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I had a somewhat desperate message on my phone machine from a reader who needed my recipe for honey roasted almonds. “I can’t remember if you shared them in a class or in the paper. I’m having a party this coming Saturday and can’t find my recipe!”

“No worries” I told her. That recipe has made the rounds both in print, my cable show and in classes and it’s front and center in my recipe hall of fame file so it’s always easy to find. 

If you’ve never made these, try them. I think you’ll like the honey roasted almonds so much that they’ll become a favorite at your house, too.

I’m also sharing a recipe for country fair pecans. These are the ones you see being cooked in large kettles at fall fairs. 

Nuts are a perfect snack or light appetizer. Plus they can be made ahead. So you have my permission to, yes, go nuts in the kitchen!

Honey roasted almonds

Ingredients

2 cups whole almonds, skin left on and roasted

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons each: honey and water

2 teaspoons Canola, grape seed or favorite oil

Instructions

Mix sugar and salt in bowl and set aside.  

Stir together honey, water and oil in skillet and bring to a gentle boil. Turn heat down a bit, and immediately stir in nuts and continue to cook and stir until liquid is absorbed, about 3-5 minutes. 

Immediately transfer nuts to bowl with sugar mixture and toss until coated.  

Pour onto sprayed cookie sheet. Cool, break up and store, covered, at room temperature up to a month.

Roast nuts: 

Pour in single layer on cookie sheet.  Roast at 350 until fragrant, about 8-12 minutes.  Don’t overbake. 

Country fair kettle cinnamon pecans

Yummy out of hand, as a salad or pumpkin pie garnish.

Ingredients

3 cups or a little more pecan halves, roasted  (see above)

1/3 cup evaporated milk 

1 cup granulated sugar

2 tablespoons water

1 teaspoon vanilla

3/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Instructions

Bring milk, sugar, water, vanilla and cinnamon to a gentle boil allowing sugar to dissolve. Add nuts and continue to cook until nuts are completely sugared with no syrup left. Pour onto sprayed cookie sheet. Let cool and break up. Store at room temperature, covered, up to 3 weeks. 

Tip: Squirrel nuts away for holiday cooking

Nuts should go on sale soon. Stock up and freeze for longer storage.

Cinnamon is a bark!

• Cinnamon comes from the inner bark of the Cinnamomum tree. 
• Two popular varieties are Cassia/Chinese cinnamon and Ceylon/Sri Lankan cinnamon. 
• Most cinnamon sold in the US is the cassia variety. 
• Ceylon is slightly sweeter, more refined, more expensive and a bit harder to find.