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

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

Method:

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.

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

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