Spiced candied nuts are the quintessential garnish: just a handful can add crunch to a spinach salad, impart interest to a cheese platter or create a striking embellishment for a dessert–or you can just snack on them by themselves like I do. The combinations of nuts and spices you can use to make spiced candied nuts are as endless as the varieties of spices and nuts that exist. Today I decided to make Garam Masala Spiced Candied Walnuts.

Garam Masala is a ground spice mixture commonly used in Pakistani and Indian cuisine. The term Garam means “hot,” while Masala means “spices.” The spices, however, are not hot in the sense that chili peppers are hot; the term “hot” refers to the spice intensity and pungency. Our generic jar of Garam Masala from the grocery store contained black pepper, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, cumin and coriander. If you don’t have any Garam Masala on hand, you can certainly ad lib your own blend using these spices.

(1.) Place walnuts in a small saucepan.

(2.) Sprinkle liberally with sugar.

(3.) Sprinkle with Garam Masala. Turn the heat on low. Once the sugar starts melting, stir the walnuts to ensure that they are evenly coated with melted sugar. You can add more sugar during this step if you need to.

(4.) As soon as the walnuts are coated with melted sugar, scrape them onto a plate to cool. Break apart the clumps and enjoy as a snack or on salads.