Roasting Nuts Recipe

What started out as a simple attempt to roast all our leftover holiday nuts turned into a home science project of sorts. To put it simply, our 99 cent nutcracker sucks! It works fine with the easy stuff like almonds and hazelnuts. But on the larger nuts, we pretty much kissed any chance of having a decent nosh goodbye because it breaks the nuts into smaller pieces. Trying to get half a pecan became a challenge equal to catching a fly with chopsticks. Then there was all the fingers getting pinched. Then there was the task of cracking the brazil nuts, which was almost deemed impossible. So we searched through the house looking for nut cracking alternatives and not only did we find one, but many!

Who knew our tool chest, shoe closet and baking drawers had tools to not only crack nuts evenly but also effectively? Listed here are some household gadgets for cracking nuts:

Hammer & Wrenches- give a nice little bouncing tap of the nut, and the hammer popped it perfectly. The wrenches, same as the nut cracker, only more leverage & less finger pinching.

Stone Pestle (from mortar & pestle)- works great for the larger, harder to crack brazil nuts. Wood pestles should work just as well as long as it’s the larger pestle.

Rolling Pin- The weight of this marble puppy is marvelous for all sorts of nuts.

Meat tenderizer- Not just for tendering meat! Double up it’s duties on a couple of those big walnuts. Wham, Bam, Thank you, Mam!

High Heels- The thinner heels on your cute slingback pumps or sandels crack open almonds and hazelnuts well, but it just won’t hold up to the thicker shelled walnuts, pecans or brazil nuts. Pull out your thicker heeled shoes or boots and those will easily open your big nuts. Warning, keep your expensive Manolo’s and Jimmy Choo’s in the closet. Only use those heels that you can afford to replace.

When all that whacking was done, we got pretty tired of gnawing on raw nuts. Eating chalk was starting to look like better alternative. So we decided to roast ‘em and toss with a bit of sea salt, parmesan, and fresh cracked pepper. That was quite tasty. D.’s ready to pull out her wedge heels & crack some more.

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Roasting Raw Nuts

Method 1: In the Pan. Works great for smaller batches, since there is no need to wait for the oven to warm up. Over medium heat, toast nuts and stir frequently so the nuts toast evenly. Remove from heat when they start to turn color. They will continue to cook a little after they’ve been removed from the heat.

Method 2: In the Oven. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Place nuts on a sheet pan and place in oven. Roast for about 10 min., stirring occasionally, until nuts start to turn color. Remove from oven & allow to cool.

When warm, nuts won’t appear crunchy, but the crispness will return after they cool. Season with your favorite toppings and enjoy. Here are a few of our choice toppers: