Sahale Snacks

[Terrasanct]

I'm sure many of you have tried the addictive and expensive Sahale Snacks, combinations of nuts and other sweet and savory things. I want to try to make something like this for Christmas gifts, and I haven't been able to find any recipes or methods. Any ideas?

[dockhl]

Well, here is their website product list that gives ingredients. It's a start!

[Terrasanct]

I looked at that. I guess the main question I have is what method I should use to coat the nuts with spices and things. I think I want to make a couple of different variations--one should definitely have ginger and orange peel in it. I'm also wondering what makes the Sahale snacks different from others I've tried--larger pieces? Organic ingredients? The combination of sweet and spicy? I'd probably buy them all the time if they weren't so expensive. Besides, like any good cook, I'd want to tailor something to my specific likes.

Of course now I have to stop at the store and buy a few packages to compare.

[Terrasanct]

I made a pilgrimage to Costco and bought a bunch of oranges for the candied orange peel, apples and pears to dry (mostly for homemade granola), and some almonds to supplement the pecans and hazelnuts I already have. I was tempted by dried blueberries, but not at more than ten dollars a pound.

I figure I'll start processing fruit and just work my way up to the nuts--maybe I'll make a small batch of spiced pecans and go from there.

I was glad to see all the varieties of organically grown Washington apples at Costco.

[Terrasanct]

Well, here's what I've made so far:

Spiced pecans with Craisins and candied orange peel, with a sprinkle of fresh ground black pepper.

Wasabi almonds with candied ginger and sesame clusters and cocoa nibs.

The third batch will be hazelnuts (with ancho chili flavor?), pepitas, and dried pears. I just have to finish cracking the hazelnuts first, which takes forever.

[dockhl]

These all sound great ! Please let us know what you think. This would be a great addition to the Artisan Food Gifts thread if they work well.

Thanks for taking one for the team

[Terrasanct]

I was going to pick up a few bags of the Sahale Snacks to get some ideas, but Cost Plus Imports doesn't sell them anymore. I wasn't trying for an exact copy anyway, just kind of the same idea with spicy nuts and fruits. I wonder if the flavors will change any over the next week?

I see that one of their flavors includes balsamic vinegar. I'm trying to think of a good way to incorporate that flavor. They use powder, which isn't an option for me. Maybe marinating the nuts for a while before baking them. Time for more experimenting, I guess.

[JAZ]

I was going to pick up a few bags of the Sahale Snacks to get some ideas, but Cost Plus Imports doesn't sell them anymore.    I wasn't trying for an exact copy anyway, just kind of the same idea with spicy nuts and fruits.  I wonder if the flavors will change any over the next week?

I see that one of their flavors includes balsamic vinegar.  I'm trying to think of a good way to incorporate that flavor.  They use powder, which isn't an option for me.  Maybe marinating the nuts for a while before baking them.  Time for more experimenting, I guess.

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They're available through Amazon -- Sahale Snacks.

I've never seen them, much less tried them, but they sound interesting.

I used to make Cajun spiced pecans, which called for mixing Tabasco and Worcestershire sauce into egg whites (beaten until pretty foamy but not stiff). Then you tossed the nuts in that and added the spices before baking. The spices stuck to nuts; the egg white didn't add any flavor; and the nuts were very crunchy.

For incorporating balsamic, you might try that method -- I'd reduce the balsamic first.

[Lilija]

Just a small addendum to this thread, since I'm a fan of the Sahale snackies, too. They all seem to be delicately glazed in some not-terribly-sweet way, so that the tiny chunks of fruits and seeds or whatever stick to the nuts. Like, the glaze sort of sticks the black pepper to the pecans, instead of having it as a dust, and all at the bottom of the bag.

This is really inspiring, to me, as well. I might try my hand at making some, too.

[MGLloyd]

I would be very interested to see people posting their successful recipes.

[Terrasanct]

Just a small addendum to this thread, since I'm a fan of the Sahale snackies, too.  They all seem to be delicately glazed in some not-terribly-sweet way, so that the tiny chunks of fruits and seeds or whatever stick to the nuts.  Like, the glaze sort of sticks the black pepper to the pecans, instead of having it as a dust, and all at the bottom of the bag.

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See, this is exactly the problem I knew I'd encounter. I like my mixes, but they aren't quite the same. I put sesame seeds into clusters because they stick together that way, but other things are kind of floating around. Although the Sahale ones did have a fair amount of stuff on the bottom of the bag, too.

I did use the egg white glaze for the wasabi almonds, and just coated with butter and spices for the pecans. Hey, maybe I'll try heating up some butter with a little honey and balsamic vinegar with spices and coating the nuts, then heating them in a low oven for a while. That might work. The problem is how to get them sticky enough for the fruit to be added after and still adhere to them, but not have a tooth-breaking-sticky-hard-candy mess.

[Lilija]

Just a small addendum to this thread, since I'm a fan of the Sahale snackies, too.  They all seem to be delicately glazed in some not-terribly-sweet way, so that the tiny chunks of fruits and seeds or whatever stick to the nuts.  Like, the glaze sort of sticks the black pepper to the pecans, instead of having it as a dust, and all at the bottom of the bag.

←

See, this is exactly the problem I knew I'd encounter. I like my mixes, but they aren't quite the same. I put sesame seeds into clusters because they stick together that way, but other things are kind of floating around. Although the Sahale ones did have a fair amount of stuff on the bottom of the bag, too.

I did use the egg white glaze for the wasabi almonds, and just coated with butter and spices for the pecans. Hey, maybe I'll try heating up some butter with a little honey and balsamic vinegar with spices and coating the nuts, then heating them in a low oven for a while. That might work. The problem is how to get them sticky enough for the fruit to be added after and still adhere to them, but not have a tooth-breaking-sticky-hard-candy mess.

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That sounds like a great glaze mixture, light and not too sweet. Maybe even do tiny batches of something inexpensive like peanuts, for experimentation purposes. You've really got my gears turning here, I'm seriously ready to undertake a similar project, if not for my friends and family, at least for myself!

[Terrasanct]

I made a batch last night and I'm happy with the results. I melted some butter and added balsamic and honey, with a little corn syrup for light sweetness. I let it bubble for a while until it thickened and poured in the nuts, stirring until well coated. After a little draining in a colander, I spread them on oiled parchment paper on a sheet pan, sprinkled pepper and sesame seeds over the top and baked in a low oven, about 250 until they seemed right--one batch at an hour was a bit too long; 30 to 45 minutes about right. Of the three nuts I tried, hazelnuts worked the best. The glaze is slightly sweet and tastes just a little like the balsamic. It's a fairly light glaze. I'm going to add dried blueberries, dried pears, and maybe pumpkin seeds if they taste right.