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Mashuga Nuts

Overhead view of candied Mashuga nuts

These Mashuga Nuts are SO good, they are candied nuts and can be served right out of the oven or room temperature! Just like the NYC street nuts!

A few weeks ago my friend and I spent a whole day baking together.

We made all sorts of yummy treats for our neighbors.
Trying to diversify from all the baked treats she had a fun idea to make some yummy mixed nuts.
Actually she called them “Mashuga Nuts“.
I was completely unfamiliar with any such nut…so off to Google I went.
Apparently they are pecans coated with sugar and cinnamon and “Mashugana” is the Yiddish word for crazy.
Crazy nuts.
Love that.
I wish I could speak Yiddish.
I would work “oy vey” or “shlimazel” into pretty much every sentence…
I’ve tried and trust me it doesn’t come off natural.
It was like my Good Will Hunting phase when I desperately wanted to say everything was “wicked cool” or yell “What a pissa!” whenever something went wrong.
 
 I am sad, I know.
So back to the nuts…they are yummy, will make your house smell incredibly delicious and aren’t nuts heart healthy or something?  I thought I read that one time…whatev.
 
Copy Cat Mashuga Nuts
adapted from Pragmatic Attic
 
2 lb mixed nuts, salted
2 cups sugar
4 egg whites
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 cup butter (2 sticks)
1 teaspoon vanilla
 (if you don’t have an oven large enough for 2 baking sheet cut the recipe in half)
 
Preheat oven to 275°
Beat the eat the egg whites until they are foamy.
Gradually add the sugar and continue to beat on high until the whites are thick and shiny. (approx 2-3 minutes) The whites will not have stiff peaks it will just be thicker.
 
Mix in the vanilla and cinnamon. Beating until combined.
 
 Fold in the nuts.
 
 
Now on each baking sheet (jelly roll pan or a baking stone, use a sheet with sides) place 1/2 cup butter and pop in oven until the butter is melted.
 
 Remove the baking sheets from your oven.  Spread the coated nuts in a single layer on the baking sheets..
 
 diving equally between the 2 sheets.
 
 
Bake the nuts for 20 minutes and then stir. Bake another 15 minutes and stir again. Repeat until the meringue on the nuts is brown and the butter is absorbed. This should take another 1/2 hour or so.
Let cool before eating.
If the nuts are kept in an air tight container they will stay fresh for quite a while.

They’re perfect to divide up into bags and give as gifts!

 
 
 Mazel Tov, my friends
 

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Mashuga Nuts

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  • Author: Shelly
  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Cook Time: 20 minutes
  • Total Time: 40 minutes
  • Yield: serves 16 1x
  • Category: Nuts
  • Method: Oven
  • Cuisine: Snack

Description

These sweet and salty nuts are coated in a crunchy cinnamon sugar mixture and baked until toasty!


Ingredients

Scale
  •  2 lb mixed nuts, salted
  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • 4 egg whites
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 cup butter
  • 2 teaspoons cinnamon

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 275°
  2. Beat the eat the egg whites until they are foamy.
  3. Gradually add the sugar and continue to beat on high until the whites are thick and shiny. (approx 2-3 minutes) The whites will not have stiff peaks it will just be thicker.
  4. Mix in the vanilla and cinnamon. Beating until combined.
  5. Fold in the nuts.
  6. Now on each baking sheet (jelly roll pan or a baking stone, use a sheet with sides) place 1/2 cup butter and pop in oven until the butter is melted.
  7. Remove the baking sheets from your oven.  Spread the coated nuts in a single layer on the baking sheets, diving equally between the 2 sheets.
  8. Bake the nuts for 20 minutes and then stir. Bake another 15 minutes and stir again. Repeat until the meringue on the nuts is brown and the butter is absorbed. This should take another 1/2 hour or so.
  9. Let cool before eating.

Notes

Store airtight for up to 2 weeks

They’re perfect to divide up into bags and give as gifts!

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30 comments on “Mashuga Nuts”

  1. Bella Michelle

    LOL, I googled Mashuga Nuts because somewhere along the line I started referring to my youngest child that way and thought I actually might need to find out what it meant! I think I like it even better now that I know!

  2. Jenn Erickson

    Awesome! I've purchased mashuganuts from gourmet stores, but would much rather make my own. Your recipe sounds spot-on!

    I would have loved to have been a fly on the wall when you and your friend were spending the day baking. Got a good laugh over your bit about Good Will Hunting and "wicked cool" as well.

    You're a real mensch!

    Jenn

  3. Katrina {In Katrina's Kitchen}

    I have some nut lovers in my family who would love some crazy nuts! Ahh this is a cool recipe!!

  4. i only know a few yiddish terms and phrases (mashugana being one of them), and you'd better believe i use them as often as possible. this is a brilliant name for some tasty nuts, even if those calories are applied directly to my tukhus. 🙂

  5. pragmaticattic

    I'm so glad this recipe worked out for you!
    @ anonymous: it is a teaspoon of vanilla. I'm going to fix that in my post, too.
    And, there is a chocolate version of this that I have been meaning to get around to making . . .

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