Spicy Candied Walnuts

I'd been thinking about some spicy walnuts for a spinach salad but couldn't find any at the grocery, but being ever so thoughtful of their customers, Whole Foods had a recipe that inspired me to make my own.

They turned out to be perfectly spiced (the aftertaste is the best part) and the "just right" compliment for a spinach-strawberry-feta- asparagus salad with homemade poppyseed dressing.

I was going to post the salad recipe but the walnuts so stole the show, they get a post all their own. I've linked to the original recipe above; here's my slightly tweaked version.

Spicy Candied Walnuts Recipe

4 cups walnuts
1/4 cup butter or refined coconut oil
1/4 cup organic raw agave
1 1/4 Tbsp water
1 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp salt
1 tsp freshly ground pepper

Preheat oven to 300°F.

Place walnuts on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper (yeah, you don't need the parchment for this particular step, but you'll be glad it's there later). Toast the nuts in the oven until lightly fragrant (about 5 minutes or so). Remove from oven and allow to cool in the pan.

Melt butter in a small (the smaller the better so you can use a candy thermometer) saucepan and add agave, salt, pepper, cayenne and water. Cook to the "soft ball stage" (about 235-240 F).

Pour over the toasted walnuts (which are still on that parchment) and toss to coat (don't worry if they are not all evenly coated at this point).

Place in the oven for about 30 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes or so to evenly distribute the coating. Once nuts are fairly evenly coated, remove from oven and allow to cool fully.

These keep for a long time in a resealable plastic bag but I haven't been able to refrain from sprinkling them on things and eating them as snacks long enough to see just how long.