– 2 cups whole almond – 2 cups pecan or walnut halve – 1 ½ cup pepitas (green pumpkin seeds) – Optional but so good: 2 tablespoons finely snipped or chopped fresh rosemary (from 4 big sprigs) – 2 tablespoons maple syrup – 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted – 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt* – 1 teaspoon vanilla extract – ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper (reduce or omit if sensitive to spice)
Preheat oven to 325°F. Important: line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat to prevent maple syrup from sticking.
Put almonds, pecans, and pepitas on the pan and set aside. Mix the optional rosemary, maple syrup, melted butter, salt, vanilla, and cayenne in a small bowl.
Whisk lightly to blend. Pour the mixture over the nuts on the baking sheet. Mix well to lightly coat all nuts. Spread the mixture evenly across the pan; maple syrup will pool at the bottom.
For 23–26 minutes, stir after 10 minutes and every 5 minutes until almost no maple syrup remains on the parchment paper and the nuts are deeply golden.
After taking the pan out of the oven, stir the nuts again to spread them evenly. If necessary, carefully separate large clumps while the nuts are still warm after 10 minutes of cooling.
Leave the nut mixture on the pan to cool all the way down. In a sealed bag at room temperature, these will last up to two months.