Cinnamon Bird Nuts

Makes 4 cups. Recipe courtesy of chef Joshua Lewin of Juliet Restaurant.

A simple recipe with lots of flavor; the flavors of Cinnamon Bird brighten the rich nuts and balance the sweetness. Make when the weather is dry – humid days nuts won’t crisp nicely.

2 tablespoons (15 grams) Cinnamon Bird
4 cups mixed whole nuts
¼ cup (130 g) rich simple syrup, see recipe below
Preheat the oven to 350˚ F.

Set out a rimmed baking sheet and line it with baking parchment.

Grind the Cinnamon Bird to a powder (use a mortar and pestle or coffee grinder).

Spread the nuts on the lined baking sheet. Roast for 5 minutes or until the nuts are fragrant and very lightly toasted. Pull the baking sheet out of the oven; let the nuts cool.

When the nuts are cool, transfer them to a bowl and toss with the simple syrup and ground Cinnamon Bird. (Make sure that the simple syrup is at room temperature or cooler). Lightly oil the parchment on the baking sheet and spread the nuts on it.

Return the baking sheet to the oven and roast the nuts until the simple syrup is almost dry, about 5 minutes. The nuts will feel a little soft and sticky when you remove them from the oven -- let them cool. They will crisp up as they cool. If they don’t seem crispy enough return them to the oven for another few minutes.

Store at room temperature in an air tight container.

Rich Simple Syrup

Rich simple syrup is made with 2 parts sugar and 1 part water. For these nuts, use ½ cup sugar and ¼ cup water – you’ll have syrup left over, but it’s easier to work with than making exactly a ¼ cup of syrup.

Put the water and sugar in a small, heavy-bottomed sauce pan and set it over medium-high heat. Stir a couple of times to moisten the sugar; let the mixture come to a boil. When the sugar has dissolved, reduce the heat, cover the pan, and simmer the syrup for 10 minutes. Allow the syrup to cool and thicken before using it.