Key Takeaways

• Honey, butter and cinnamon form the warm glaze that coats the mixed nuts before baking.
• The honey mixture is boiled for 2 minutes while stirring constantly before it is poured over the nuts.
• The coated nuts bake at 325°F for 10 to 15 minutes.
• The nuts are ready when they appear glazed and lightly browned.
• The baked nuts cool for 20 to 30 minutes before the final cinnamon-sugar coating is added.
• Watching the nuts carefully near the end of baking helps prevent the honey coating from becoming too dark.

What Are Honey Roasted Mixed Nuts?

Honey roasted mixed nuts are nuts coated with honey, butter and cinnamon, then baked until lightly browned and finished with cinnamon sugar.

These oven-baked mixed nuts are made by coating nuts in a warm mixture of honey, butter or margarine, and cinnamon. The nuts are baked until the honey mixture forms a glaze and the nuts become lightly browned. After cooling, they are tossed with a simple mixture of sugar and the remaining cinnamon.

The recipe combines several flavors and textures without requiring complicated preparation. Honey provides sweetness and helps form the glaze, cinnamon adds warm spice, and the final sugar-and-cinnamon mixture adds another layer of flavor after baking.

According to the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service, honey is a sweet substance produced by honey bees from nectar or other plant-derived sources that the bees collect, transform, dehydrate, store and allow to mature in the honeycomb. Honey naturally varies in color, consistency, aroma and flavor depending in part on its floral source.

That natural variation also means the honey you choose can subtly influence the finished nuts. A mild honey may allow the cinnamon and nut flavors to remain prominent, while a more distinctive honey may contribute more of its own flavor to the finished glaze.

What Ingredients Do You Need for This Recipe?

This recipe uses honey, butter or margarine, cinnamon, mixed nuts and sugar to create a simple sweet glaze with warm cinnamon flavor.

The recipe requires only five ingredients, making it easy to prepare without a long shopping list. Cinnamon is divided between the warm honey coating and the finishing sugar mixture, so be sure not to add the entire teaspoon during the first step.

Ingredients

• 1/2 c. Honey
• 2 Tbsp. Butter or margarine
• 1 tsp. Ground cinnamon, divided
• 4 c. Mixed nuts
• 2-1/2 Tbsp. Sugar

Recipe at a Glance

You can use the mixed-nut combination you prefer because the original recipe does not specify individual nut varieties or proportions. If you are serving the recipe to guests, remember that peanuts and several tree nuts are recognized as major food allergens in the United States. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recommends that people with food allergies identify and avoid foods containing their allergens.

Butter also contains milk, another major food allergen. If margarine is substituted, check its ingredient label because formulations differ between products.

How Do You Make Honey Roasted Mixed Nuts?

Coat mixed nuts with a boiled honey-butter mixture, bake at 325°F for 10-15 minutes, cool, then toss with cinnamon sugar.

The recipe uses two coating stages. The first is a warm honey, butter and cinnamon glaze that coats the nuts before baking. The second is a dry cinnamon-and-sugar mixture added after the glazed nuts have cooled.

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven.
   Preheat your oven to 325°F so it is ready when the nuts have been coated.

2. ```

3. Prepare the honey mixture.
   Combine honey, butter or margarine, and 1/2 tsp. cinnamon in a saucepan.

4. Boil the glaze.
   Bring mixture to a boil and boil for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.

5. Coat the mixed nuts.
   Pour honey mixture over nuts and mix until nuts are coated.

6. Prepare the baking sheet.
   Spread the coated nuts on a foil lined cookie sheet.

7. Bake until glazed.
   Bake at 325° F for 10-15 minutes or until nuts are glazed and lightly browned.

8. Watch carefully.
   Watch carefully to avoid burning.

9. Cool the nuts.
   Cool 20-30 minutes; remove from foil.

10. Add the final coating.
    Combine sugar and remaining cinnamon; toss with glazed nuts.

11. ```

Keeping the steps in this order matters. The honey glaze needs to be added before baking, while the final cinnamon-sugar coating is added after the baked nuts have had time to cool. This gives each part of the recipe a clear purpose and keeps the method simple enough to follow from start to finish.

Why Is Honey Used in Roasted Mixed Nuts?

Honey sweetens the mixed nuts and combines with butter and cinnamon to create the warm glaze that coats the nuts before they bake.

Honey is more than a finishing sweetener in this recipe. It is heated with butter or margarine and half of the cinnamon before being poured over the nuts, so the honey becomes part of the coating that surrounds the nut mixture during baking.

The recipe calls for 1/2 cup of honey for 4 cups of mixed nuts. Boiling the honey mixture for 2 minutes while stirring constantly blends the ingredients before the glaze is added to the nuts.

Honey can naturally range from nearly colorless to dark brown and may be fluid, viscous or crystallized. Its flavor and aroma can also vary with plant origin, according to the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service honey description.

If your honey has naturally crystallized, crystallization does not by itself mean the honey has spoiled or been adulterated. The USDA notes that most honey can naturally granulate or crystallize over time.

How Do You Know When the Nuts Are Done?

The nuts are done when the coating looks glazed and they are lightly browned, usually after 10-15 minutes at 325°F.

The recipe gives both a time range and a visual cue. Bake the coated nuts for 10 to 15 minutes, but do not rely only on the timer. Begin watching them closely as they approach the end of the baking period.

The original recipe specifically says the nuts should be glazed and lightly browned. That description is especially useful because nut varieties, baking sheets and individual ovens can affect how quickly browning occurs.

What Should You Watch for During Baking?

