1tablespoon(1tablespoon)coconut oil(or sub olive, vegetable or rapeseed oil)
1tablespoon(1tablespoon)agave syrup(or sub honey if you're not vegan)
300g(10oz)mixed nuts
3tablespoons(3tablespoons)sugar*see notes for substitution options
¼teaspoon(¼teaspoon)salt
Pinch(Pinch)ground black pepperto taste
Instructions
Heat the water, oil and agave syrup in a large frying pan until it starts to bubble (should take around 30 seconds).
Add the nuts and stir until they’re coated with the oil and syrup mixture – do this for around a minute until they’re slightly brown and crispy.
Mix together the sugar, salt and black pepper in a small bowl, then add to the pan and stir into the nuts.
Keep the pan on a medium heat and stir continuously for a few minutes – the nuts should become nicely caramelised quite quickly.
Remove the pan from the heat as soon as you think the caramel coating turns a nice golden brown colour - be careful to not heat for too long as the sugar will burn very quickly.
Spread the nuts out over a plate or a sheet of baking paper, separating out any clumps, and leave them to dry out for a while until completely cooled – they may be quite soft at this stage, but ready to eat once they’ve cooled down. This step is crucial to make the nuts crispy and crunchy - if you don't spread them out until cooled, the heat from the nuts will create moisture and they won't get as crispy.
Keeps in an airtight container for up to a week.
Video
Notes
*For a refined sugar free version, you can use the same recipe but replace the sugar with 3 tablespoons agave (or maple syrup) and instead of using a frying pan, mix together all the ingredients and roast in the oven on a rectangular baking tray at 180 degrees Celsius (350 degrees Fahrenheit) for around 10 minutes.I have tried the recipe in a frying pan replacing the sugar with coconut sugar/maple syrup/agave syrup, but unfortunately it just doesn't seem to work!