Sweet and salty mixed nuts [four ingredients]

These sweet and salty mixed nuts are super simple and extremely addictive. Even if you make a big batch, I’ll bet you anything – these will disappear fast! It’s such a great little snack for adults and kids alike. And what’s even better? You only need four simple everyday ingredients (and I bet they will work with any nuts you like).



Sweet and salty nuts and weekend by the sea

In my last post, I introduced you to the delightful Jervis Bay area in NSW. Thank you so much for your lovely comments and best wishes, it really was a wonderful weekend of relaxation. That said, and I know other mums (and dads) will probably relate to this, as much as I needed some time away, I did feel guilty about the kids missing out.
And so, a couple of weekends later, I decided to take another beach break and this time bring the kids as well. We were all super excited – three nights and four days at the beach, especially now that it is officially spring and the weather is warming up? Yes, please!
But like any well intended plans, they kind of went awry. We were half packed and nearly ready to go and then… my 6 year old daughter broke her radius after falling off the monkey bars at school 1.5 days before we were supposed to leave. For those of you who are not up to date with the medical terms, the radius is one of the long bones in your forearm and apparently falling off the monkey bars is the number one cause for little kids breaking it.
She was quite upset and worried, because up until then the kids both have been healthy and never even needed to go into the hospital or have any kind of invasive treatment. But most of all, my daughter was upset she’d miss out on the coast trip.
After spending a whole evening in the emergency department, getting a temporary half cast, and then the next day in another hospital where they reduced the fracture under anaesthetic and gave her a full arm cast, my little girl was not sure if she still wanted to go to the coast – because it might be too difficult with cast (though luckily it’s not on the dominant hand).





Bundeena, NSW, in the Royal National Park
Fortunately, after having a good night’s sleep, my brave little girl turned up at my bed side bright and early and announced that she would love to go to the coast after all.
And so, after some mad packing and a breakfast that morning, we set off on our way. Our destination? Bundeena in the Royal National Park, just south of Sydney. A good friend of mine has a wonderful house there, right on the beach. The kind of house that you love as a kid – a couple of storeys, full of hidey-ho spaces, strange paraphernalia from the 1980s left by the original owners (my friend’s aunt), large balconies overlooking the beach, ocean views from every room, and the sound of waves crashing onto the beach just within earshot – making it easy to fall asleep after a full day out in the sun.

And what wonderful days we had… Skipping around and climbing on rocks (yes, even with an arm in a cast), running up and down the beach, throwing sticks to dogs that we met on the beach, finding snails and crabs in rock pools, collecting sea shells on the beach, building sandcastles, eating fish and chips and pizza (because that’s what you do when you go to the coast), eating out in the local cafe and ordering way too much food (but this is how we support the local economy so it’s totally okay), and breathing in all that wonderful sea air.
On the first day, we had 28C and it was gorgeous and sunny most of the weekend – we really needed this after the winter which seemed to drag on forever!
In all that time, my little braveheart didn’t complain once, slept well squished on a double bed next to her brother, and kept running and playing for four days straight. I am so proud of her (and a little amazed – do all kids bounce back so quickly?).
If you want to find out more about Bundeena or the Royal National Park, check out this website, it has a wealth of information about the location and all the things which are wonderful about Bundeena – not just the beautiful natural scenery but also the bushwalks, whale watching and the locals.
Bundeena is about four hours from Canberra but the trip is totally worthwhile (even if you have two six year olds in the back seat) – and here in Australia, four hours is really a short distance. We will definitely be back, Bundeena!









But back to those sweet and salty mixed nuts…
They look good, right? Don’t say you wouldn’t like a few right now!

I know the scenery is utterly delightful but if you’ve come across to this blog post for the recipe, you might be getting a little impatient… Well, wait no more.
Like I said, these sweet and salty nuts are super easy to make and make for the most delightful snack – whether or not you’re currently basking in the sun on a deck of a perfectly positioned beach house, listening to the sound of the waves. (If you’re not, unfortunately, as I am not 99.95% of my time, then just imagine you are…)
Basically, it’s so simple – in order to make these, you need to pre-heat your oven, mix up the nuts, place them on a baking tin, bake, take out of the oven and eat, trying not to burn your tongue. Done.
If you can, let them cool completely before eating, as they tend to clump delightfully into sweet and salty clusters, and that’s for some reason even better than single nuts. Also, if you mix the nuts around as they cool, you will get a more even coating.

Recipe
Sweet and salty mixed nuts [four ingredients]
Ingredients
- 2 cups mixed nuts (I like using cashews, pecans and walnuts)
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 1-2 pinches salt flakes
Instructions
- Pre-heat your oven to 160C. Line a small or medium sized baking tin with baking paper.
- Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl until the nuts are coated with the oil, maple syrup and salt.
- Pour into the baking tin and bake for 25 to 30 minutes.
- Take the baking tin out of the oven, and let cool for 5 minutes or so. Then mix everything around together, still in the baking tin, to make sure the sticky salty oily maple syrup coats the nuts nicely.
- You can eat these warm or cold, but not too hot so you don't burn your tongue. Enjoy!
Notes

Recipe notes
I usually just keep these in a bowl on the kitchen bench. If they don’t get eaten in a day (which is not very often), I pop a lid on.
Warning – these are super addictive.


