I recently found a recipe in my November Southern Living that I just love. It's a simple twist on trail mix that makes for a tasty little snack. Freshly roasted nuts mixed with maple syrup and chunks of dried cranberries and crystallized ginger? Sold!
Pumpkin Pie-Spiced Trail Mix
Recipe via Southern Living November 2013
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Spread a single layer of the following nuts on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet: 1 cup raw pecan halves, 1/2 cup raw cashews and 1/2 cup raw almonds. Bake for 10 minutes until lightly toasted and fragrant. Remove from oven and place in a bowl.
Reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees.
Bring the following to a rolling boil in a saucepan over medium heat: 1/4 cup maple syrup, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon, 1/4 tsp ground ginger, 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg and a pinch each of ground cloves and table salt. Drizzle hot mixture over nuts; tossing to coat.
Spread nut mixture on the parchment lined baking sheet - bake for 25-30 minutes, until glaze begins to harden.
Spread mixture onto lightly greased parchment paper and cool completely.
Transfer to a bowl and stir in 1/4 cup each dried cranberries and 1/2 thick crystallized ginger slices.