This recipe was given to me by a family friend from Switzerland, who lives in an adorable chalet in an Alpine meadow and spends her free time hiking, baking and generally being incredibly industrious. I can almost imagine myself accomplishing about ten percent of the things she gets done in a day when I eat these. They’re delicious and healthy, with the cardamom lending a unique taste that blends well with the sweet, fatty cashew nuts. Unlike most honey-roasted or flavoured cashews, they’re not overly sweet or salty, so you don’t feel sick after eating half a bag. They’re the definition of easy and have the advantage of looking as great as they taste, so, if you’re looking to impress any guests coming over, pop these in a mason jar or bowl and watch them munch away and marvel at your skills in the kitchen.

It’s best to use raw cashews, rather than already salted and roasted ones, as they will come out more crunchy. If you do use salted ones, gauge how salty they already are and reduce the added salt accordingly.

Cardamom Cashews

Ingredients:

• 400g cashew nuts
• 1 egg white
• 1 tablespoon ground cardamom
• 1 ½ tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• Zest of 1 lemon

Method:

Preheat oven to 150 degrees Celsius / gas mark 2.

Mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl.  Add the egg white and mix through, making sure there are no clumps of cardamom. (It will give a soapy taste otherwise.)

Lay out the nuts on a baking paper lined tray.  Place tray into oven and wait until they begin to brown, roughly 10 minutes.  Turn the tray until all the nuts have been browned to your preferred level.

Let them cool and enjoy!