Kitchen Tip: Watch carefully to avoid burning. Start checking the nuts before the full 15 minutes have passed if your oven tends to brown foods quickly.

Because ovens and baking sheets can vary, use the 10-to-15-minute range as a guide and rely on the glazed, lightly browned appearance to determine when the nuts are ready.

How Should the Nuts Cool and Be Finished?

Cool the glazed nuts for 20-30 minutes before removing them from the foil, then toss them with the remaining cinnamon-sugar mixture.

The cooling period is part of the original preparation method. After the nuts are baked until glazed and lightly browned, allow them to cool on the foil for 20 to 30 minutes.

When Is the Cinnamon-Sugar Coating Added?

Once that cooling period is complete, remove the nuts from the foil. Combine the 2-1/2 tablespoons of sugar with the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon, then toss that mixture with the glazed nuts.

Remember that the teaspoon of cinnamon is divided between two parts of the recipe. The first 1/2 teaspoon goes into the honey-and-butter mixture before baking. The remaining 1/2 teaspoon is combined with the sugar and added at the end.

Following that sequence keeps the preparation simple and makes sure the cinnamon is divided between the warm glaze and the final sweet coating as intended.

How Can You Serve the Finished Nuts?

Serve the finished nuts as a sweet snack for parties, gatherings or sharing after they have cooled and received their final coating.

The finished nuts are easy to portion into a bowl for a gathering, place on a snack table, or serve alongside other finger foods. Because they can be prepared before serving, they can also be convenient when you want a homemade snack without needing to finish the recipe immediately before guests arrive.

The mix of honey, cinnamon and nuts makes the recipe especially fitting when you want to feature honey in something other than a beverage, baked dessert or bread. Beekeepers can also use honey from their own harvest, which makes the recipe a simple way to enjoy a portion of the year's honey crop.

What Should You Consider When Serving the Nuts to Guests?

If serving the nuts to a group, consider identifying the nuts used in the mixture. FDA allergen guidance recognizes peanuts and certain tree nuts as major food allergens, and the specific type of tree nut is important information for people managing food allergies. Read the FDA food allergen guidance.

How Should You Store the Finished Nuts?

Let the finished nuts cool completely before storage, then use a clean airtight container and protect them from excess heat and moisture.

Allow the finished nuts to cool completely before putting them into a storage container. Sealing warm food can trap moisture inside the container, so the nuts should no longer be warm from baking when they are packed away.

What Type of Container Should You Use?

General nut-storage guidance from the National Center for Home Food Preservation recommends proper drying and airtight containers in a cool location for maintaining nut quality. The Center also notes that refrigeration or freezing can extend the quality of plain nutmeats.

Because this recipe has not been tested for a specific storage-life period, judge stored nuts by their freshness, texture, aroma and overall condition rather than relying on a fixed number of days.

Discard the nuts if you observe signs of spoilage or an abnormal odor, flavor or appearance.

What Are the Most Frequently Asked Questions About This Recipe?

Common questions about this recipe cover baking temperature, honey quantity, cooking time, cooling, cinnamon and choosing mixed nuts.

What Are Honey Roasted Mixed Nuts?

Honey Roasted Mixed Nuts are mixed nuts coated with honey, butter and cinnamon, baked until lightly browned, then finished with cinnamon and sugar.

What Temperature Should the Nuts Bake At?

Bake the coated nuts at 325°F for 10 to 15 minutes, or until they are glazed and lightly browned.

How Much Honey Does This Recipe Use?

This recipe uses 1/2 cup of honey for 4 cups of mixed nuts.

How Long Should the Honey Mixture Boil?

The honey, butter or margarine, and cinnamon mixture should boil for 2 minutes while being stirred constantly.

How Long Should the Nuts Bake?

Bake the coated nuts for 10 to 15 minutes at 325°F, watching carefully as they become glazed and lightly browned.

Why Is the Cinnamon Divided in This Recipe?

Half of the cinnamon is added to the honey glaze, while the remaining cinnamon is combined with sugar for the finishing coating.

How Long Should the Nuts Cool?

Allow the baked nuts to cool for 20 to 30 minutes before removing them from the foil and adding the cinnamon-sugar coating.

Can You Use Margarine Instead of Butter?

Yes. The original recipe allows either 2 tablespoons of butter or 2 tablespoons of margarine.

What Type of Mixed Nuts Should You Use?

The recipe calls for 4 cups of mixed nuts and does not require one specific combination, so you can choose a blend you enjoy.

How Can You Tell When the Nuts Are Done?

The nuts are ready when the honey coating looks glazed and they are lightly browned. Watch them carefully near the end of baking.

Where Can You Learn More About Honey, Nuts and Food Safety?

USDA, FDA and university food-preservation resources provide authoritative information about honey, nuts, allergens and appropriate food-storage practices.

The ingredient quantities, temperature, baking time, cooling time and preparation instructions on this page come from Lappe's Bee Supply's original recipe. The following independent sources support the broader educational information included on this page.

Sources and Further Reading

1. Commercial Item Description: Honey (A-A-20380)
   U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Marketing Service
   View the USDA honey reference

2. ```

3. Food Allergies: What You Need to Know
   U.S. Food and Drug Administration
   View FDA food allergy information

4. Questions and Answers Regarding Food Allergens and Food Allergen Labeling Requirements
   U.S. Food and Drug Administration
   View FDA allergen guidance

5. Going Nutty Over Advice for Preserving Nutmeats?
   National Center for Home Food Preservation, University of Georgia
   View the nut-storage guidance

6. ```