Candied Walnuts {Easy Recipe} - Miss in the Kitchen (2024)

FAQs

What makes walnuts taste better? ›

The toasting process adds a better taste, golden brown color, nutty aroma, and a delicious crunch. Nuts toast quickly in the oven or on the stovetop, and they add a healthy, gluten free, protein-packed, omega-3 rich element to many recipes. Give banana bread, chocolate chip cookies, and pumpkin pancakes extra texture.

Pecans too sticky: If your nuts are still sticky after cooling, heat your oven to 325° F and bake for 5 to 10 minutes to help harden the candy coating.

Let the candied nuts cool for at least 20 minutes or until completely cool. You don't want to package warm nuts or the moisture will cause condensation which will soften the candy coating. STORE the nuts in an airtight container or ziploc bag for up to 2 weeks.

Okay, all bad dad jokes aside, these candied walnuts will last quite a while. All nuts do go rancid eventually, but as long as you cool them completely and then store them in an air-tight container, they should be good for about a month.

Top 5 Pairings

Although people enjoy a mix of sweet and savory flavors with walnuts, a sweet combination is most liked by all: (1) Dark Chocolate, (2) Sesame Cayenne, (3) Vanilla, (4) Sea Salt Caramel, (5) Coffee.

Nuts with higher fat content, like walnuts and pecans can also go rancid after a few months if stored at too warm a temperature. If you notice that your nuts have taken on a noticeably bitter, sour flavor, they may have entered this unfortunate phase.

Either you used raw nuts, or you added them before the sugar had a chance to fully caramelize. Why is the sugar all crystallized and grainy looking? It means that the sugar has crystallized before caramelizing.

If your candied coating isn't hardening, the candying mixture did not reach a high enough temperature.

To get the spices to stick to the nuts, use egg whites, butter, coconut oil, olive oil or blanch the nuts in boiling water. Some recipes call for nuts to be fried in oil prior to seasoning, but this adds unnecessary fat – you can make them just a delicious without all the extra calories.

So, if you forget or don't have the patience to wait 8 hours while the walnuts soak (I certainly don't), I suggest boiling them! This will soften them really quickly (only about 15-20 minutes, as opposed to 8+ hours of soaking) so they blend well and you end up with a silky smooth and creamy walnut milk.

How can you tell if walnuts are rancid? ›

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.

To make rancid walnuts tasty again, a "chemical engineer" (consulted for this purpose) advises to soak the rancid walnuts in milk or other emulsive ingredient which is then rinsed off with hot water, and the nuts gently dried and roasted with sea salt.

The refrigerator is a great choice as walnuts will remain fresh for up to three months. You can also freeze walnuts for up to one year. Walnuts will absorb odors so it is best to place them at distance from foods with strong odors, such as onions. Airtight containers provide the best protection to maintain freshness.

Although it may be technically safe for dogs to eat a few walnuts (especially if they are store-bought and unsalted), walnuts are not the best choice for your dog. Walnuts can be a choking hazard for dogs and, when eaten in large quantities, can lead to a potentially life-threatening condition called pancreatitis.

Place walnuts in boiling water for five minutes to remove bitter taste. Remove from water and drain, then run cold water over the walnuts.

Spread the stale snacks out on a cookie sheet and place in a 350o F oven. Let them bake for about 10 minutes and then remove from the oven and let cool completely. Once cooled the snacks should be crispy and refreshed. You can use this method with fresh nuts like almonds, peanuts, walnuts, etc.

One can soak walnuts overnight to improve their digestibility and nutrition absorption and have them in the morning. Adding them to your smoothies, salads, shakes, chutneys, breakfast cereal, desserts, dalia is also a good idea. "The best time to eat walnuts in summers is in the morning.