Easy Rosemary Cashews
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Rosemary Cashews are the ideal recipe for your fall and winter entertaining needs. Perfect as an appetizer, or package them up as a beautiful and tasty hostess gift.
Add the woodsy flavor of rosemary, a teensy bit of brown sugary sweetness and a little cayenne kick and these cashews take you to a whole new level.
If you dig spiced nuts, then please make these Maple Bourbon Pecans – simply amazing!
I started making this recipe back when my boys were in grade school, in fact I think it was a recipe from the school cookbook.
I’ve made well over 50 lbs worth of these delicious nuts over the years. If my memory serves me correctly I think it’s a recipe adapted from the wonderful Ina Garten the Barefoot Contessa, everything she makes is spectacular!
PERFECT HOSTESS, TEACHER OR NEIGHBOR GIFT
These cashews are the perfect hostess, teacher or neighbor gift. I like to buy the big bin of cashews from Costco (which is 2.5 lbs) and make up the entire amount*.
After they’ve cooled I return them to the original container and keep them in the freezer; remove and warm when desired or to place in a pretty jar or bag to give to a friend, hostess or neighbor.
Preheat the oven to 325°. Spread cashews evenly on 1 or 2 half sheet baking pans, trying not to crowd them.
*The recipe uses 1 lb of cashews, so adjust your amounts for the herb butter if you are using the entire 2.5 lbs.
SALTED VS. UNSALTED CASHEWS
I use the roasted and salted cashews as they are the most readily available and have already adjusted the salt in the recipe to accommodate the extra salt. If using roasted, unsalted you may have to increase your salt slightly.
HOW TO MAKE ROSEMARY CASHEWS
- Bake cashews at 325° for 10 minutes, until hot. Remove from oven but keep oven on. Meanwhile, prepare your sweet-spicy slurry.
- Strip the wood stems of the fragrant rosemary “needles”…starting at the tip of the sprig, squeeze your fingers along the stem and gently pull backwards, removing off the stem.
- Chop the rosemary as fine as possible. Measurements are approximate so if you get slightly less or more than 2 tablespoons, no worries. This is my very favorite chopping and all around utility knife!
- In a small saucepan, melt butter and add brown sugar, cayenne, sea salt and rosemary; stir around over low heat for a minute.
- Remove your hot, roasted cashews from the oven and pour them carefully into a large bowl.
- Pour the rosemary butter slurry over the top.
- Carefully turn the spiced nuts, using a large spoon; coating the cashews evenly with the slurry.
- Once mixed well, return the cashews back to the cookie sheets.
- Return to oven and heat for 3-5 minutes. Remove rosemary cashews when they look a bit “dry” (though they will still be a little glossy) and the nuts are a bit browned.
- Remove from oven and allow to sit for about 5 minutes, cooling. After 5-10 minutes, stir them around on the cookie sheets using a spatula and cool completely.
- Return to the container nuts came in and freeze until ready to gift, serve or nibble.
GIFTING INSTRUCTIONS FOR SPICED NUTS
To give as a hostess gift, place several scoops in a cello bag and tie with string, raffia or a pretty ribbon.
Affix a tag and maybe even a leftover little sprig of rosemary. Or place in a small jelly jar or mason jar with a pretty ribbon tied on top.
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Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 lb roasted salted* cashews
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh rosemary
- ⅛-¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper up to ½ a teaspoon if you like it hot
- 2-3 teaspoons light or dark brown sugar
- ½ – ¾ tsp kosher salt
- 3 Tablespoons butter melted
- *if using unsalted cashews increase salt to 2 teaspoons, to taste.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325° and spread the cashews out on a large sheet pan (or two). Toast cashews in the oven until warm, about 10 minutes.
- While toasting, melt your butter and add the rosemary, cayenne, salt and brown sugar. Remove hot cashews from oven and carefully pour into a large bowl. Pour the slurry of butter, rosemary, etc over the top and gently toss them in the spiced butter. Return to pan(s) and bake until warm and a bit dry and brown, about 3-5 minutes more.
- I buy the large tub of salted cashews from Costco (2.5 lbs) and bake on two large cookie sheets, adjust the slurry recipe accordingly for the number of lbs you are roasting.
- Allow nuts to cool for 5 minutes, then using a spatula stir them around, scraping up the good stuff and allow them to cool completely. Once cooled, may be frozen.
- To warm, place desired amount of cashews to small cookie sheet in a preheated 150-200° oven, heat until warmed through, about 4-6 minutes. Or place desired amount in a microwave safe bowl and heat for 30 seconds at a time, don’t overheat they will get rubbery. May be served warm or room temp.
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About Kathleen Pope
Recipe Innovator | Food Photographer | Food Writer
Hi, I’m Kathleen Pope. Here at The Fresh Cooky you will find easy, mostly from-scratch, trusted recipes for all occasions. From speedy dinners to tasty desserts, with easy step-by-step instructions. I am here to help teach you how to make mouthwatering recipes without spending hours in the kitchen. Read more about Kathleen here.
Tastes great but too much butter. Ina’s recipe calls for one tablespoon and this recipe calls for three.
Glad you liked them, this while based on Ina’s is actually from another friends, it’s how I’ve always made them. I guess the next time you make them you could just use a tablespoon of butter, for me they are a treat and I love a little extra butter! Happy baking, thanks for commenting.
I will be keeping this recipe and it will be perfect for little Christmas goodie bags! Thanks so much for sharing with us at Full Plate Thursday and hope you are having a great week.
Miz Helen
Hope you are too Miz Helen! Thanks for hosting a great link party!