This post is sponsored by Dixie Crystals. As always, all opinions and recipe are my own. Thanks for supporting the brands who support Shared Appetite!
Perfect as a little mid-day snack or an elegant cocktail appetizer, these Candied Harissa Spiced Nuts are the perfect little addictive sweet and spicy bites!
I'm going to work hard to resist the urge to share inappropriate jokes, puns, and other witty comments regarding this nut recipe... and now it seems I have nothing left to write.
By the way, feel free to leave your very best nut-a-licious jokes in the comments below. That would totally make my day.
In a nutshell (sorry), these Candied Harissa Spiced Nuts are the perfect easy entertaining elegant appetizer for cocktail parties. Make 'em a day or so ahead of time and you can just fill up a bowl and let your guests graze on your nuts enjoy while you happily make them drinks, socialize, or attend to your other hosting responsibilities.
These Candied Harissa Nuts are also a pretty perfect sweet n' spicy mid-day snack... when you're a bit hungry but dinner is just a little too far away. Yea, you know what I'm talking about.
So what's harissa, anyway? Glad you asked. It's a Northwest African hot chili pepper paste. And don't worry my heat-fearing friends... harissa not just bleehhhh hotttttt. It's laced with flavorful roasted red peppers and lots of fragrant spices.
And once you combine harissa with the nuts and sugar in this recipe, you are left with a little warmth of heat and a whole lot of additive nut-consuming behavior.
You can grab this super easy recipe (seriously, it's like 5 ingredients and 5 minutes of prep) over at Dixie Crystals.
Candied Harissa Spiced Nuts
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 2 cups 1x
Description
Great for a midday snack or cocktail hour appetizer, these Candied Harissa Spiced Nuts are the addictive little sweet and spicy bites.
Ingredients
- 1 cup raw almonds
- 1 cup raw cashews
- 3 tablespoons good-quality harissa
- ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 3 tablespoons light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with a non-stick silicone baking mat or parchment paper.
- In a medium mixing bowl, stir harissa, granulated sugar, light brown sugar, and Kosher salt until well combined. Stir in almonds and cashews to fully coat. Spread nuts on baking sheet in a single, even layer.
- Cook in oven for 10 minutes, remove to briefly stir nuts, and then continue cooking for 10 minutes more. Remove from oven and let cool on baking sheet to allow nuts to harden.
- Once completely cool, Candied Harissa Spiced Nuts can be stored in an air-tight container at room temperature for about 5 days.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
Candied Harissa Spiced Nuts
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David says
Chris! Your nuts are fabulous. Now all I'm going to think about the rest of the day are your fabulous, spicy nuts. Haha! In all seriousness, though, this is an awesome recipe. I always go looking for a snack around 4:00pm each day, and I think these candied nuts could do the trick. The harissa addition is an awesome twist! #WolfpackNuts
Chris says
Well thank you David, I like to think so. Nothing gives me greater pleasure than knowing you are thinking about these spicy nuts all day. Hahahaha.
Jen at Baked by an Introvert says
This is the perfect snack! The sweet and spicy flavors have definitely won over my taste buds!
Chris says
Thanks so much Jen!
Kevin | keviniscooking says
Love the spicy and sweet here. I will abstain from any jokes, mine tend to go dark. Anyways, harissa is one condiment I make and use quite often, nice mix here Chris.
Chris says
Booooo for abstaining lol! Love me some harissa!
Bill says
The perfect snack with a glass of wine!! Beautiful photos, Chris!
Chris says
Wine is key! Wine is always key...
Ashley says
haha well now I feel lame since I have no nut-a-licious jokes to share!!
I love spiced nuts of any kind - these look delicious!
Chris says
Hahaha you're forgiven... this time. But next time, bring the jokes lol
Megan says
Sooooo if you left me alone with a bowl of these these you'd DEFINITELY come back to find nothing left. And I wouldn't be sorry about it one bit. These look amazing!!!
Chris says
Hahaha and there would be nothing to apologize about!
Lindsey says
Bahaha! Sometimes spicy nut jokes are best left unsaid! So many things to say...so beyond inappropriate...
These nuts do look awesome though, Chris! And that first photo - holy wow! Absolutely STUNNING
Chris says
Nut jokes are always best left said. Fully and completely. Hahahahaha
Shashi at RunninSrilankan says
Even though I love spicy everything - I am digging how you toned these nuts down with brown and regular sugar - these definitely sound addicting!
Chris says
Thanks Shashi! I'm all about the sweet and spicy combo!
Bianca says
I love nuts!
And harissa. These look awesome, I wish I had a handful to snack on later. Okay, I was lying about the handful. I meant small bowl. Or medium bowl.
Chris says
Hahaha they are quite addictive!
Mike says
This recipe makes think of Saturday Nut Fever, because you, my friend, got Travolta's moves!
😀
PS is this pun really lame? That's the only clean/appropriate pun with nuts I could think of!
Chris says
I don't want to say it's really lame, but let's just say that I'm sure your dirty/inappropriate ones would have been a whole lot better lol!
Erin says
If you fall...I will cashew. That's the best I've got! These harissa spiced nuts look amazing. I'm all about the spicy food in my house and know these would be a perfect snack.
Chris says
Hahaha that is AWESOME! If you fall I will cashew... time after time. Now I have that song stuck in my head!
Sarah says
This recipe is nuts! I'm totally nuts about it! 😉 But seriously, growing up in almond country, I'm all over this recipe!
Chris says
Hahaha, so in a nutshell, you're all about this recipe?
Rachel says
These look dangerously delicious - I would devour them way too quickly!! Need to grab the recipe - yum.
Chris says
Thanks Rachel!!!