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

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Candied Walnuts Recipe (Perfect for gifting) (2024)

FAQs

Why are my candied walnuts soft? ›

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.

Do candied walnuts go bad? ›

Yes, candied nuts can go bad.

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.

How do you keep candied nuts from sticking? ›

Bake at 300 degrees F for 40-45 minutes. Make sure to toss everything with a spoon every 15 minutes. This is very important to allow even baking and prevent the nuts from sticking together.

How long to soak walnuts before cooking? ›

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.

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.

Can dogs eat walnuts? ›

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.

How many cups of walnuts are in a pound? ›

Typically, a pound of whole walnut pieces translates to about 3.94 US cups. For recipes that call for chopped walnuts, the texture and size of the pieces play a role in the conversion rate. Generally, a pound of chopped walnuts will yield 3 to 4 cups.

Is there a downside to eating walnuts? ›

Walnuts are dense in calories, and you should consume them in moderation to reduce the risk of gaining weight. They may also lead to kidney stones because of the oxalate content present in them. High consumption of walnuts may cause diarrhoea, stomach pain or bloating due to their fibre-rich content.

Why do I feel good after eating walnuts? ›

Walnuts are a great source of alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), an omega-3 fatty acid that is important for reducing inflammation. In fact, it is the only nut significantly high in these omega-3 fatty acids. Their anti-inflammatory compounds may reduce the risk of heart disease.

How do you get the bitterness out of walnuts? ›

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

How do you package candied nuts for a gift? ›

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!

What are candied nuts called? ›

Pralines, Gebrannte Mandeln, Chou Chou, Garrapiñadas - no matter what you call them, caramelised nuts are a delicious treat enjoyed by people all over the world. Pralines originated in France, where they were originally made with almonds coated in sugar and spices.

Why wont my candied fruit harden? ›

If the sugar mixture is not cooked to the proper temperature (the hard-crack stage 300-310° F {149-154° C.} or if you are working in a kitchen with high humidity, chances are your candy is retaining too much moisture.

Why are my candied almonds not crunchy? ›

Don't under bake the candied almonds, and be sure to turn them every 20 minutes. And perhaps the most important tip: let the cool before digging in! As they cool, they'll firm up and get crunchier. So if you taste one fresh from the oven, don't be alarmed if it's still a bit soft.

How to make soft nuts crunchy? ›

Place the nuts on a stainless steel baking tray. (Or line a baking tray with parchment paper—if you don't, the nuts will stain the sheet and the sheet will blacken the nuts.) Bake the nuts at 150 degrees—I just set my oven to “warm”—for 18-24 hours or until they are crispy, giving the nuts a stir every several hours.

How do you harden soft nuts? ›

You Can Dry Nuts/Seeds in the Oven

Set your oven to the lowest temperature possible. Dry nuts for 30 minutes to 1 hour on a parchment-lined cookie sheet. Remove a nut/seed, cool it and taste.

Why are my pecans soft? ›

Humidity above these values can cause kernel molding and pecan texture deterioration (pecans become soft and rubber-like), whereas lower humidities will cause excessive drying. In-shell pecan kernels will darken under high humidity as a result of the tannic acid being dissolved from the shell lining.

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