Honey and sesame roasted almonds

Honig Brat Madeln. Don't let the German scare you.....this recipe is as easy as the pronunciation of that is difficult! I first had these when I spent a few days of my winter break in Germany 5 years back. Available in plenty across all Christmas markets, these honey roasted almonds make for a perfect winter-time snack. Didn't know at that time that these are so simple to make. They are so good, that I intend to have them around all year long now! They'll make for delicious party nibbles.

Being nuts about cashews, I decided to do both almonds and cashews in the same manner.  Taking a cue from The Purple Foodie, I replaced the sugar with brown sugar. And I also tossed in some roasted sesame seeds to enhance the look and flavour. The result was good.....really good! You have to make them to believe how easy and yummy they are. Trust me, you'll want more of them very soon!

Recipe adapted from RecipeZaar

• 1 cup almonds, whole with skins on 
• 1 cup cashews
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon roasted sesame seeds
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 2 tablespoons water
• 2 teaspoons almond oil or vegetable oil 

1. Spread the almonds and cashews in a single layer in a shallow ungreased baking pan and place in cold oven. Bake at 350F/180C, stirring occasionally, until the color of the nut is tan to light brown, 10 to 12 minutes. (The nuts will continue to roast a little more after they are removed from the oven.) Set the roasted nuts aside.
2. Thoroughly mix the sugar, salt, and sesame seeds, and set aside.
3. Stir together the honey, water, and oil in a medium-size saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Stir in the roasted nuts and continue to cook and stir until all of the liquid has been absorbed by the nuts, about 5 minutes.
4. Immediately transfer the almonds to a medium-sized bowl into which some sugar mixture has been sprinkled. Sprinkle the remaining sugar mixture over the nuts and toss until they are evenly coated. Spread the nuts out onto a silicon pad or parchment paper. When cool, store at room temperature in a tightly covered container or plastic bag. Will keep up to 2 weeks.

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