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CANDIED MIXED NUTS
This recipe is very easy and very tasty. The only trick is to get the sugar mixture to just the right degree of "melted-ness." If it's not melted enough it will be grainy and won't stick to the nuts; if it's too melted it will get too hard and brittle to coat the nuts.
1 cup coconut palm sugar
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/3 cup agave syrup
1/2 tsp vanilla extract, stirred into the agave syrup
1 16-oz. bag roasted & salted mixed nuts
Combine sugar, butter and cinnamon in a heavy saucepan. Simmer on medium-low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until slightly browned and gently bubbling.
Remove from heat and add the agave syrup, wire-whisking to incorporate. Add the nuts and stir with a spatula until the nuts are evenly coated.
Lightly butter a nonstick baking sheet (yes, you read correctly). Pour the nut mixture onto the baking sheet. Press down evenly with a rubber spatula. If there are stray nuts around the edges, push them in. When it’s started to cool a bit, dip the edge of the spatula into some softened butter and press the sides in to make the mixture somewhat square.
Allow to continue cooling for at least a half hour. Cut into approximately 1.5” squares. Serve in a bowl lined with wax paper.
To store: Wrap in waxed paper and then put into a large baggie. Keep it in a cool area away from direct sunlight, or you’ll have a big gooey mess on your hands.