I love candied nuts. The kind you can get at the mall around the holidays and can smell a mile away.
And I love trail mix. All the textures, the salty-and-sweet aspect. I can never stop at a handful.
Marrying candied nuts with trail mix was one of the best, and most dangerous, kitchen decisions I’ve had lately. Can you say addiciting. Whoa. But it makes great gifts and people love it.
I used a combo of pecans, walnuts, and almonds. I love using pecans when making candied nuts because the cinnamon-and-sugar coating really seeps into all the nookies and crannies and adheres beautifully.
My 7-year old hand model promptly picked out most of chocolate chips. I’ve taught her well.
My family loves almonds and you can’t go wrong with buttery cashews. Use your favorite nuts.
I use unsalted, raw nuts because they bake at the same rate and the salt level is uniform, but if you have lightly salted, roasted peanuts, walnuts, macadamia nuts, or others, I’m sure they’ll be fine.
I usually have a half dozen different bags of nuts open (salted, unsalted, raw, roasted) and this is a great pantry cleanout recipe. I’m BFF’s with the Trader Joe’s nuts and dried fruit aisle.
After baking I added dried cranberries, dried cherries, semi-sweet chocolate chips, and white chocolate chips. If you’re not fond of certain dried fruits or don’t like white chocolate, omit them and use what you prefer.
The trail mix is salty and sweet, packed with rich cinnamon sugar flavor, and there’s so many textures from crunchy to chewy in every bite. The tartness of the dried fruit is offset by the sweet white chocolate. So good.
The heavenly scent while it bakes just helps contribute to how irresistible this stuff is. It’s going to be your new favorite fall snack. It would make great gifts if you can part with any.
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Cinnamon Sugar Candied Nuts Trail Mix
Ingredients
- 3 cups nuts, I used 1 cup each of pecans, cashews, and almonds. All were raw and unsalted
- 1 egg white from a large egg, whisked to frothy
- 1 tablespoon water
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup brown sugar, packed (light or dark is fine)
- 2 + teaspoons cinnamon, I used 1 tablespoon
- ½ teaspoon salt, optional and to taste
- 1 ½ cups dried fruit, I used 3/4 cup each dried cranberries and dried cherries
- 1 ½ cups baking chips, I used 3/4 cup each semi-sweet chocolate chips and white chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300F. Line a baking sheet with a Silpat or parchment paper. Don’t skip lining your baking sheet; set aside.
- To a large bowl, add the nuts; set aside. I recommend using raw, unsalted nuts but if you can’t find them, previously roasted/salted will likely work but monitor baking time and optional salt level.
- In a small bowl, add the egg white, water, and whisk vigorously until very frothy, foamy, and bubbly, about 2 minutes by hand.
- Pour egg mixture over the nuts and stir to coat.
- Add the sugars, cinnamon, optional salt, and stir very well to coat evenly.
- Turn nuts out onto to prepared baking sheet, spreading them in an even flat layer.
- Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, tossing once midway through (I baked 28 minutes); don’t overbake or nuts can burn. Coating may appear bubbly, possibly a bit runny and loose in the center of tray even when nuts are ready to be pulled from oven, but firms up dramatically as nuts cool. Use your judgment and let your nose and eyes be your guide to doneness.
- Allow nuts to cool on baking tray for at least 2 hours. Ideally, leave nuts on baking tray and exposed overnight as it helps them get extra crispy and crunchy.
- When nuts are cooled completely, sprinkle the dried fruit and baking chips over nuts.
- Use your hands to break apart large clusters and disperse fruit and baking chips throughout.
- Transfer mix to airtight containers, jars, or baggies. Mix will keep airtight at room temperature for at least 1 month.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Wishing I could reach through the screen and grab just a handful. Mmm…Tasty.
Pinned.
Have a beautiful Monday Averie!
Thanks for pinning, Melanie :)
Wow, this trail mix looks delicious. I love candied nuts!
I’m also pretty tight with Trader Joe’s fruit and nut aisle. So much variety and such great prices! :)
The prices and variety is almost too good – makes me grab a bag, and another four bags..and another…
Candied nuts in trail mix!? What a great idea!
I love that you added cinnamon sugar nuts into trail mix, Averie! What a delicious combination. Love this healthy and delicious snack!
I LOVE coating my nuts with egg whites, but they never turn out as perfect as yours! You are seriously the candied nut queen Averie! pinned!
Thanks for pinning and I really don’t do anything special other than really whisk the egg white with the water til it’s VERY frothy and foamy, then I add to the nuts, toss well with a spatula, dump on the sugars, spices, etc. toss again, and bake. No special tricks!
I’m not a fan of trail mix… but I can’t resist to this!!!
Cinnamon, baking chips and dried fuit sounds way too good :)
This trail mix looks absolutely wonderful (and addicting), Averie! Buttery-cashews do make a wonderful addition to trail mix :) Looking forward to trying this recipe and Pinned!
I hope you don’t mind (I checked your photo policy) and included two of your Pumpkin Recipes (didn’t reprint the recipe of course – included a link back to your blog & a link back to the recipe) in my Vegan Pumpkin Recipe Round Up! Can’t wait to try your most recent pumpkin muffins! :)
Thanks for pinning and no problem on the recipes you linked – thank you actually! :)
If you try the muffins, LMK!
I really want to make this. I do. I’m just afraid I won’t be able to stop eating it once it’s done!
Oh well. I can log extra miles on my morning run. Worth it!
I love that egg white coating because it helps everything adhere so well and makes the nuts nice and crispy! There is a natural foods store close to where I’m staying and I hear it has a huge selection of dried fruits and nuts. I’m going to check it out after class today. I’m sure I’ll find a few things to buy to get me through the week!
Oh those types of co-ops and natural food stores are super dangerous. They tend to have really unusual, and good, (and pricey) nuts and dried fruit. I could buy/eat the store down at places like that! That’s why I avoid WF’s and use TJs because I would go broke otherwise :)
I am a raisin addict…so trail mix is a must in our home always..I’m with you on trader’s nut and dried fruit aisle you can’t beat their prices. This trail mix with the sweetened nuts is calling my name…If I could resist eating it all I agree it would make wonderful gifts this holiday.
I love that aisle a little too much :)
Now that’s the kind of trail mix I want to be eating! Holy deliciousness!
These look amazing! I can’t imagine how yummy the house would smell while making these. They totally seem like a great snack to have around the house at Christmas time!
SO yummy and yes perfect for holiday gifts or snacking!
This would be so addicting! I could see making tons for Christmas gifts or parties and then……eating it all. By myself. In one night. :D
I got this stuff out of my house except for a little bit that I’m putting in Skylar’s lunches because ohmygod yes so addicting!
This looks highly addicting….
Extremely!
I can totally see myself snacking on this while working in the morning. I bet your house smelled amazing while these babies were baking! Love it! Pinned!
Crazy amazing scents, yes! Thanks for pinning!
YUMM What a fabulous snack idea! Would be super cute wrapped up for Christmas too. Love it!
Would make perfect gifts (if you can part with it) LOL!