Caramelized Ancho Cashews
Sweet and smoky, these caramelized ancho cashews are coated with maple syrup, cumin, and ancho chili powder. They’re perfect for adding to cheese boards.
The moment I saw this recipe, I knew I had to make it. I adore cashews, but I’ve never had any similar to this. The original recipe called for cayenne pepper, but I couldn’t resist using ground ancho chili pepper instead. It gave these cashews such a wonderfully smoky flavor that I think went well with the cumin. The maple syrup lends a bit of sweetness and makes these cashews caramelize perfectly. These can be made up to three days in advance of when you need them, but it won’t be easy to keep them around that long!
- COOK TIME:
- YIELD: 2 cups
Nonstick cooking spray
2 cups unsalted cashews
¼ cup pure maple syrup (preferably Grade B)
1½ teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
½ teaspoon ground ancho chili or cayenne pepper
- 1
Heat oven to 350º. Spray sheet of foil with cooking spray and set aside. Lightly spray rimmed baking sheet.
In a medium bowl, mix together maple syrup, cumin, salt and ancho pepper. Add cashews and toss to coat. Arrange in a single layer on baking sheet.
- 2
Bake for about 20 minutes, until cashews are golden brown and fully coated with maple syrup mixture, stirring occasionally. Immediately pour cashews onto prepared foil and separate any clumps with two forks.
Cool completely and store in an airtight container for up to three days.
oh i bet these are fabulous! we love the smoky flavor of ancho chile powder, combined with the sweetness of the maple syrup… yup, sounds like a winder!