I have been on kind of a candied nut kick ever since I received and then made these Spiced Roasted Almonds last year, so imagine my delight when I came across this Spiced Nuts recipe card in one of my antique recipe tins. I hoped it would be an instant classic and it was — people have been snacking on them every time they walk through my kitchen. (It’s a good thing this makes A LOT.)

This recipe card came to me through the Recipe Tin Project, a project where I cook my way through an old recipe tin full of vintage recipes. But you might have already guessed that. It’s chock full of old recipe cards, most of which seem to be from the ’60s and ’70s. I love food history, and the idea is to breathe new life into these recipes from the past and maybe learn a technique or two from them along the way. The recipes come from different people with different handwriting; some have sweet illustrations while others are on plain (often smudged and stained) index cards.

This card was torn in half at some point and has a colorful illustration of a soup tureen, some grapes, and a head of lettuce (or maybe cabbage?). The recipe comes from someone named ‘Charlotte’ and has the ingredients and instructions listed out in linear, step by step fashion, which I am always very grateful for. Sometimes with these old cards, you don’t get quantities or instructions so I’m always happy to see this kind of detail!

Now, the card calls for a full pound of walnuts or pecans. I used pecans, but you really could use any nut here — I imagine hazelnuts or cashews or almonds would be delicious too.

First, whip a single egg white with a tablespoon of cold water until it’s nice and frothy.

Then add your nuts and stir until they’re well coated.

Add some sugar, cinnamon, allspice, and a pinch of salt and stir it again and until the nuts are nicely coated.

And then you bake. An hour in a 225 degree oven, to be exact. Stop by and stir it a few times while it’s baking so you get even toasting with no clumping.

Charlotte’s Spiced Nuts have a delicately crunchy coating but not a hard candy crack. That means they’re incredibly easy to snack on and since the mixture here is the perfect balance of sweet and spiced, that’s very good news!