Holiday Spiced Nut Mix

This Spiced Nut Mix is completely addictive! I love the sweet maple glaze, kissed with smoky chipotle, a pinch of cayenne, and finished with crunchy flaky sea salt. Salt, heat, smokey, and sweet - what’s not to love?

Holiday Spiced Nut Mix

makes about 1 1/2 quarts

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 5 cups mixed raw nuts, shelled

• 1/4 cup dark brown sugar

• 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup

• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted

• 3/4 teaspoon ground chipotle powder

• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

• pinch ground cayenne pepper

• 1 teaspoon flaky sea salt

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350F and place rack in center position.

• In a large bowl, combine dark brown sugar, pure maple syrup, melted butter, chipotle powder, cinnamon, pure vanilla extract, and cayenne pepper,; add nuts and stir until evenly coated.

• Pour nut mixture into an even layer on a parchment-lined half sheet pan; sprinkle with sea salt, and bake for 10-15 minutes, tossing halfway through.

• Remove from oven and cool completely before storing in an airtight container.

Instant Pot Steel-Cut Oats

During the doldrums of winter, no breakfast warms my soul quite as well as a bowl of steel-cut oats. There’s just something about those bouncy little oats that I love. Traditionally, steel-cut oats take about 25 minutes of frequent stirring to cook on the stovetop, but I’ve discovered a much easier (ie completely hands-off) method using the Instant Pot. I’ll never go back to making them on the stovetop again.

FYI - Steel-cut oats are sometimes called pinhead oats or groats.

Items used to make this recipe:

(affiliate links)

• Instant Pot https://amzn.to/3aXJ88N

• steel-cut oats (NOT instant or quick-cooking) https://amzn.to/37We6w5

• the very best pure vanilla extract https://amzn.to/3ovS9fE

• silicone muffin cups https://amzn.to/3hIdulq

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Instant Pot Steel-Cut Oats

makes 6 half-cup servings

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 cup steel-cut oats (not instant or quick-cooking)

• 3 cups water (see notes below)

• 1/4 teaspoon fine table salt

• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (use the good stuff!)

• optional: fruit, berries, sweetener of choice, heavy cream

Directions

1. Place the oats, water, and salt in the inner pot of the instant pot; stir to combine.

2. Cover with lid and make sure the vent is set to “sealing”.

3. Set the instant pot to cook on “manual” or “high pressure” for 4 minutes, then allow the pressure to release naturally for 20 minutes before manually releasing any additional pressure.

4. Remove the lid stir in pure vanilla extract and wait about 5 minutes before serving.

5. Sweeten as you like and top with your choice of fruit or berries and a drizzle of cream.

Notes

• If you like, you can replace up to 2 cups of the water with milk.

• I often make a double batch to store in the fridge for the week. It reheats well in the microwave and isn’t half bad eaten cold, straight out of the fridge.

• A friend of mine likes to freeze individual portions in these 100% silicone muffin cups. Once frozen, she pops them out of the silicone and into an airtight freezer container. To reheat, she places a frozen portion in a microwave-safe bowl and microwaves on high power for a minute or two.