Recipe Share: Sweet (Pralined) Walnuts

Here is a yummy recipe I came up with for a holiday dessert party from ingredients I had on hand at my house:

• 1 bag walnut halves (or other nut if you wish)- I didn't quite have a full bag, but it still was enough.
• 1/2 cup butter or margarine (I used butter, and ohhh, it was so good!)
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1-2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger (or allspice)
• 1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

1. Toast the walnuts in the oven @ about 300 F for 10 minutes or so, stirring once to prevent burning (I did not do this step, & I tried to put them in the oven after mixing in the butter/brown sugar mixture, which resulted in melting, so as a "duh" moment, I decided it would have been better to "toast" them first).
2. While walnuts are toasting, melt butter in saucepan, over medium - medium-high heat, add vanilla, then stir in brown sugar until melted. (I strongly suggest adding the vanilla before the sugar, because sugar makes the temperature extremely hot, and if you are using vanilla extract- which contains alcohol- bam! you can have a small fire, which would NOT be fun)- yeah, I forgot that fact, but luckily I only added a drop of vanilla before I realized that fact. 
3. Add other spices and stir into sugar/butter mixture, which should be bubbly.  
4. Stir in the walnuts until they are well coated, and then spread on cookie sheet to "harden". 
5. Sprinkle with sea salt to compliment the sweetness. If you want to be adventurous, you could also sprinkle a little chili powder, but I just did the sea salt. 
6. After they have cooled completely, store in an airtight container until ready to serve. 

Here is a picture of the walnuts cooking in my saucepan:

And spread on the cookie sheet to "dry":

These were a big hit, and they were pretty simple!  I had modified a little from a recipe I found online, which used confectioner's (powdered) sugar.  I think the brown sugar gave it a better flavor, and I also added the other spices and sea salt.  Yum, yum, but definitely not low calorie!  Oh, well, it is the holidays!  :)