32 Comments
Julia Rees
So glad your brave daughter was able to make and enjoy the trip and hope she is on the mend!
Those nuts look look like such a delicious and healthy snack
Julia x
https://www.thevelvetrunway.com/
Katerina
Thanks so much, Julia! So am I – and the cast is coming off soon!
Molly Pisula
These look so lovely, and totally addictive. Love the combination of salty + sweet! Also, LOVE those vacation pictures. Looks amazing, and I’m glad your brave daughter made the trip!
Katerina
Thanks so much, Molly, much appreciated.
Judee
I frequently used to put out a bowl of mixed nuts when I entertained. I love the idea of adding some extra flavor to them and mixing things up a bit. If I ever entertain again, and people are willing to share a bowl, I keep this recipe in mind. Looks like you had a wonderful getaway despite some last minute crises! Glad it all worked out!
Katerina
Thank you so much Judee, much appreciated! And thank you – we did end up having a wonderful long weekend!
Amy Aed
This looks like the perfect snack, I would absolutely love to get my hands on some of these! Delicious recipe!
Katerina
Thanks so much Amy!
Dennis Yannakos
This looks so yummy!
Katerina
Thanks Dennis!
Tasia ~ two sugar bugs
I love all the beautiful photos Katerina! So happy to hear your little one got over her worries and had a wonderful time at the beach. This recipe though, I need these sweet and salty nuts in my life!! Definitely adding these to my list for the holiday season!!
Katerina
Thanks so much, Tasia, she’s doing so well, I’m very proud of her! And yes, I hope you get to try out these nuts!
jodie filogomo
I’m so glad your little one perked up and you had such a wonderful time.
We have nuts for snacks quite a bit, but I never thought to add a syrup over them like this.Thanks for the idea Katerina,
XOOX
Jodie
http://www.jtouchofstyle.com
Katerina
Thank you so much, Jodie, much appreciated! We did have such a lovely time. I hope you and Rob get to try these nuts!
Rahul
Beautiful pictures Katerina. Your daughter is really brave. Loved to see your kids smiling faces.
This is such a fun idea, sounds addictive. Loved the combination of sweet and salty together
Katerina
Thanks so much, Rahul, I appreciate it! She has done well.
Aarthi | Prepbowls
Hello Katerina, I am so happy to have found your website! Love the varied sections in your blog, especially your simple, delicious recipe , DIY and your travel experience. Our family loves to travel too. These sweet and salty roasted nut are absolutely delicious, anytime snack for me! Perfectly roasted and glazed, I will sure try this recipe. Thank you for the sharing it.
Katerina
Hi Aarthi, welcome and thanks so much for your kind comment! Much appreciated.
Carrie @ Curly Crafty Mom
I wish we had a beach in our state, but we are land locked. And, I’m not much of a lake person! lol! These nuts look SO delicious!! I love nuts for snacking.
Carrie
curlycraftymom.com
Katerina
Yes it’s nice to be able to travel to the beach easily, especially these days! Thank you so much, Carrie!
Lauren
Aw what a brave little girl! I’m so glad you all still got to go and enjoy the beach! It looks lovely and those nuts are the perfect snack! Hope she gets the cast off soon!
Katerina
Thank you so much, Lauren! Only 4.5 weeks to go now but she’s doing really well. Hope you’ve been well!
Hasin
Katerina,
My husband will live these nuts salted and sweet both. Glad you had a great beach time. We went to Spain for some lovely beach walks and snacking on nuts was something we did. Thanks for an amazing recipe. Homemade is so much better.
Katerina
Thank you so much, Hasin. I couldn’t agree more! And I’m so jealous about your Spanish getaway – lucky you!
Fran @ G'day Souffle'
Bundeena looks beautuful- I hope to get there one day. It’ll be quite awhile before we can get back to Adelaide- must wait until they do away with the ‘supervised’ quarantine in a hotel room (‘Nuts’ to that’)!
Katerina
Yes, unfortunately no one is going anywhere but in their own state for a while, I think, Fran! Luckily there’s lots of wonderful beaches and holiday destinations within our own state.
Laura
Glad to see your daughter thought about the trip and decided it was a good idea to go! What a thoughtful and brave girl! I love this recipe, too! Nothing better to me than sweet/salty/crunchy snacks that are wholesome and healthy!And your trip looks so so amazing!
Katerina
Thanks so much, Laura, she is definitely thoughtful and brave. And glad you like the look of the nuts – they’re really delicious!
Michelle | Sift & Simmer
Aww, glad that your daughter is feeling better! Definitely a scary thought, having to go to the ER. But these nuts… wow, they look so simple and delicious! Love how you’ve used maple syrup to sweeten them too!
Katerina
Thanks so much, Michelle – she’s going well after that initial scare! And yes, those nuts are delightful! Thank you!
Healthy World Cuisine
Whew so glad your daughter is on the mend. Never a boring day for parents. Looks like an amazing adventure and gorgeous shots. Now on to this addictive sweet and salty mix. We need to make a batch of this asap. We would probably burn our tongues as we would not want to wait for them to cool down.
Katerina
Thanks so much – she’s definitely on the mend, only 5 more weeks before the cast comes off – counting down! And yes, I totally understand that sentiment – these are so good! Thank you!