Pumpkin Spice Cashews

This morning, when I walked outside to depart on my 1-minute walk to work (it's a beautiful thing, I know), I was greeted by crisp air.  I almost thought that I was still dreaming, and that, surely, I was about to wake up and meander to the kitchen to start the coffee and let the doggies outside.  Where did the blanket of hot, moist air that usually coats Richmond in August scurry off to?  I realized I wasn't asleep - that I, in fact, was walking to work in the middle of a beautiful morning.  I felt quite blessed and welcomed the change with open arms. 

This beautiful, cool(er) breath of fresh air inspired me to write this post about a recipe I created recently.  I have a rather large container of fresh cashew nuts that I found on sale at a drugstore.  Whenever you find nuts on sale, buy them!!

Here are just a few ways I have been enjoying this large container of cashews lately:  In their natural form as a mid-day snack; roughly chopped and used as a topping for a vanilla ice cream sundae; and, on top of a summer salad with strawberries and a tangy dressing.

With the onset of my favorite season around the corner, I wanted to turn these cashews into the taste of Fall.  These Pumpkin Spice Cashews are destined to find themselves inside a tiny container in my pocketbook beside a cute pair of mittens in the upcoming cooler months.  I LOVE THEM. 

Ingredients (2-3 snack servings):
1 cup raw, unsalted cashews
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt

The Process:
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.  Spread cashews on a baking sheet, and spray lightly with a non-stick cooking spray.  Roast cashews for about 12-13 minutes until they are a golden brown color.  While they are roasting away, mix together the pumpkin pie spice, salt, and sugar in a small bowl. 

When the cashews are deliciously roasted, remove them from the oven and sprinkle the sugar-spice goodness all over them.  Toss to coat with your hands. 

The pumpkin pie spice adds multi-dimensional layers of warmth.  You really will taste each compelling ingredient typically found in a Pumpkin Pie Spice:  clove, ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg.  The tiny sprinkling of sugar and salt makes the cashews sing in a lovely sweet/salty harmony.  Roasting them in the oven adds the most wonderful depth to each bite. 

Now, if you want to make these extra special, you could add about 2 tablespoons of delicious honey (Glacier County Honey would be divine) to the sugar-spice mixture and dress the cashews with the gooey goodness BEFORE baking.  They would then become more like a crunchy candy.   

Enjoy!!