You may be surprised to see ‘sugar’ in my title, but this is one of those recipes that I just can’t pass up for the holidays.  Of course, you know that walnuts are high in Omega 3′s and cinnamon helps regulate blood sugar – so every now and then we make an allowance for another ingredient.  In the picture, I used Sucanat, which is evaporated cane juice that still contains minerals (vs. other sugars which are denatured and have been stripped of nutrients.) These minerals are also essential in digesting and assimilating cane juice into the body. I was going to try agave nectar but the crystals add an important texture to this recipe.

Cinnamon and Sugar Walnuts

16 oz. raw walnuts (organic preferred)
3 TB grapeseed oil (has a high smoke point)
1 TB pure vanilla extract
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 C Sucanat
1/4 tsp. sea salt

In large bowl, mix walnuts. oil and vanilla.  Drain off any excess oil.  Blend cinnamon, sugar and salt and add to nuts.  Toss them until well coated.  Spread onto a parchment covered cookie sheet and bake at 325 for 30 minutes.  Watch closely and stir nuts every ten minutes or so to keep from burning (you can see my oven runs hot.)
Once completely cooled (1-2 hours), you can package them up – if there are any left:)

Note: Sucanat has a grainy texture which is more coarse than white sugar.