Slow Cooker Union Square Cafe Bar Nuts are a copycat recipe that makes an amazing appetizer that goes great with cocktails or beer!
Here is my version of Union Square Cafe Bar Nuts but made in the slow cooker! I first saw these nut on The Best Thing I’ve Ever ate on Food Network. Giada Delaurentiss shares her love for these Union Square Bar Nuts on the show. It’s been years since I first saw it, but the show came on the other night and I knew I had to try these in the slow cooker. Here is an oven version if you do not have a slow cooker.
To make my verision of the Union Square Cafe Bar Nuts I start with Roasted, Salted Mixed Nuts. Along with melted salted butter, brown sugar, rosemary, and cayenne pepper.
I decided to chop my rosemary instead of leaving it whole. I really liked having litle bites of it on these nuts.
These Union Square Cafe Bar Nuts cook in the slow cooker for 1 hour 20 minutes. I stir these every 20 minutes to prevent burning.
These nuts are great for a party snack along with cocktails or beer. I turned my slow cooker off so they wouldn’t continue to brown and they still stayed warm for hours.
I really love the chopped rosemary in this, in fact so much I added a touch more right before serving. I rarely use rosemary in cooking becuase it can be strong but with these nuts it’s really meant to be and blends well with the other flavors.
Use any nut mix you like from the store, I stood there and stared at the selection for at least 20 minutes. The canned nuts were almost double the price as the bagged nuts, so keep that in mind. I really love cashews so much next time I may just use cashews.
These Slow Cooker Union Bar Nuts are a great recipe for a party and they are great for a few days after too! I keep the extras in a ziplock bag and take a handfuls for snacks. I hope you enjoy this recipe!
More party recipes for your slow cooker:
- Slow Cooker Candied Pecans
- Slow Cooker Bourbon Hot Dogs
- Slow Cooker Creamy Ranch Bean Dip
- Slow Cooker Horseradish Cheese Spread
- Slow Cooker Strawberry Mulled Wine
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Slow Cooker Union Square Cafe Bar Nuts
Equipment Needed:
- Slow Cooker- 6 quart or larger
Ingredients:
- 2 lbs. roasted salted mixed nuts
- 6 Tbsp. salted butter
- 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
- 2 Tbsp. fresh rosemary, chopped
- 2 Tbsp. brown sugar
Instructions:
- Melt the butter in a small saucepan on the stove top, add the brown sugar, cayenne and rosemary. Stir. No salt is nessesarry unless you have unsalted nuts.
- Add the mixed nuts to the slow cooker. Pour over the butter mixture. Stir.
- Cover and cook on HIGH for 1 hour 20 minutes. Stirring every 20 minutes to prevent burning.
- Serve warm or at room temperature. Enjoy! I found it’s better to turn the slow cooker to off while serving these, even the warm function will over cook these and may cause burning.
How long do these last if gifting them in holiday tins?
About a week.
Can I use raw nuts? Add my own salt? Make it keto by using a keto-friendly sweetner?
I think will work great! The slow cooker will help roast them.
Do the nuts get soft or do they keep their hard consistency?
They are soft, that’s why I suggest turning off the slow cooker for serving. They harden back up after cooling a bit.
Is the brown sugar a stealth ingredient? Since it is not in the ingredient list, does it just swoop in?
2 tablespoons, thank you.