Sweet, savoury, cheesy snacks make for perfect holiday nibbles

Bar snacks have become more than just bowls of nuts set between barstools and jars of pickled eggs perched at the end of the bar.

These days, even smaller, nibblier plates are showing up before appetizers on the menu at restaurants and wine bars. They can make life easier for your holiday party, upping the ante from Doritos, and without the need for oven monitoring or finicky phyllo hors d'oeuvres.

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So what exactly is a bar snack? They tend to be salty and savouryand most often don't require a knife and fork.

Spiced nuts, warm olives, devilled eggs, charred shishito peppers and two-bite steam buns are common offerings. Even a really well-seasoned bowl of popcorn is a staple at many a cocktail bar.

Here are a few quick andeasy-to-assemble snacks to set out when your friends are over and need a little nosh.

Warm dates with rosemary

Ingredients

Medjool or other large dates, pitted or not

Small pieces of Parmesan, aged Gouda, blue or other cheese, optional

Olive oil

Sprig of rosemary

Kosher or flaky salt

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 177 C/350 F, or any temperature, really. If the oven is already on for something else, leave it. They just need to heat through.

Put as many dates as you'd like to warm in a small skillet or oven-proof dish, pitting and stuffing them with a small piece of cheese first, if you like.

Drizzle with oil, add a sprig of rosemary and sprinkle with salt.

Warm in the oven for about 10 minutes, until warmed through. If they're stuffed with cheese, they should be a bit oozy.

Sweet browned butter Sriracha popcorn

6-8 cups popped popcorn

cup butter

1 tbsp brown sugar

Squirt of Sriracha, to taste

Salt, to taste

Preparation

Put the popcorn in a shallow bowl while you heat the butter in a small saucepan.

Once the buttermelts, leave it on the stovetop until it turns golden and smells nutty. Remove it from the heat and stir in the brown sugar and a squirt of Sriracha.

Drizzle over the popcorn and toss to coat, sprinkling with salt.

Serving:Immediately.

Rosemary-balsamic nuts

I've been making these nuts for as long as I can remember. Ilove using pecansbut they can be expensive. They're great for gifting, and they're fantastic chopped and tossed over a salad.

Ingredients

2 cups whole almonds, cashews, walnuts and pecan halves

2 tbsp butter, melted

1 tbsp packed brown sugar

1 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary

2 tsp balsamic vinegar

Few drops of Tabasco or other hot sauce

to 1 tsp flaky sea salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 163 c/325 F.

Toss everything together in a bowl, spread out on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake for 10-15 minutesuntil pale golden and fragrant. Let them cool on the baking sheet.

Serving:Makes about twocups.

Spiced cinnamon nuts

Egg white and sugar coats the nuts with a crunchy-sweet coating, and acts as a carrier for any number of spices. Make them sweet with cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice, or sweet and spicy with chilli powder, which isn't too hot on its own,and cayenne, which is.

There are many versions out therebut this is a riff on one from Food & Wine Magazine.

Ingredients

1 egg white

2/3 cup sugar

2 tsp chili powder

2 tsp kosher or flaky sea salt

1-2 tsp cinnamon

tsp cayenne, or to taste

4 cups whole almonds, cashews, walnuts and pecan halves

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 149 C/300 F.

In a medium bowl, whisk the egg white until frothy. Stir in the sugar and spices, mixing until well combined, and then stir in the nuts, coating them well.

Spread out onto a parchment-lined sheet and bake for 30-40 minutes, stirring once or twiceuntil golden and fragrant. Let them cool on the baking sheet.

Serving:Makes about fivecups.

Listen to Julie Van Rosendaal'smany ideas for yummy holiday snacks:

• MORE RECIPES |Busy holidays made easier by prepping treats, dinners in advance
• MORE RECIPES |Enormous winter squash become pies, salads and pockets of yummy
• MORE RECIPES |Try apples in these autumn scones, muffins, pickles and pies
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With files from theCalgary Eyeopener.