Candied Walnuts

This candied walnuts recipe is lightly sweetened, so easy to make, and so delicious. You can change up the spices to make it more savory, the options are endless!

What you will need:

¼ cup packed brown sugar

1 tsp fine sea salt

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 egg white

1 tsp vanilla extract

4 cups (12 ounces) raw walnut halves

Directions:

Heat oven to 300°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. 

In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, sea salt, and cinnamon until combined.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together egg white and vanilla until combined. Add the walnuts and toss until they are evenly coated with the egg white mixture. Add the brown sugar mixture and toss until the walnuts are evenly coated.

Spread the walnuts out in an even layer on the baking sheet.

Bake for 20 minutes. Remove the baking sheet from the oven, and give the walnuts a quick stir. Return to the oven and bake for 5 more minutes. Remove and let cool for 10 minutes.

Serve immediately, or store in a sealed container for up to 2 weeks. 

Great as a snack or as a salad topper!

Enjoy!

Chewy Almond Thumbprint Cookies

These cookies are so tasty, you won't even miss the regular wheat flour in them. Perfect for Passover coming up in just a few short weeks, but honestly love them all year round! The toasted almond flour gives great depth of flavor and the fruit jam options change the cookie flavor profile up!

What you will need:
4 cups blanched almond flour
2/3 cup coconut sugar 
¼ cup honey,
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp lemon zest (from 1 lemon) 
¼ tsp kosher salt 
1 large egg, at room temperature 
3 tablespoons fruit jam 

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Spread the almond flour on a rimmed baking sheet and bake, stirring halfway through, until golden brown and toasted, about 10 to 15 minutes. Immediately add it to a medium bowl to cool for 5 minutes. Line the baking sheet with a piece of parchment paper and set aside.

Add the coconut sugar, honey, lemon juice, lemon zest, salt and egg to the toasted flour. Using a rubber spatula, stir until well combined and evenly moistened. 

Scoop heaping 1-tablespoon scoops of the dough onto the prepared baking sheet, leaving 1 inch between each. 

Flatten slightly with the palm of your hand, then make a small indent in the center of each cookie using your thumb. 

Fill each indent with 1/2 tsp jam. Bake until golden brown and just set, 15 to 17 minutes. Allow to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container. 

Forgotten Kisses Meringue Cookies

This past weekend I tried out something new with my stand mixer. Have I said lately how much I LOVE my KitchenAid mixer? I don’t know how I lived without it. It’s like having an extra set of hands, but better than the hubby’s who’d be eating any of my raw confections before they can make it to the oven. 

Meringues are light, airy, delicious and low fat! You can add all different nuts, chocolate, sprinkles, food coloring, extracts…the possibilities are endless! And it’s amazing how far so few ingredients can take you. 

What you will need: 
2 egg whites at room temperature 
½ tsp. baking powder 
2/3 cup sugar 
1 tsp. vanilla extract 
1 cup toasted almonds or chocolate chips, optional 
½ tsp. cinnamon, optional 
Yields 2 dozen 

Ignore the 4 eggs- I made two batches in the same day

Preheat the oven to 350°. 
In the bowl of an electric mixer {or hand mixer}, beat egg whites until foamy. {It should almost look like sudsy soapy water.} 

Add the baking powder and beat until fluffy, but on at all dry. Be careful not to overbeat. Add the sugar in gradually, 3 tablespoons at a time. When about half of the sugar has been added, add the vanilla extract {and cinnamon if you're using}. 

Continue beating and adding the remaining sugar in increments until all of the sugar is dissolved and the meringue is shiny and tight. 

Gently fold in the chopped nuts or chocolate chips. 

Working one teaspoon at a time, push a teaspoonful of meringue from the tip of 1 teaspoon with the back of another teaspoon onto parchment lined baking sheet, leaving an inch between the meringues. 

Place the baking sheets in the preheated oven and turn the oven off. Leave the cookies undisturbed in the oven for at least two hours, or even overnight, until the meringues are crisp and dry. 

Enjoy!