Holiday Spiced Nuts

Ingredients

• 2 cups walnut halves
• 1 cup peeled hazelnuts
• 1 cup whole unsalted cashews
• 1 cup whole pecan halves
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 teaspoon ground anise
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon coarse black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg, eyeball it
• 1 cup smoked almonds (recommended: Diamond Smokehouse almonds)

Directions

Heat a large skillet and cook nuts over moderate heat 7 to 8 minutes until golden and well toasted – your nose will know when they are done. Transfer nuts to a plate and return pan to stove top. Add butter to the pan in small pieces. Melt butter and spice it with anise, cinnamon, pepper and nutmeg. Let butter infuse a minute then pour over nuts. Turn off heat. Add smoked nuts to the skillet and turn to combine evenly with butter.