Candied Nuts, Two Ways

First, this is a very easy way to make lightly candied and crispy nuts:

1. Toss nuts (chopped or otherwise) with a pinch or two of salt and some simple syrup
2. Spread out on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for 5-10 minutes at 325 degrees, F, until nuts are golden and fragrant. 
3. Take them out of the oven and let them cool in the pan. 
4. When cool, check to see if they are crisp all the way through.  Sometimes, in the middle of the pan, the nuts will still be a bit gummy with syrup. 
5. If they are still a little gummy, stir them up and put them back in the oven for another couple of minutes.  Watch them carefully.  Nuts go from golden to burnt quickly.
6. Cool and eat/use/store

For a more advanced method that turns out like those cinnamon-spiced nuts you can get at the mall:

1. Put 2 cups or so of the nut of your choice, about 3/4 cup sugar, a pinch or two of salt and any seasonings (cinnamon, nutmeg, etc) all together in a large pan. 
2. Add a little water for insurance.  Turn your stove on to medium high heat, and stir constantly.  
3. Be careful--the sugar will melt and then start to boil, so use a long-handled heat resistant stirring device, such as a wooden spoon or a silicone spatula. 
4. Stir constantly until the nuts are very well coated and the sugar is just starting to caramelize. 
5. Throw in about another 2-3 Tablespoons of sugar into the pan to encourage re-crystallization and continue stirring until the nuts go from shiny to dull and look very sandy with sugar crystals. 
6. Turn them out onto a silpat-lined baking sheet and let cool.  I dare you to eat only one.