These Christmas peanut butter balls are a yearly tradition in my family. They are one of our favorite recipes for holiday cookies. The main component is the maple flavour.
| Prep Time: | 10 mins |
| Cook Time: | 20 mins |
| Total Time: | 30 mins |
| Servings: | 16 |
| Yield: | 4 cups |
Ingredients
- cooking spray
- 1 cup untoasted walnut halves
- 1 cup untoasted pecan halves
- 1 cup unsalted, dry roasted almonds
- 1 cup unsalted, dry roasted cashews
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ½ cup white sugar
- ¼ cup water
- 1 tablespoon butter
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and lightly coat with cooking spray.
- Combine walnuts, pecans, almonds, and cashews in a large bowl. Add salt, black pepper, cumin, and cayenne; toss to coat.
- Heat sugar, water, and butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook until butter is melted and sugar is dissolved, about 1 minute. Slowly pour butter mixture over nuts and stir to coat.
- Transfer nuts to the prepared baking sheet and spread into a single layer.
- Bake nuts in the preheated oven for 10 minutes. Stir nuts to coat with warm syrup; spread out in a single layer. Return to the oven and bake until nuts are sticky and roasted, about 6 more minutes. Allow to cool before serving.
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 219 kcal |
| Carbohydrate | 13 g |
| Cholesterol | 2 mg |
| Dietary Fiber | 2 g |
| Protein | 5 g |
| Saturated Fat | 2 g |
| Sodium | 206 mg |
| Sugars | 8 g |
| Fat | 18 g |
| Unsaturated Fat | 0 g |
Reviews
First, I loved these party nuts in the end. However, I ran into a problem with this recipe. I followed it exactly, including timing in the oven. But when I brought the pan of coated nuts out of the oven and they cooled, the nuts were gooey and chewy and unpleasant to eat; the sugary coating stuck to my teeth. If I couldn’t cure this problem, it would be a complete failure. I pulled the clumps of nuts apart as best I could and put the pan (with no aluminum foil – see below) back in the oven at only 325 degrees for about 20 minutes to try to get rid of some of the moisture in the sugary coating to make it crisp/crackly instead of chewy. It worked! I think it might even have been okay to leave the pan in another 5 minutes or so. The nuts themselves did not burn, just a little more toasted. The nuts are now a delicious treat, with a small amount of spiciness that enhances the flavor. Something else I learned: you don’t need to line your metal oven pan with aluminum foil, as recommended, at all. You should definitely, very soon after bringing the pan out of the oven, however, run a spatula under the nuts to loosen the coated nuts up off the pan surface. Any of the sugar-based coating left on the pan will stick hard to the pan and make it much more difficult to scoop the nuts off if you let the coating cool and harden. And, you don’t need to worry that any coating left attached to the pan after removing the nuts will be hard to remove. Just pour some hot tap water on the pan, just enough to cover. In a short time you’ll find the sugary coating has dissolved itself. Easy clean-up. Using the aluminum foil just creates another unnecessary layer that, in fact, does become difficult to release the cooled coated nuts from. The foil tears and sticks to the nuts. Yuck.
Excellent! I did mine in an air fryer: 10 minutes @ 120, stirred them, then 5 minutes @ 150. My nose told me they were ready! I’m so pleased. Better than any I ever bought.
Super easy. I cut all ingredients in half and used a package of mixed nuts. Stirred them after 10 min and again when they came out of the oven. Removed them to a cutting mat to cool. No problem with sticking together. Turned out great but I’m not a fan of cumin so next time I’ll try different spices.
EVERYONE loves these nuts and they couldn’t be easier to make. I add the spices to the warm butter mixture and then pour over the nuts. Give it a really good stir. After first roast I stir the nuts on the baking sheet for about 3-4 minutes before returning to the oven. I use a Silpat instead of foil and nothing sticks. After the second roast I transfer the nuts to a second silpat lined baking sheet and stir for another 5 minutes so nothing sticks and they cool a little faster.
Delicious, fast and easy! Mine got a little burned, so next time I’ll bake them about 4 minutes long after the initial 10.
Seasoning perfect for a party. They are yummy!
They were delicious, but I added a 1/2 tsp cinnamon and I will add an additional 1/4 tsp of cayenne pepper next time. Overall they were a hit at a party.
EXCELLENT, EASY, AND DELICIOUS!!
BEST I’ve ever had
Having read previous reviews I doubled up the spices and also added a crushed clove of garlic to the syrup. I lined the tray with greaseproof baking paper so the nuts didn’t stick (much better than foil). Separate the nuts with your hands while still warm and you won’t end up with a solid sticky mass. I will definitely make again, thanks.
Spectacular and always a hit with the crowd for game day, holiday, or just a quiet family day. I add a little smoked paprika to the mix too.
Not much flavor; needed more spices.
This is a great recipe to bring to a party or to make as gifts. Easy to make and I’ve never met anyone who doesn’t love it!
I followed the recipe as is with one exception – more cayenne. A lot more. 🙂 Thanks for sharing Chef John!
These were delicious!!! I used mixed pecans, cashews, almonds, & pistachios. Like many others, I put my spices in with the butter/sugar/water mixture. I felt that they would be incorporated better in the warm liquid mixture. I added a teaspoon of cinnamon along with the specified cumin/cayenne/S&P (I may have put an extra dash of cayenne) . I also used 1/4C truvia & 1/4C swerve brown sugar. The chef’s directions to stir & mix for at least 4 minutes after the first cooking time was KEY! The syrup got thicker & thicker, and every nut got coated. I appreciate the advice of other readers who said to put the finished nuts in a bowl & stir intermittently as they cool. I am thrilled with the tasty result!
Wow our guest went nuts , so good
The only thing I would change about this recipe is the amount. It should automatically be doubled. I made this for a party recently and it was a huge hit. The spice blend was perfect and the instructions resulted in glossy, crunchy nuts. The only change I made was substituting peanuts for cashews. I will definitely be making this for parties again as well as to snack on. Thanks, Chef John!
Made these for the first time for a girlie lunch. Went down a storm. I will make them spicier next time.
Man, these are TASTY! I need an appetizer for a party and found this recipe. Did not alter the spice mix. Used a half sheet pan lined with foil sprayed with nonstick butter flavor spray. I did put the spices in with the sugar butter mixture after the sugar had dissolved, at the last minute. Stirred everything well, to make sure the nuts were all coated. It did look runny but do not worry, it dried up in the oven. I transferred the nuts to a big plastic bowl after the initial 10 minute roasting period and stirred them again for a full 5 minutes. I got a bit worried because they looked kind of grainy, not glossy at that point, but all the liquid was absorbed. Put them back in the oven for more than the 6 minutes. Kept checking them and stirring them around with a silicone spatula until they got that nice glossy look, all in all about 15 minutes. Then I transferred them to a big cutting board covered with baking parchment paper and separated them as they were cooling. They are glossy, lovely, crunchy, sweet and spicy. Perfect! EXCEPT I have to make another batch as these will go FAST. Not nearly enough of these delicious beauties. Having to keep my husband away from them because he won’t leave them alone and they’re for the party! Thanks for the recipe!
These are addictive! My husband kept eating them and when I took a look at the container, it was half empty/full! :-).
I make these often as gifts.