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Crunchy, caramelized walnuts make a sweet snack and a great topping for summer berry salads and ice cream, or a quick topping for muffins. Today I’m showing you how to make candied walnuts!
I recommend doubling the recipe if you have snack-happy kids like mine, as you might catch them snacking on them too.
How To Make Candied Walnuts
It’s easier than you might think to make candied walnuts at home. With just a pat of butter, a handful of walnuts, and a spoonful of sugar, you can stir up a batch of walnuts that are tastier than anything you can buy from the store.
I like to start with walnut halves and then roughly chop them on a cutting board. For bigger pieces, I will just break halves apart by hand if I only need a cup or so.
You can actually use this technique for other nuts as well to get the sweet, buttery toasted flavor that makes for a sweet topping.
Your candied nuts should not be sticky once they are cooled. If they are they probably did not cook long enough on the stovetop. The key is to hit that sweet spot, literally, between being cooked long enough and burnt.
Candied walnuts can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a month. These containers work perfectly!
Candied Walnuts Recipe
- Melt the butter in a non-stick skillet over medium heat. Place a sheet of parchment paper or a silicone mat next to the stove.
- Add the walnuts and sugar. Stir with a rubber spatula to combine.
- Continue stirring until the sugar melts and the walnuts are well-coated.
- Quickly transfer the walnuts to the parchment and work quickly with a spatula to spread them out to avoid clumping.
Now that you know how to make candied walnuts, you’re going to be snacking on them, adding them to salads and cheeseboards, adding them to Maple Nut Ice Cream, and basically enjoying them with everything!
Caramelizing or candying can be done to so many different nuts for great flavor. Caramelized Almonds are quite tasty and easy to make.
Candied Walnuts
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon butter
- ¾ cup walnuts roughly chopped
- 3 tablespoons sugar
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a non-stick skillet over medium heat. Place a sheet of parchment paper or a silicone mat next to the stove. Add the walnuts and sugar. Stir with a rubber spatula to combine.
- Continue stirring until the sugar melts and the walnuts are well-coated, about a minute longer. Quickly transfer the walnuts to the parchment and work quickly with a spatula to spread them out to avoid clumping.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
So mine stayed sticky. How long do you cook them?
After they cooled, the walnuts were still sticky? Typically they stick together straight out of the pan, but as they cool they harden.
Your insturctions do not say how long to cook the walnuts.
You’ll just cook until the sugar has melted and the walnuts are coated, about 1 minute longer.