When I have a party to go to or company coming over, aka: when it's culinary game time, I go through a recipe reading frenzy. There are so many options, what the heck should I make? What is creative? What will knock guests off their chairs? What will be satisfying but also urge them to have just one more bite?
Although, I usually have to pour over food sites, old Gourmet issues and cookbooks as a cathartic means to an end, it always seems that the simplest recipes are the all-stars.
These Spicy Caramel Cashews are the MVP (Most Valuable Part) of cocktail parties. To be honest, they can be the MVP of anything, really. Granola, ice cream topping, part of your brownie batter--you name it.
Coconut oil and agave nectar come together to make a super-easy and quick caramel sauce.
The best part is that these babies are ready for consumption in 20 minutes. Eat 'em and weep.
Spicy Caramel Cashews
2 cups raw cashews
2 Tbs. coconut oil (you can also substitute with vegetable oil)
1/4 cup agave nectar
1 tsp. ground cayenne pepper
ground sea salt, to taste
1.) Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Spread the cashews out in an even layer on a sheet pan and roast for ten minutes until light golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool slightly.
2.) In a medium-sized saute pan, heat the oil and agave nectar together until the nectar becomes loose and runny. Let the sauce cook for 2-3 minutes until it darkens to a bronze color and starts to bubble. Stir in the cayenne pepper and add the cashews to the pan.
3.) Stir gently until the cashews are covered with the sauce and cook for two minutes longer. Spread out onto the sheet pan and let cool completely before serving.
NOTE: The caramel sauce will become extremely hot and nothing burns like a sugar burn! Stir carefully.
The Cashews sound FABULOUS!!
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