This chai spiced nuts recipe is easy and results in delicately crisp nuts bursting with sweet spice. These candied nuts also take on a new dimension when dipped in chocolate and dusted with salted cocoa powder or spiced icing sugar. Serve all three varieties and put on a nut spread to impress.

Try a rum masala chai with your nuts.

Spiced nuts, candied nuts and chocolate covered nuts served in small bowls

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The inspiration behind this chai spiced candied nuts recipe comes from having the pleasure of working with Cracking Nuts. My brief was to produce a set of images for their website. The perk of the job was getting to sample their range of nuts along the way.

It’s fair to say that trying these amazing nuts sparked off a bit of a nut obession in my home.

Before this time my kids could take or leave nuts. They could handle a few in baking, but nuts were not something they got excited about.

Fast-forward to the present day and it’s a different matter: When I was developing this chai spiced nuts recipe, two little heads kept on popping through to the kitchen to see if they could scrounge some.

Are These Candied Nuts?

Yes they are. Essentially, this is a recipe for candied nuts that includes chai spice.

chai spiced nuts freshly baked on a baking tin.

But if you want to get fancy and look smart in front of your friends, go an extra step. You’ll end up with a trio of Chai Spiced Candied nuts from just one batch.

Try double dipping some of the Chai Spiced Candied Nuts in chocolate and then dust them in salted cocoa powder. That cocoa hit, along with the salt, sweet spice and crispy shell is devilishly good
To complete the trio, double dip a few more candied nuts in chocolate then dust with icing sugar laced with more chai spice. The result is crisp, chocolately nuts that are bursting with sweet spicy flavours. Nut heaven

So, in truth, today I’m presenting not just a spiced nuts recipe. It’s also a recipe for candied nuts with a chocolate covered nuts recipe thrown in for good measure. Life doesn’t get much better.

Serve all three varieties in pretty individual bowls to scoff with friends. Or, if you’re feeling generous, pack them into gift jars to give away.

Chocolate covered nuts that have been dusted in icing sugar

Ingredients notes

Masala blend

My base recipe for these candied nuts begins with a homemade chai spice mix made from:

Ground cinnamon
Ground ginger
Ground nutmeg
Ground allspice
Ground cloves
Salt
Green cardamom

Of course, you can substitute your own chai spice mix if you already have a favourite, or use store-bought.

Further ingredients

Aside from this spice blend, these are just 4 more ingredients required:

Egg white
Vanilla extract
Soft brown sugar
Mixed nuts (I used almonds, pecans, cashews & hazelnuts)

I’ve used a good mix of nuts here, but if there is one you are not so keen on, just replace it with another nut of your choice. Ensure any nut you are using is unsalted though, since this recipe for candied nuts is developed with unsalted nuts in mind.

If you intend to cover your nuts in chocolate you will also need

Milk chocolate
Dark chocolate
Icing sugar
Cocoa Powder
Sea salt

Step by step instructions

Candied Nuts

These is nothing complicated about this recipe for candied nuts with chai spice. It does, however, need a little bit of your attention during the cooking stage as the best results from this recipe require you to stir and turn the nuts a few times in the baking process:

Put the spices into a bowl along with the salt and mix. Remove 1 teaspoon of the mixed spice and set aside for the decorating stage
Preheat the oven and line a baking sheet with baking parchment
Put the nuts into a small bowl with the sugar and the remaining spice blend. Toss together
Whisk the egg white and the vanilla extract together in another bowl until very frothy but not stiff
Scrape the frothy egg white onto the nuts and stir to cover well
Spread the nuts out onto the baking sheet
Bake for 30-40 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes. It will look a little un-appetising in the beginning. Don’t worry, this is normal. When the mix is no longer wet, the nuts are baked
Take out of the oven and let cool completely

Chai spiced candied nuts in a copper mug.

Chocolate covered nuts

You can leave the recipe right there and just consume the nuts as they are, but it’s far more fun to push things a little further and follow the next set of instructions for my chocolate covered nuts recipe.

After attaining your batch of candied nuts as per the instructions already listed proceed as follows:

Chop the milk & dark chocolate finely & mix together. Divide between 2 heatproof bowls and set 1 bowl over a bain marie to melt
Pick the nuts off the baking sheet, leaving behind any crumbs. Put ⅓ of the candied nuts into a bowl and set aside
Prepare a large baking sheet with baking parchment
When the chocolate has melted tip in all of the remaining nuts. Toss until all of the nuts are coated and then transfer to the baking parchment. Working quickly, use a couple of forks to separate the nuts, transfer to the fridge to set (approx 10 minutes)
Meanwhile grind the sea salt in a pestle and mortar until fine
Take approximately ¼ of this salt and add to the icing sugar along with the remaining 1 teaspoon spice – sieve into a shallow bowl
Add the remaining salt to the cocoa powder and sieve into another shallow bowl
Prepare a fresh sheet of baking parchment
When the first layer of chocolate has set, melt the remaining chocolate
Loosen the chocolate covered nuts from the baking parchment. Tip the nuts into the chocolate and stir thoroughly, then transfer to the fresh parchment, separate and allow to set briefly but not completely (just a moment or two).
Take half of the nuts and toss in the icing sugar
Take the remaining nuts and toss in the cocoa powder
Leave to set

This part sounds quite fiddly, but is actually relatively simple in reality, albeit a little messy. The results are well worth your additional efforts though.