Snacks in the Crockpot?! Awesome!

This was one of those things that I'd seen several recipes and always thought, "I should try that" and then never did. Today I did it. I made sugared (also called spiced) nuts in the crockpot! Verdict: so good that I'm making walnuts this afternoon after making pecans this morning! Fantastic snack addition to the Friday night family movie night snack lineup! Seriously, these were very easy to make. This recipe could easily be adapted to various spice/seasoning combinations, and it could definitely be used on a wide variety of nuts or nut combinations. To store, I would think they would keep in an airtight container for a month or so with no problem, and longer storage would be easy in the freezer. Go ahead, try these. They're easy, delicious, and basically nuts so good for you, right?

The recipe came from Recipezaar (Charmie777), and the one problem I had with the recipe is that it neglected to say what size crockpot to use. I used my big, oval, 6 quart crockpot, and that is definitely a great one to use, as it allows for very even heating. If you double the recipe, maybe tweak the amount of butter used or be prepared to let it cook a little longer since you have more liquid to cook off.

Crock Pot Sugared Nuts (I'll save this one as Spiced Nuts)
1 lb nuts
1/2 c. unsalted butter or margarine, melted
1/2 c. powdered sugar
1/4 tsp ground allspice
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger

1. Preheat crockpot on high for 15 minutes (lid on).
2. In preheated crockpot, stir together the nuts and butter until mixed well.
3. Add the powdered sugar, and stir to coat evenly. Cover and cook on high for 15 minutes.
4. Reduce the heat to low and uncover, and slow cook for about 2 hours, stirring occasionally, cooking until the nuts are coated with a glaze and there isn't any liquid left in the bottom.
5. Transfer the nuts to a bowl, a sheet of waxed paper, or a sheet of parchment paper.
6. In a small bowl, combine the spices, then sift them over the nuts, stirring to coat them evenly. Cool before serving.

Finally, a Versatile Chocolate Muffin!

I used to buy occasionally those little cookbooks that you find at supermarket checkouts, back before I really got hooked on websites like http://www.foodnetwork.com/, http://www.recipezaar.com/, and all of the specialty recipe sites out there. Some of those little books looked good but I rarely used. Others have been used heavily. One of those heavily used is a Betty Crocker holiday cookbook. In it is a recipe I've been meaning to try for several years and just never got around to doing it: chocolate pistachio bread. Now I've been searching for chocolate muffin recipes, and I remembered that recipe and gave it a try. The longest part of preparation was the shelling of the pistachios, and little C helped with that which made it more fun (not necessarily faster but definitely more fun). These - or a variation - would be a great addition to a Christmas gift basket, holiday brunch, or snack tray. Tender, moist, rich chocolate flavor, the light flavor and crunch of the pistachio pieces, the crunch of the crusty top on the muffin all make this one to repeat. Don't like pistachios? Don't fret! Substitute chopped dried cherries, dried blueberries, chopped walnuts, peanut butter chips, white chocolate chips, or whatever else you like to combine with chocolate and is no larger than a chocolate chip!

2/3 c. granulated sugar
1/3 c. butter or margarine, melted (I used Blue Bonnet margarine)
3/4 c. milk (I used Silk plain soy milk)
1 egg (I used 1/4 c. Eggbeaters)
1 1/2 c. flour
1 c. chopped pistachio nuts (I cheated and did 1 c. of pistachio nuts then chopped them)
1/2 c. semisweet chocolate chips
1/3 c. baking cocoa
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
coarse sugar crystals (decorating sugar), if desired

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease bottom and sides of loaf pan, 9x5x3 inches, with shortening (I used 12 muffin liners in a muffin tin.)
2. Mix sugar, butter, milk, and egg in a large bowl until well blended.
3. Stir in remaining ingredients except decorating sugar. (I stirred in the flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt, then gently stirred in the chopped pistachio nuts and chocolate chips.)
4. Spread into prepared pan (or scoop into muffin tin - the wells of the muffin tin were 3/4 full, about 1/3 c. batter per muffin). Sprinkle with sugar crystals.
5. Bake 50-55 minutes (for muffins, mine came out at 22 minutes) or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean (really look at the toothpick - it won't come out clean if you ran through a melted chocolate chip!). Cool 10 minutes. Loosen sides of loaf from pan; remove from pan to wire cooling rack. Cool completely, about 2 hours, before slicing.