Candied walnuts are great addition during holiday season to your salads, or for gifting! These are great snacking option too. So easy to make, you don’t want to miss this.
Candied Walnuts Recipe
This classic version of candied walnuts uses egg white to help bind the sugar to walnuts. The delightful blend of sweet, salty and crunchy makes these super addictive. So hard to stop eating. We bet you can’t eat just one!
A dish is only as good as the ingredients. Use the freshest nut you can possibly get. This recipe calls for walnuts, but you can easily swap it with pecans, cashews or even macadamias. These walnuts are not like the sticky version of candied nuts. These are sweet, drier than the sticky ones you can imagine.
So what’s wrong with the recipes that use just walnuts and sugar to make candied version of nuts, you may ask? Well one – the nuts gets coated in heavy and hard sugar glaze on the nuts. This classic version has light, crunchy sweet coating from sugar. A hint of cinnamon and salt is added to balance out the sweetness from sugar. So these walnuts aren’t super sweet and aren’t heavy as well.
The recipe also doesn’t yield super sweet glazed nuts! We have kept the sugar quantity just about right to give you delicious nuts with enough candy coating that is delightfully sweet!
If you are someone who loves your candied nuts to be super sweet, we recommend you to double the sugar. But let me warn you, if you double the sugar you’re gonna have super sweet walnuts that tastes almost like candy. You won’t even taste the nuts, sugar is going to be over powering!
Amazing to sprinkle over salads, even better to munch on for snacks in the afternoon. You can crush the walnuts and sprinkle it over ice cream or any desserts.
What You Need To Make Candied Walnuts
An easy and readily available ingredients from your pantry is all you need –
Walnuts – make sure you pick raw, unsalted walnuts. Whole walnuts are great, but chopped ones can be used too.
Sugar (white and brown) – I like to use a mix of both white granulated sugar and brown sugar. Do not use powdered sugar. Granulated sugar gives better texture on walnuts.
Egg White – Egg white beaten to stiff peaks is used in the recipe to help bind the sugar mix to the walnuts.
Water – a teaspoon is all you need to add to egg white to help it beat.
Cinnamon Powder – Spices like cinnamon adds a nice flavor and taste to nuts. You can also add a hint of cayenne pepper to add a kick if you like.
Sea Salt – A pinch of sea salt in any sweet dish always enhances its taste. Make sure you use fine sea salt and not table salt.
Vanilla Extract – don’t miss out on pure vanilla extract.
How to Make Candied Walnuts
Prep candy coating – in a bowl mix granulated white sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon powder and salt. Mix and keep aside until use.
Whisk egg whites – to another dry bowl pour egg whites. Add a teaspoon of water. Whisk egg whites until its frothy, fluffy cloud like consistency.
Prep the walnuts – to fluffy egg whites bowl add raw walnuts. Pour in vanilla extract. Gently fold in to coat walnuts in egg whites evenly.
Add in all the sugar mix and fold until all walnuts are evenly coated.
Bake walnuts – spread sugar coated walnuts onto a baking tray lined with parchment paper (or silicon baking mat). Bake in pre heated oven at 300 F for about 30 -35 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes interval. You’ll have to bake these until the coating on the nuts is hardened.
Store & Serve – remove baked nuts from the oven. Let it cool completely. Serve these candied walnuts immediately as salad topping or as snack.
Or store it in air tight containers for later use or for gifting purpose.
How Long Can I Store Candied Walnuts
The best part of candy walnuts is you can make these ahead as it stores well. You can store completely cooled candy walnuts in air tight container for up to 2 weeks and pack these up in freezer air tight boxes and freeze for about 2 months.
Can I Use Other Nuts?
Yes, absolutely. This recipe works great with pecans, macadamia nuts or even almonds just like walnuts.
Ways to Serve Candies Walnuts
Snack on it – these candy walnuts are great to snack on. It’s ‘kinda’ healthy snack, I mean its nut right!
Salad topper – great option for salad topper. Any kind of salad can be topped with these candies nuts. It adds an extra crunch and sweetness to your salad!
Gifting option – these are great for unique holiday gifts. Pack these in little treat bags, tie cute ribbons arounds and gift to your family and friends.
Sprinkle on desserts – crush candied walnuts in a food processor (not too fine) and use the crushed candy nuts to sprinkle over ice cream or any other desserts.
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Candied Walnuts
Ingredients
- 4 cups 12 ounces raw walnuts
- ¼ cup granulated white sugar
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 1 egg white
- 1 teaspoon water
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
Instructions
- Prep candy coating – in a bowl mix granulated white sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon powder and salt. Mix and keep aside until use.
- Whisk egg whites – to another dry bowl pour egg whites. Add a teaspoon of water. Whisk egg whites until its frothy, fluffy cloud like consistency.
- Prep the walnuts – to fluffy egg whites bowl add raw walnuts. Pour in vanilla extract. Gently fold in to coat walnuts in egg whites evenly.
- Add in all the sugar mix and fold until all walnuts are evenly coated.
- Bake walnuts – spread sugar coated walnuts onto a baking tray lined with parchment paper (or silicon baking mat). Bake in pre heated oven at 300 F for about 30 -35 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes interval. You’ll have to bake these until the coating on the nuts is hardened.
- Store & Serve – remove baked nuts from the oven. Let it cool completely. Serve these candied walnuts immediately as salad topping or as snack.
- Or store it in air tight containers for later use or for gifting purpose.
Video
Notes
- Use raw walnuts, not roasted salted ones.
- Sugar quantity used here does not make super sweet walnuts. If you want to make sweet candy walnuts use more sugar (double the sugar).
- To add more flavors, along with cinnamon add 1/2 to 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper if you like extra kick.
Nutrition
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