add to the nuts and stir to coat evenly. Spread the nuts on the prepared pan and bake until dry, about 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and stir to separate. Let cool on the baking sheet. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Essence (Emeril's Creole Seasoning):

• 2 1/2 tablespoons paprika
• 2 tablespoons salt
• 2 tablespoons garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon onion powder
• 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
• 1 tablespoon dried leaf oregano
• 1 tablespoon dried thyme

Combine all ingredients thoroughly and store in an airtight jar or container. Yield: about 2/3 cup