I received a jar of delicious mixed nuts for my birthday.  The Unbound Reader and Middle Son, we the source of this goodness.  These nuts (not the children!) were addictive.  I’m certain you noticed that past tense reference.  They were crisp, ever so slightly sweet and salty, with a really savory spice flavor.  Well, I thought it worthwhile to try and reproduce them in far greater quantity.  This is that experiment.  I know when one says “experiment” in reference to food, it sort of makes one take a step back.  But, we experiment all the time with flavors, textures, etc. and many, if not most, experiments work out well.  Trust your taste buds.  And I know you, like The Goddess, tweak recipes all the time.

This is simple really. Preheat the oven to 275°F.  Line a cookie sheet with foil, as it makes clean-up so much easier.  Dump the nuts out onto the cookie sheet.

Measure out your spices and salt, pour into a small resealable bag, seal it up and shake it until the mixture is completely mixed.  Beat the egg white with water, maple syrup and Worcestershire sauce, until it froths up nicely.  You can do this in a large bowl, but I don’t see the need.  I spread the nuts out, and pour the egg white mixture over them.  Now, you’re going to get a bit dirty.  You can use a spatula for this, but I find my digits work best and you can feel how well coated the nuts are with the liquid (there aren’t any pictures of this step, of course!).  Spread out the nuts and walk away about for 10-20 minutes.

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Retoss the nuts and sprinkle the spice mixture evenly over the nuts; that shininess on the almonds in the left photo is that egg white mixture.  Here I do use a spatula, because too much of that good spice mixture will stick to your hands and we want it all on the nuts.  Once you’re happy with the dispersion of the spices, spread the nuts out into an even layer covering the entire pan.  Give is a gentle shake, then into the oven, on the middle shelf.  I leave it for about 15 minutes.  Remove the pan from the oven, lower the oven temp to 225°F, give the nuts a good stir.  Place the pan back in the oven; the nuts need to slowly roast, about 45-60 minutes.  I usually give them a decent stir 2 or 3 times during this roasting period.  When they are nicely browned, remove the pan from the oven, place on a rack and let cool to room temperature.  Place the nuts in glass jars for gifts (or for you, too) or in resealable freezer bags.  These will keep for at least 30-60 days, but they need to be kept tightly sealed or they will soften.  Enjoy them by the handful!  They are great on salads, too.