Peanuts are a part of daily life, at least around this house. They’re consumed as butter, as a recipe addition, as a snack, and pretty much any other way I can come up with to use them. I started working up a recipe for Valentine’s day a little earlier in the week and I knew from minute one that I wanted it to include peanuts, but not just any peanuts, these needed to have a kick.
I remembered a recipe from David Lebovitz for Salt-Roasted Peanuts (see below), and that seemed a good start. On closer examination, it was the perfect beginning, since chocolate was to be involved in the next stage, and his recipe was quickly and easily adapted to what I had on hand, as well as what I had in mind.
Originally I was just going to post the recipe for this preparation with the finished treats but in the end, these nuts are so intensely good that I decided that they need their own moment in the spotlight. They are salty, sweet and ultimately spicy (The more you eat, the hotter they get, I love that!) but the flavors fit so well together that you may find you can’t stop at just a few. I know I’ve had a hard time not just eating all of them instead of using them for their intended purpose.
Thankfully I’ll only need about half of the nuts I made, the other half are up for grabs!
Spicy Salt-Roasted Peanuts Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 cups raw peanuts
- 3/8 cup light corn syrup
- 2 1/2 tbsp. light brown sugar
- 1/2 tsp. Cajun seasoning (I used Bayou magic brand, but any good spicy Cajun seasoning will do.)
- 1 3/4 tsp. coarse sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Mix peanuts, corn syrup, and light brown sugar in a mixing bowl or large measuring cup, until the peanuts are well-coated.
- Sprinkle the salt and spices over the peanuts and stir just a few times, but not enough to dissolve the salt.
- Spread the peanuts evenly on the baking sheet and bake for 25-30 minutes, stirring three times during baking, until the nuts are deep-golden brown and glazed.
- Sprinkle just a bit more salt and spice over the peanuts, cool completely, store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
24Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 123Total Fat: 9gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 199mgCarbohydrates: 8gFiber: 2gSugar: 6gProtein: 5g
What I would have done differently had I thought of it at the time:
Ummm. Nuffin’, these are fabulous! Thanks for the idea, Dave!
Links to other recipes like this:
- Salt-Roasted Peanuts, from David Lebovitz, who also includes a FAQ for substitutions.
- Indian Spiced Peanuts with Toasted Coconut, from Coconut and Lime
- Masala peanuts Club Style, from thecookscottage
Oh my goodness, these sound amazing… As a deep-south girl, anything with “Cajun seasoning” gets my attention… :-) These sound perfect for V-day – my guy will love them!
I’ve been reading your blog for awhile now and though this is my first posted comment I have thoroughly enjoyed it and look forward to checking in each day to see what you are up to.
My son came over tonight and I always try to have a little something for him to take home after doing ‘heavy lifting’. He gets dinner too, “Mom Food” is a always good incentive to lure him over. He loves hot & spicy anything so I made a double batch of your roasted peanuts. I tweaked it a little by adding to your recipe a healthy slosh of the Devil Woman Cajun Hot Sauce I keep in the fridge for him. He absolutely LOVED them…goes good with an icy beer ;)
Astra,
Cajun Seasoning is one of my new favorite go-to spice blends. There are hundreds available, and Emeril’s “Essence” would work perfectly well here too.
Patricia,
It’s good to hear that your son enjoyed them! I must admit, there’s nothing nicer than to hear someone has made your recipe and loved it! I really must admit though, that Mr. Lebovitz did almost all the hard work on this one, I just changed amounts and added some heat!
Interesting spicy salt-roasted peanuts
It looks like an interesting snack recipie. I was wondering though is this a widespread recipie for the spicy salted peanuts or is it a traditional southern recipie?
Also, do you have any idea how the calorie content for the nuts are like? I like good food, but I have to watch my waistline :)
Thanks.
Dave, the double glazing guy.