Candied Walnuts Recipe (Perfect for gifting) (2024)

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 (Perfect for gifting) (1)

What I Love About This Candied Walnuts Recipe?

  • This old-fashioned candied walnuts recipe 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 best quality nut you can possibly get. You can easily swap it with other nuts like pecans, cashews or macadamias.
  • It’s not like the sticky version of candied nuts. These are sweet, drier than the sticky ones you can imagine. And it’s better than the sticky version.
  • 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.
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  • 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.

Ingredients Needed

Readily available ingredients from your pantry is all you need –

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Walnuts– make sure you pick raw, unsalted walnuts. Whole walnuts are great, butchopped ones can be used too.

Sugar(white and brown) – I like to use a mix of both white granulated sugarand brown sugar. Do not use powdered sugar. Granulated sugar gives bettertexture on walnuts.

EggWhite – Egg white beaten to stiff peaks is used in the recipe to helpbind the sugar mix to the walnuts.

Water– a teaspoon is all you need to add to egg white to help it beat.

CinnamonPowder – Spices like cinnamon adds a nice flavor and taste to nuts. Youcan also add a hint of cayenne pepper to add a kick if you like.

SeaSalt – 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.

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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.

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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.

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Add in all the sugar mix and fold until all walnuts are evenly coated.

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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.

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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 itin air tight containers for later use or for gifting purpose.

How Long Can Candied Walnuts Be Stored?

The bestpart of candy walnuts is you can make these ahead as it stores well. You canstore completely cooled candy walnuts in air tight container for up to 2 weeksand 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.

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Ways to Serve Candies Walnuts

Snack on it – these candy walnuts aregreat to snack on. It’s ‘kinda’ healthy snack, I mean its nut right!

Salad topper – great option for saladtopper. Any kind of salad can be topped with these candies nuts. It adds anextra crunch and sweetness to your salad!

Gifting option – these are great forunique holiday gifts. Pack these in little treat bags, tie cute ribbons aroundsand 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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MORE GREAT HOLIDAY GIFTING RECIPES –

Homemade Hot Chocolate Mix

Christmas Popcorn

S’mores Puppy Chow

All Purpose Seasoning Salt

Pumpkin Pie Spice

Chocolate Covered Pretzels

Pretzel Hershey Kisses

Cinnamon Sugar Pretzels

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5 from 7 votes

Candied Walnuts

Jyothi Rajesh

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.

Print Recipe Pin RecipeRate this Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 35 minutes mins

Course Snacks

Cuisine American

Servings 4 cups

Calories 873

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

  1. Use raw walnuts, not roasted salted ones.
  2. Sugar quantity used here does not make super sweet walnuts. If you want to make sweet candy walnuts use more sugar (double the sugar).
  3. To add more flavors, along with cinnamon add ½ to 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper if you like extra kick.

Nutritional Info– Please keep in mind that nutritional information provided is only a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on products used.

Nutrition

Calories: 873kcalCarbohydrates: 42gProtein: 19gFat: 76gSaturated Fat: 7gSodium: 310mgPotassium: 546mgFiber: 8gSugar: 29gVitamin A: 23IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 126mgIron: 4mg

Did you make this recipe?Follow @CurryTrail and tag #CurryTrail to share your creation!

Candied Walnuts Recipe (Perfect for gifting) (2024)

FAQs

How do you package candied nuts for a gift? ›

This is my go-to hostess gift and I make them year 'round. I pack them up in a pint Mason jar and add a bow. Sometimes I include a small ceramic bowl to the gift so the recipient has both the nuts and the serving piece. But most of the time, they end up eating them straight from the jar!

How do you keep candied walnuts from sticking together? ›

One trick is to work very fast once the sugar starts melting. Once you mix in the walnuts, the candy syrup cools quickly and the walnuts will stick together. You have 30 seconds or so to separate them before they are forever bonded by glassy, cooked sugar. The other trick is to not burn the walnuts when you toast them.

Do candied walnuts go bad? ›

Yes, candied nuts can go bad. Store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a month for best results.

Why are my candied walnuts soft? ›

Cool completely before storing otherwise the residual heat will add steam to the airtight container and this excess moisture will cause your crispy candied walnuts to go soft.

How long will candied nuts stay fresh? ›

How long will candied pecans keep? They will keep for up to two weeks in an airtight container at room temperature, at least three weeks in the refrigerator, or up to two months in the freezer. No matter where you store them, keep in a tightly sealed, airtight container.

Why do you soak walnuts in water? ›

Shruti Bharadwaj, Senior Clinical Dietician, Narayana Hrudayalaya says soaking walnuts helps improve their digestibility and also remove phytic acid and tannin. "Soaking can also help prevent indigestion as it helps reduce gas forming compounds. It also reduces polyphenols and increase nutrient availability.

How do you make candied nuts less sticky? ›

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 and bake for 5 to 10 minutes to help harden the candy coating.

Do candied nuts need to be refrigerated? ›

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.

Why do my walnuts taste funny? ›

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 odor and flavors. Rancid nuts are not unsafe, but they have a sharp flavor most people find unpleasant. Fresh walnuts smell mildly nutty and taste sweet.

Why do walnuts go rancid so fast? ›

The reason why walnuts go rancid so quickly is that they contain a very high level of fatty acids, meaning that they are more susceptible to oxidation when stored incorrectly. Other nuts that go rancid very quickly include pistachios and pine nuts, which also have a very high-fat content.

How do you keep walnuts from going rancid? ›

If you buy walnuts in sealed packaging, you can store the walnuts in their original packaging in the refrigerator or freezer. Once you open the bag, transfer the walnuts to an airtight container to maintain freshness and then place them back in the refrigerator or freezer.

How can you tell if walnuts are rancid? ›

Exposure to warm temperatures for long periods of time will cause the fat in walnuts to change and turn rancid. You can tell walnuts are turning old if they are rubbery or shriveled. They have turned rancid if they have a strange odor similar to paint thinner.

How do you store homemade candied nuts? ›

Store in a Cool, Dry Place

Keep your candied pecans away from sources of heat and moisture. This means avoiding storing them near your stove, dishwasher, or even on top of your refrigerator. Instead, store them in a cool pantry or cupboard.

What happens when you soak walnuts overnight? ›

Walnuts should be soaked because doing so makes them easier for the body to digest than eating them raw. The phytic acid found in nuts, which is reduced by soaking walnuts, contributes to increased absorption as well. Raw walnut digestion may be more difficult for those with weak gut.

How do you gift candied pecans? ›

Mason Jar Christmas Gifts

Now that you've got your pecans, you'll want to make them look even merrier in a decorated Mason jar. Attach a "handmade" gift tag and put a round sticker on the top of the jar labelled “Candied Pecans”.

What is the best way to pack nuts? ›

Cans offer the best sealing on nut products, They offer the best protection to nuts from bacteria, moisture, and other contaminants. They are long-lasting and offer durability to the packaged nuts.

What is the best way to store candied nuts? ›

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.

How do you serve nuts to guests? ›

Mix Up Your Nuts

(We're fans of little mason jar shot glasses.) You can also fill paper candy cups or mini muffin cups with a variety of nuts, crackers or cheese cubes.

References

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