snack attack

I hope everyone had the most delightful of holidays and let's all ring in the new year with good cheer. Hello, 2007! Now before we all batten down the hatches with resolutions, let's continue the festive snacks just a bit longer. I came by this recipe from David Lebovitz via Not Martha and I can truly say that this is the best holiday snack ever. Sweet and salty and spicy! A treat that is easy to make and will make your guests love you even more. I made this for a Boxing Day snack for friends and it got rave reviews. I used only pretzels and a small amount of almonds since I was out of mixed nuts but if you've spent all your cash on booze and don't want to spring any more $$$ for fancy nuts, you can certainly buy a cheap bag of pretzels and still ring in the new year with a tasty snack. Tasty delicious!

spicy-sweet glazed pretzels and nuts
4 c combo of pretzels and raw (unroasted) nuts but keep the nuts separate so that you can roast them (step 1)
1 T butter, melted
3 T brown sugar
1/2 t ground cinnamon
3/4 t cayenne pepper
1 1/2 T maple syrup
1 1/2 t kosher salt

1. Spread nuts (if using) evenly on a baking sheet. Bake them in a 300 degree oven for 20 minutes or until toasty and fragrant. Pour roasted nuts into a large bowl and mix in pretzels.

2. In a small bowl, mix together the butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, cayenne and maple syrup. Pour this over the pretzel/nut mixture and mix well to coat. Sprinkle with salt.

3. Spread this mixture back onto a baking sheet and toast lightly for 15 minutes at 300 degrees. Or, if you're making this at one in the morning like I did, just turn off the oven and have them sit in the oven over night and it will all come out perfectly. Remove from oven and keep in a covered jar until ready to eat.