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Chinese Five Spice Cashews

December 29, 2014 By Julia 17 Comments

Chinese Five Spice Cashews

Last week I had the pleasure of attending a Christmas party that my best friend hosted for her family and mine. It’s a tradition that has been going on for over 20 years, and it’s one of the things I look forward to the most during the holidays. For this year’s party, we decided to do an appetizer potluck. I enjoyed the challenge of coming up with appetizers that could be transported easily – our drive to the party was over an hour, so I didn’t want to make something hot – and that would also be crowd-pleasers for vegetarians and meat-eaters alike. These Chinese five spice cashews fit my requirements perfectly and couldn’t be easier to prepare.

Chinese Five Spice Cashews

Chinese five spice is such a unique mix of flavors that I actually find it difficult to describe. A blend of cinnamon, star anise, anise seed, cloves and ginger come together to create a warm, slightly spicy and sweet taste. The anise seed gives a light licorice flavor, which in my mind adds a whole new level of complexity to the spice. I think it’s the perfect spice for the holidays, when we all could use a bit of warming up. Combined with the sweet flavor of cashews, this is a truly addicting snack.

Chinese Five Spice Cashews

The recipe is one of the easiest you’ll ever see: you simply roast the nuts for a few minutes, stir in some butter and the spices, and let them cool. Not only are they great for a party, but I also think they would make a perfect hostess gift.

Chinese Five Spice Cashews
 
Print
Cook time
10 mins
Total time
10 mins
 
Serves: 6-10
Ingredients
  • 1 lb raw unsalted cashews
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
  • 1 teaspoon Chinese five spice powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
  1. Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.
  2. Add cashews to a baking sheet and spread them out evenly; roast for 10 minutes.
  3. In the meantime, melt the butter in a bowl and combine with the spice powder and salt.
  4. Once nuts are roasted, add them to a large bowl with the butter spice mixture. Mix thoroughly until all of the nuts are coated.
  5. Add the nuts back to the baking sheet and spread them out evenly. Let cool for about 30-45 minutes and then store in an airtight container.
3.2.2885

 

Filed Under: Appetizers Tagged With: appetizers, cashews, gluten-free, nuts, snacks

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Comments

  1. geraldine | Green Valley Kitchen says

    December 29, 2014 at 4:39 pm

    Oh, Julia – cashews are my down fall – can’t be left alone with them. It would be very hard to resist eating them all before the guests came. Love your choice of spices on these. Will be making a batch (just for me!). Happy New Year!!

    Reply
    • Julia says

      January 3, 2015 at 10:40 am

      Happy New Year, Geraldine! Cashews are my downfall too…they are one of my favorite snacks to nibble on, and I love adding them to everything. I hope you like these!

      Reply
  2. Susan says

    December 29, 2014 at 5:15 pm

    These cashews were soooo tasty…and since I watched you make them, I can confirm that they are one of the easiest party snacks to create. I’m sorry we didn’t stop by Penzey’s to pick up some Chinese five-spice the other day…my spice cabinet is obviously deficient!

    Reply
    • Julia says

      January 3, 2015 at 10:43 am

      You’re lucky to have a Penzey’s nearby! I have a feeling I would go a little overboard if I were to pay a visit there. I am glad you enjoyed these cashews!

      Reply
  3. Traci | Vanilla And Bean says

    December 30, 2014 at 7:22 am

    Yup, me too. Cashews, one of the most versatile nuts, I adore them. I’ll have to pick up some 5 spice or mix up a batch. This looks delicious, Julia! Thank you! I’ll have to whip up a batch to keep on hand for snacking!

    Reply
    • Julia says

      January 3, 2015 at 10:45 am

      I think you’ll really like these, Traci! I’m all about easy party snacks! And I am sure you could make a batch of five spice pretty easily, too.

      Reply
  4. Adam says

    December 30, 2014 at 7:29 am

    Oooh, I like this idea. I bought raw cashews a few weeks ago for a cashew cream sauce and had no idea what to do with the rest besides roast them (I used some honey and sriracha). I’m trying this next time!

    Reply
    • Julia says

      January 3, 2015 at 10:47 am

      A cashew cream sauce sounds amazing! I might need to try that out sometime soon. Your honey and sriracha combination is a great idea, too–sweet and spicy is always a great combination. I think Asian flavors go really well with cashews, since they are pretty mild in taste and slightly sweet.

      Reply
  5. Steve says

    December 31, 2014 at 3:30 pm

    I can vouch for both the flavor and how addicting these little things are. I keep telling myself, this will be the last one, but it so rarely is. 🙂 They’re the perfect holiday treat!

    Reply
    • Julia says

      January 3, 2015 at 10:51 am

      Oh yes, these are certainly addicting! It’s always fun to make a party snack that people can’t put down. I am glad you enjoyed them!

      Reply
  6. Isadora @ she likes food says

    January 2, 2015 at 9:51 pm

    I keep telling my husband that we need to have an appetizer party! Appetizers are my favorite things ever and I think I could survive off of them! I also love cashews and these chinese five spiced ones sound awesome! Happy New Year!

    Reply
    • Julia says

      January 3, 2015 at 10:53 am

      Happy New Year to you too, Izzy! I agree, appetizer parties are so fun. I love how easy and relaxed they are, too!

      Reply
  7. Katie @ Whole Nourishment says

    January 3, 2015 at 1:45 pm

    Mmm, this looks delicious Julia. I love Chinese five spice and baking with it makes the whole house smell good too. This couldn’t be easier either!

    Reply
  8. Julia says

    January 4, 2015 at 11:19 am

    Thanks, Katie! I agree–my apartment smelled amazing after I whipped these up!

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Butternut Squash & Sage Linguine with Cashew Cream | Bakers and Best says:
    January 12, 2015 at 8:02 am

    […] creative.  I made ones mixed with brown sugar, sesame seeds, Sriracha, and kaffir lime oil but you can do all sorts of things. […]

    Reply
  2. Butternut Squash & Sage Linguine with Cashew Cream - Bakers and Best says:
    April 29, 2015 at 12:51 pm

    […] creative.  I made ones mixed with brown sugar, sesame seeds, Sriracha, and kaffir lime oil but you can do all sorts of things. […]

    Reply
  3. Chinese Five Spice: What It Is and How to Use It! - Zest & Zing says:
    March 25, 2017 at 3:30 am

    […] up vegetables like Brussels sprouts or glazed carrots. It’ll help create a festive roasted cashew mix to pass around at parties as […]

    Reply

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