Standing in line at the grocery store and suddenly your eyes widen in panic as you realize you completely forgot that you’re supposed to bring the appetizer for the party tonight! Glancing at your watch, you realize you’re supposed to be there in an hour and WHAT IN THE WORLD can you bring that you can make in that short time?!

These, my friend. THESE.

Rosemary Roasted Nuts are my new go-to snack/appetizer/hostess gift. I’m not even going to tell you how many times I’ve forgotten that I’m supposed to bring a “little something” to a party or game night. But consider yourself warned: These are wickedly addictive!!

We have my sweet friend, Meeghan from Cali Girl in a Southern World to thank for my newfound obsession. Her blog is full of inspiration and I love to read of her transition from high heels and the corporate world to life on the farm – animals, muck boots and all the work that goes on behind the scenes of a farm. Oh, and her Instagram account is on point. Just sayin’.

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Sweet and Spicy Rosemary Roasted Nuts

I’m leaving the nut assortment up to you here. Everyone has different preferences and honestly, I think this mixture that is mixed with the nuts would be good on any variety that suits your fancy.

I chose to use a mixture of cashews, pecans and walnuts because they’re my favorites.

Meeghan’s seasoning mixture is fabulous as is, but me being me, I’m always personalizing recipes. I’ve made just a couple small adjustments for my family’s tastes.

Ingredients

• 1-1/4 pound (16-20 oz.) of your favorite nuts – there is no hard and fast rule here-use whatever ratio of whatever nuts you like. I like a really “roasty” (new word) flavor so I get nuts that have already been roasted, but feel free to use raw if you prefer.
• 2 Tbsp. coarsely chopped fresh rosemary
• 1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper (use more if you like it “kicky” – I’m making up all kinds of words today)
• pinch of cinnamon
• 1 tsp. dark brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp. salt (if you use roasted and salted nuts. OR 1 tsp. if you use raw nuts)
• 1 Tbsp. butter
• 1 Tbs. maple syrup OR honey (this will help the seasonings stick to the nuts)

Directions

Preheat your oven to 375*.

Place nuts on an ungreased cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and roast nuts about 8-10 minutes. Or until they’re slightly more golden and fragrant. Just *don’t* walk away right now – nuts can go from golden brown deliciousness to “burn offering” status really quickly. And that would just be sad.

After the nuts are roasted the way you like them, remove from oven and set aside to cool for just a few minutes while you whip up the glorious seasonings.

I like to put my dark brown sugar, salt, butter and syrup or honey (I used honey) into a medium/large glass bowl and microwave just until everything is melted and you can stir it all together. About 30-40 seconds.

Give it a good stir and add your fresh rosemary, cayenne and cinnamon to the melted mixture.

Mix well and pour the still-warm nuts into the bowl with the melty goodness.

Toss to coat. Spread back out on the baking sheet in a single layer and bake for another 2-3 minutes – this helps them to not stick together as much. Remove from oven and let cool completely.

Behold. Rosemary Roasted Nuts in all their glory.

Try to refrain from eating the entire pan while they cool. Go ahead and get ready for that party now, while these cool. You’ve got a few minutes. 😉

Rosemary Roasted Nuts For All

Once slightly cooled, place in a cute mason jar and you’re on your way to the party! (A little jute twine wrapped around the lid is a nice touch – but only if you have time).

If you’re just making these for yourself, in an attempt at saving some to share, you can place them in pretty glass jars where they will taunt you with their deliciousness. Maybe put them in a cupboard where they’ll be out of sight.

You can whip up a batch of these for the big game, to share with girlfriends for Girl’s Night In, or to stash in snack sized bags to have on hand for the kids’ sports games. I’ve found that hiding these behind the “healthy” cereal in the pantry works really well if you’re not a sharer. 😉 Ahem.

Meeghan has the cutest packaging for these on her blog.

If you’re not really a nut person, I’m happy to give you these amazing Chocolate Molten Lava Cakes that will cure any chocolate craving you’ll ever have or my Grandma’s drool-worthy Southern Peach Cobbler here.

Please note: there will be NO leftovers when you take these to your party. Be forewarned..don’t plan on bringing any home. Just sayin’.

Need more appetizer ideas? Be sure to check out these additional ideas from some of my blogging friends!