Cinnamon Candied Walnuts

A couple of days ago, I declared a sick day for myself. I hadn't slept well and woke up early to a bad headache and the sound of rain pounding on the windows. The room was chilly and I was happy to be tucked under my comforter. The pup was snuggled up against my leg. So I got up, took some aspirin and fed the pup her breakfast. Then I went back to my bed and warm comforter. I turned on the morning news but quickly fell asleep and, when I woke up again, the pup was asleep in the crook of my arm, it was still cold and rainy and now it was nearly 11:00 am. Oh, and I also still had that damn headache.

I checked some emails, posted a few things and saw there was a House, M.D. marathon on TV. Back to bed I went to watch the shows with a cup of tea. But during commercial breaks I did little spurts of this and that including making some lightly candied walnuts for a goat cheese salad I had in mind. While they were cooling, I was snacking on a few and thinking that it would be fun if they had more of an autumn flavor. I started to wonder if they would taste good with cinnamon. It took me a while to realize that this is not a new flavor combination. In fact, many people put walnuts in streusel. Cinnamon goes in streusel. Ergo, cinnamon and walnuts go well together. Then I wondered if this bout of idiocy was caused by my headache (let's just agree that it was).

So I made a second batch of candied walnuts with cinnamon sugar. These are definitely much better for snacking than for salads and maybe even particularly good as cocktail snacks. And since I still used my light recipe, they're a pretty healthy snack at that. So my rainy, chilly, stay in bed and watch TV day was kind of productive after all. Enjoy!

Ingredients
2 cups plain walnuts
2 Tablespoons butter (I used light butter)
2 Tablespoons sugar
1/2 Teaspoon cinnamon
Pinch of salt

Combine the sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Melt the butter in a pan on the stove top and add all but 1 teaspoon of the cinnamon sugar mixture. On low heat, stir the walnuts for a minute until they are fully coated and all the sugar has dissolved. Place the walnuts, in a single layer, on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Sprinkle on the remaining cinnamon sugar and a pinch of salt. Place in a pre-heated 400 degree oven for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and toss with a spoon or spatula. Serve warm or allow to cool completely and store in a sealed jar. Makes 4 - 8 servings depending on your appetite.