Vanilla Coconut Cashews and Almonds

Our household ~~is a bit nutty~~ consumes a lot of nuts: cashews, almonds, pistachios, pecans.

In fact, I just ate a handful of almonds while writing this post.

I’m all about raw nuts for baking and cooking, but for snacking I like a bit of salt.

Sometimes ~~in the afternoons around 3 p.m.~~ I like a bit of sweet.

While ~~procrastinating~~ doing important online research, I saw a recipe for Vanilla Cashew Clusters on Kitchn and I could not make the recipe fast enough.

But first I had to go to the store. Isn’t that always the case? Motivation strikes and you’re missing an ingredient.

But when temptation strikes there’s ALWAYS a pint of ice cream in the freezer. Why is that?

I made my version of the recipe with almonds and cashews because…why not?

Plus, in the midst of mixing up the ingredients I remembered I had some coconut flakes in the cupboard, so I added those in too.

You should know this about me by now…I always try to use up things I have on hand when it makes sense.

I was wondering if the recipe would turn out. Coconut can be tricky to work with and I was worried about over-baking.

I hadn’t even sampled the nuts yet when Handy Husband walked into the kitchen. He was telling me something important. I don’t remember what it was because I was distracted watching him grab a handful of almonds and cashews, munch, tell me the important thing, grab a handful of nuts, munch, etc.

Finally, I said, “So…do you like those?”

“Mmm. Gahshflkjsdh. Mmm.”

I translated that to mean he really enjoyed them. I’m just happy he left me a few!

Whether you make the original recipe or adapt it to fit the ingredients in your cupboard – just make it.

VANILLA COCONUT CASHEWS AND ALMONDS

Adapted from this recipe on Kitchn

Prep Time: 10m
Cook Time: 30m
Total Time: 40m

Yield: 3 cups
Category: Nuts, Snacks

Ingredients

1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/2 cups raw almonds
1 1/2 cups raw cashews
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 large egg white

Instructions

Preheat oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit.
Line a baking sheet (one with a rim is preferable) with parchment paper.
Mix the sugars, salt, cinnamon and coconut in a bowl. Try and make sure there are no clumps. Set aside.
In a separate bowl whisk together the egg white and vanilla until frothy. This might take a minute or two.
Add the nuts to the egg/vanilla mixture. Stir until all nuts are evenly coated.
Sprinkle the sugar/coconut mixture over the nuts, stirring to make sure the nuts are evenly coated with this deliciousness. The mixture will be wet.
Spread the nuts in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet. Place the sheet in the oven on the middle rack to bake for 25 – 30 minutes. Stir once or twice during the baking process. Check the nuts at the 20 and 25 minute mark – you want the nuts to lightly brown, but you do not want the coconut to get too brown. The nuts will still be slightly moist when you take them out of the oven. They will harden up when they cool. When you remove the baking sheet from the oven, place it on a wire rack to cool. You can break up the nuts with your hands after they’ve cooled.
If the nuts last more than a day, you can store them in an airtight container at room temperature for 1 – 2 weeks and in the refrigerator for up to a month.
The unsweetened coconut flakes will give a slightly savory taste to the sweet of the nuts. Almonds do get pretty crunchy when baked this way. If that bothers you, just replace the almonds with cashews or another nut of your choice. Pecans would be delicious.