This holiday season forget the cookies.  Give your friends these irresistible Sweet and Spicy Holiday Nuts in DIY cellophane gift bags.

Your friends will think you are “Crushin’ It” this year when you deliver this slightly addictive homemade treat.  What I love about this gift is it is easy to whip up and one batch of this recipe makes several gifts, so you can spread lots of holiday cheer!

Sweet and Spicy Holiday Nuts

These delicious and slightly addictive pecans are one of my staples for gifts and entertaining this time of the year.  This simple gift idea would be great for neighbors, teachers or co-workers this holiday season.  

Make Homemade Vanilla and give it with these candied pecans for an extra special gift that will keep on giving once these sugary delights are gone.

Sweet and Spicy Holiday Nuts

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Delicious and slightly addictive these sweet and spicy holiday nuts make the perfect gift for neighbors, teachers and co-workers.

Ingredients

• 3 cups Pecans
• 1 cup Brown Sugar
• 1 cup White Sugar
• 2 TBSP Cinnamon
• 2 Tsp Cayenne Pepper
• 1 Egg White
• 2 TBSP Homemade Vanilla or Vanilla Extract
• 1/2 cup Water
• Pinch of Salt

Instructions

1. In a mixing bowl combine the brown sugar, white sugar, cinnamon and cayenne pepper.
2. In a separate bowl beat the egg white and vanilla until frothy.
3. Pour the pecans into the egg mixture and coat completely.
4. Pour the pecans into a well-greased Crockpot, add in the sugar mixture and stir to combine completely.
5. Cook on low for 3 hours, stirring the pecans every 30 minutes to keep them coated in the sugar mixture.
6. During the last hour add the water.  
7. Remove the pecans from the Crockpot and place them on a parchment-lined cookie sheet.  Separate the nuts as much as possible so they don't stick together.  Cool completely before serving.

DIY Foil Cellophane Gift Bags

These tasty nuts deliver a delicious sweet and spicy flavor in every bite. So it only seems fitting to deliver them to friends in gift bags that shine.

Turn ordinary cellophane bags into gift bags that shine with your Cricut Maker.  I have been having lots of fun creating projects, like the DIY Journals and Foil Wrapping Paper, using the new Cricut Foil Transfer System.  I thought it would be fun to create gift bags that are just as impressive as the homemade treats.

Supplies: 

• Cricut Maker or Cricut Explore cutting machine
• Standard Grip Machine Mat
• 3 in 1 Cricut Foil Transfer Tool
• Cricut Foil Transfer Sheet – Gold
• Cellophane Bags
• White Cardstock
• Color Cardstock
• Masking Tape
• Shining Star Wrapping Paper and Gift Tag SVG
• Ribbon
• Sweet and Spicy Nuts

How to Make DIY Foil Gift Bags

Open up Cricut Design Space and resize the shining star background to fit the size of your cellophane bags. 

Start by trimming a piece of white cardstock to fit inside the cellophane bag.  Place the paper inside the bag.  This will help protect the back of the bag as the foil is applied.

Place the cellophane bag on the mat.  Use Use a piece of masking tape to secure the bag in place if needed.  

Add the foil transfer sheet on top of the bag, shiny side up.  Carefully use the tape to secure the foil sheet to the cellophane bag.

Follow the Design Space prompts to complete your project.  Once the foil has been cut, peel back the foil sheet to reveal the glimmer and shine.

Fill the bags with containers filled with sweet and spicy nuts.  I discovered that the white containers showed off the sparkly design the best.

Add a colorful DIY gift tag and tie the package up.  I thought these “Crushin It” Nutcracker tags were perfect for this DIY holiday treat.

These gifts are perfect for everyone on your list.  But, don’t blame us when they come knocking at your door for more!