Looking for a great partner for a glass of Champagne on New Year's Eve? Make up a batch of these spicy nuts. They can be prepared a few days in advance - your guests will love them.
The original recipe was from Bon Appetit Magazine. I loved the idea of almonds with sugar and pepper, but I always wound up with almonds floating in a pool melted brown sugar rather than nuts covered with the coating. I made some changes to the original recipes, substituting oil for some of the butter and lowering the baking temperature. It worked; the nuts are surrounded by a sweet-spicy coating. Much better!
Black Pepper Almonds
- 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 teaspoons sea salt
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 3/4 cup light brown sugar
- 3 tablespoon white wine vinegar
- 3 cups almonds
Mix salt and pepper in a small bowl. Line a rimmed sheet pan with heavy duty foil; coat lightly with cooking spray. Set aside. Preheat oven to 300.
Heat a skillet over medium heat and melt butter with oil. Add brown sugar and vinegar; stir to dissolve sugar, about 2 minutes. Mix in almonds and cook for 5 minutes until coated with syrup. Spinkle with half of pepper/salt.
Transfer almonds to prepared pan. Bake almond in oven for 18-20 minutes, until toasted. The sugar should be crusted around the nuts. Sprinkle with rest of pepper/salt. Cool. Break apart. Store covered at room temperture.
