Spiced Nuts

Spiced nuts. When you're walking through the mall and the fresh aroma of spiced nuts grips you, it can be irresistable. Darla from Messy Cucina recently attempted to recreate those roasted nuts one finds in shopping malls, but they weren't quite what she remembered. I made an attempt of my own, and then gave up and called Mom. Of course she was able to dig into her files and pull out her own recipe for spiced nuts. These may not match your memory of spiced nuts from the mall, but that's because these taste even better.

According to Mom, this recipe originally appeared in the Pet Milk Book, a cookbook whose recipes all featured... wait for it... Pet Evaporated Milk. This was a more common marketing strategy in the earlier half of the twentieth century in which manufacturers issued their own cookbooks to boost sales. The proportions are from the original recipe, but the instructions are mother's.

Spiced Nuts

• 1 c. sugar
• 1/2 t. cinnamon
• 1/3 c. evaporated milk
• 1 1/2 c. pecans (or walnuts, almonds, etc.)
• 1/2 t. vanilla

Mix together the sugar and cinnamon, then add the evaporated milk. Heat to 236 degrees, stirring constantly, or until a few drops form a soft ball when dropped into cold water. Remove from heat.

Add nuts and vanilla. Stir until mixture can no longer be stirred. Turn out on wax paper and separate the nuts into small pieces with the fingers. This'll burn your finger tips, but must be done quickly before the candy fully hardens. They'll cool quickly, and are best eaten within a few days.