Candied Walnuts are so easy to make with just a few ingredients. An addictive snack and perfect to top an ice cream sundae. This is a version of my mom’s secret recipe and a favorite to add to holiday gift baskets!
Walnuts are delicious but toasted walnuts are even better. This simple candied walnuts recipe adds a second step that toasts the walnuts with the brown sugar coating and they are the most delicious candied nut that I’ve ever tried!
Table of Contents
Ingredients for Candied Walnuts
Brown Sugar
Butter
Water
Kosher Salt
Vanilla Extract
Walnut Halves
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How to Make Candied Walnuts
Add brown sugar, butter, water and salt to a pan and stir with a wooden spoon until combined.
2. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat and boil about 1 minute.
3.Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.
4. Quickly mix in walnuts until well coated using a silicone spatula.
5. Pour onto a silpat or parchment lined baking sheet in a single layer. A silpat is a silicone baking mat that is perfect for everything from baking cookies to frozen pizzas.
Candied nuts will last about a week at room temperature in an airtight container (these are my favorite deli containers for storing everything). Refrigerate for up to 3 weeks or freeze up to 3 months.
Nuts are best served at room temperature.
Recipe Variations for Candied Nuts
Pecans can be substituted for walnuts.
Add 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice to the brown sugar mixture.
A pinch of red pepper can also go in with the brown sugar mixture for a sweet and spicy candied nut.
Serve candied nuts as an appetizer along with our Spicy Chex Mix for holiday gatherings and it’s also a great addition to a desserts table.
I make holiday goodie baskets for family and neighbors every Christmas and these Candied Walnuts are going to be the favorite this year. I found these super cute jars with lids from Amazon and they are perfect for making a homemade treat something special.
Delicious Walnut Treats
Two Tone Fudge
Layers of butterscotch and chocolate fudge loaded with crunchy walnuts. This is a holiday favorite from my mother in law's recipe box.
Easy Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies
Simple chocolate chip cookies loaded with crunchy walnuts. An easy treat for any day of the week and delicious enough for a holidays and celebrations.
Walnut Brownies
Rich, fudge brownies filled with toasted walnuts and caramel chips for a decadent and delicious dessert.
All the flavors of a cinnamon roll in a light and fluffy bread twist with crunchy walnuts and a sweet drizzle of icing.
Add candied walnuts to your favorite cookies, to top ice cream, or just as a tasty snack but they are also a delicious addition to salads.Once you see how easy and delicious these candied nuts are, you will be making them again and again.
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4.57 from 16 votes
Candied Walnuts
Candied Walnuts are so easy to make with just a few ingredients. An addictive snack and perfect to top an ice cream sundae. This is a version of my mom's secret recipe and a favorite to add to holiday gift baskets!
Line a baking sheet with a silpat or parchment paper.
Add brown sugar, water, butter and salt to a pan and place over medium heat. Stir with a wooden spoon until all combined.
Bring to a boil and cook for about 1 minute.
Remove from heat, quickly stir in vanilla and walnuts. Mixing until well combined.
Pour onto lined baking sheet and spread into a single layer.
Bake for 20 minutes.
Remove from oven and place pan on a wire rack to cool completely.
Break apart and store in an airtight container.
Notes
Candied nuts can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature up to 1 week. Store in refrigerator up to 3 weeks or freeze for up to 3 months.
The sugar needs to bake long enough to caramelize and form a brittle coating on the nuts. How do you fix candied nuts that are too soft and sticky? You can place them back into the oven for 5 to 15 minutes or until they dry out more. They will continue to firm and dry out as they cool.
Salt: 1/2 teaspoon of fine sea salt makes these taste salty-sweet. If you'd prefer to not taste the salt, reduce to 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Pecans too sticky: If your nuts are still sticky after cooling, heat your oven to 325°F (162°C) and bake for 5 to 10 minutes to help harden the candy coating.
Soak your nuts and seeds anywhere from 20 minutes to 2 or 3 hours, or even overnight in the refrigerator. In general, harder nuts will take longer to soften. If your recipe calls for soaked nuts or seeds and you are low on time, try to squeeze in 20 minutes minimum, or just do a really good job rinsing them.
Experts agree that to reap the benefits, one should soak the walnuts for about 6-7 hours or overnight. And on an average, a healthy individual can have 3-4 soaked pieces of walnuts.
Walnuts go rancid when exposed to warm temperatures for long periods of time. Heat causes the fat in walnuts to change structure, which creates off odors and flavors. Fresh walnuts smell mildly nutty and taste sweet. If your walnuts smell like paint thinner, you know they're rancid.
But if you do, for some reason, eating the occasional spoiled nut is “no big deal,” because we have enzymes in our stomachs that can essentially incinerate the oxidation byproducts. There might be a risk associated with regularly eating fistfuls of oxidized nuts, though.
According to The Flavor Bible by Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg, the best food pairings for walnuts are apples, honey, prunes, sugar, sharp and mild cheeses, brandy, sweet dry wine, whiskey, coffee and many other fruits and spices.
How to Make Sure the Glazed Walnuts Don't Stick. Use a silicone baking mat such as a Silpat. Or line your baking sheet with parchment paper. It may help to spray your mat or paper with some cooking spray to help from sticking even more.
If your candied pecans are sticky, it is likely because the sugar syrup coating has not completely hardened. The syrup may still be wet, or it may have started to crystalize. If the syrup is still wet, you can try putting the nuts in the oven for a few minutes to help the syrup harden.
Storage Instructions: Candied nuts can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature or in the fridge for several weeks. Freezing Instructions: They freeze well in an air-tight container for up to two months. Nuts: use any kind of nuts with this recipe, like walnuts, almonds, peanuts, cashews, or pistachios.
Excessive consumption of walnuts may cause diarrhea, bloating, stomach pain or kidney stones. Due to the phytic acid they contain, too many walnuts may also inhibit the absorption of dietary iron, calcium and zinc. Recommendation: One ounce (10-14) English walnut halves per day.
Excess calories are an obesity risk. Allergy. Among the tree nuts, walnuts and cashews most frequently cause allergic reactions in America. Allergies to walnuts can appear as skin rashes, digestive problems, or respiratory symptoms like cough and wheezing.
Regularly eating walnuts has been consistently shown to decrease cholesterol levels . In a small 2017 study in healthy adults, eating 1.5 oz (43 g) of walnuts daily for 8 weeks produced a 5% decrease in total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, and triglycerides compared to not eating walnuts.
Here Is the Nourishing Traditions Method for Crispy Nuts:
Soak 4 cups raw nuts in sea salt and filtered water to cover in a warm place at least 7 hours. Drain and spread in a single layer (I found that part out by experience) on pans and dry in an oven on its lowest temp for 12-24 hours.
Introduction: My name is Francesca Jacobs Ret, I am a innocent, super, beautiful, charming, lucky, gentle, clever person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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