How to make irresistible Chai Walnuts

Chai Walnuts combine all the flavors you love into a healthy snack, breakfast add on or easy appetizer. Get the health benefits of walnuts in this healthy, easy recipe.

It may not be on your calendar, but National Nut Day is October 22.

Nuts are harvested in the fall, so it’s appropriate to observe the goodness of these nutrient-rich nuggets. I’m making Chai Walnuts. The fragrance alone make these worth making!

I love nuts – in all forms.

• I eat nut and seed butter spread on apple slices several times per week.
• I use peanut butter in a cold peanut noodle dish.
• I add chopped nuts to Orange Ginger Granola, popcorn, breads and cookies, roll them in lasagna rolls, blend them in roasted red pepper dip, toast them to add to salads or eat for a snack, stir them into ice cream, and sprinkle them over oatmeal and yogurt. Just like this photo. 😉

Chai walnuts

How to store walnuts

Like all nuts, walnuts are rich in fat. To keep the fat from becoming rancid, cold storage is best. Shelled walnuts will beep up to a year in the refrigerator or up to 2 years in the freezer. I use them so often that I can’t attest to the 2-year shelf life. I’ve never been able to keep them that long! When you do store them, pack in tightly sealed containers because shelled nuts absorb moisture and flavors from other foods.

Here are a few reasons why walnuts fit into a LiveBest lifestyle

Walnut nutrition

In a nutshell, walnuts are nutritious. Walnut’s are unique because they are the only nut with a significant amount of the health promoting Omega-3 fats. Omega-3s are heart and brain friendly. Flax and canola oil are other good plant sources of these fats.

Of course, walnuts alone don’t keep your brain in tiptop condition – all the foods on your fork impact health, but a handful a day can’t hurt. A serving of nuts is not much more than a handful – just 14 halves or 1/4 cup chopped. In that 1/4 cup is also 4 grams of protein and 2 grams fiber.

Shelled walnuts

I appreciate shelled walnuts! According to the California Walnut Board, California walnuts account for 99 percent of the commercial US supply and three-quarters of world trade. Growing up in central California, my mom took advantage of the local food. She would bring home a large burlap sack filled with nuts, then assign walnut shelling to me and my sister. It was probably one of her tactics to keep us occupied. We’d sit on the newspaper-lined garage floor and tap, tap, tap with a hammer. The goal was to pull out a perfect half. I’m sure we ate more than we gathered. Still today, I love a perfect walnut half.

Food!

Since I’m nutty about nuts, I regularly play around with different spices and herbs to flavor walnuts (like these Maple Orange Walnuts and Walnut Mushroom Lasagna Rolls), almonds, peanuts, and pumpkin seeds.

Spread the spiced nuts evenly to get all the toastiness.

Chai Walnuts, an irresistible healthy snack

These Chai Walnuts are almost always in my kitchen. I developed this recipe as a topping for oatmeal and yogurt. More spicy than sweet, it delivers the healthy phytochemicals from spices and nuts plus flavor and crunch.

1. Mix all the ingredients together.
2. Spread in single layer on baking sheet.
3. Bake 20 minutes.

Besides the healthy fats, walnuts provide protein and fiber, so these make every spoonful of breakfast a healthier bite that gives me a lasting energy boost. But don’t stop with breakfast. Serve them as a cocktail snack, on a cheese board, over ice cream or fro yo, as trail mix, and as a hostess gift. Let me know if you like them.

Try these same spices in a cup of Masala Chai.

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Chai Walnuts

Chai Walnuts combine all the flavors you love from the drink into a snack, breakfast or appetizer. What’s not to love about such a versatile recipe?

• Author: Judy Barbe
• Prep Time: 5 mins
• Cook Time: 20 mins
• Total Time: 25 minutes
• Yield: 3 cups 1x
• Category: Snack
• Method: Baked
• Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 2 teaspoons brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
• dash salt
• 3 cups walnuts

Instructions

1. Heat oven to 350°F.
2. In a large mixing bowl stir together oil, brown sugar, and spices. Add walnuts. Stir to coat. Spread in single layer on baking sheet. Bake 10 minutes, stir. Bake 10 minutes more, until nuts are toasted.

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1/4 cup
• Calories: 180

Keywords: spiced nuts, easy snack, easy appetizer, are walnuts good for me, are walnuts healthy