If you ever go to NYC, you have to go to the Union Square Café at 4pm and try their bar nuts fresh out of the oven. There is truly nothing like it, and I have tried to replicate the taste of these fantastic nuts below. I have come across a few recipes online, but they just do not taste the same. The restaurant uses peanuts in their mix, mostly to offset the costs since they are free with your drinks, but I am not a big fan of peanuts, so I have provided the mix that I used below…but you can use whatever you prefer! Make sure not to chop the rosemary, because you just want it to perfume the nut mix, not overwhelm it. They are so delicious, I hope you have a chance to try them…
Union Square Cafe Bar Nuts
1 pound assorted nuts, all roasted but unsalted
(I used 4 oz almonds, 4 oz pistachios, 4 oz macadamia nuts, 2 oz pecans, 2 oz cashews)
2 Tablespoons dark brown sugar
3 Tablespoons granulated sugar
1 Tablespoon crystal sugar**optional
½ teaspoon chipotle pepper (you can also use paprika if you prefer)
1½ to 2 teaspoons coarse salt
3 Tablespoons salted butter, cut into pieces
2 Tablespoons rosemary, do not chop
**Optional 2 oz chopped dark chocolate
Preheat your oven to 350° and heat your nuts through well. In a medium bowl, chop the butter into small pieces, and add all of the brown sugar, the chipotle pepper, the rosemary, 1 teaspoon of coarse salt and 2 Tablespoons of sugar. When the nuts come out of the oven, throw them into the bowl and begin to toss the nuts with the other ingredients. As the ingredients start to melt, continue mixing well until they are all well coated and begin to cool. Add the other tablespoon of granulated sugar and taste to see if you need the additional salt. If you do, add it now, and continue to mix until. Lastly, you can add the crystal sugar if you are using that for an extra crunch. Sometimes, I also add some dark chocolate at the end, as the nuts are cooling…which is also really delicious. If you like more spice, you can definitely add more of that also…
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