How to Make Candied Walnuts
April 17, 2011
Walnuts are very good for your body. They are loaded in anti-oxidants and are great for the brain and the heart. They are also full of fiber, vitamins and minerals. Obviously, they are at their best without any sugar coating. However, add sugar to them and you have a great addition to many meals.
Candied walnuts can be eaten as a sweet and crunchy snack but are mostly popular as an addition to salads. They are very easy to make as well.
I do not add anything but sugar to my walnuts. I find that all you need to do is allow the sugar to melt and coat the walnuts for a nice result.
These candied walnuts will cluster once they are ready. Simply break them apart and use them to complement you favorite dish. I especially love them on spinach and fruit salads with blue cheese. Yum! Keep these candied walnuts in an air tight container in a cool place for up to 2 weeks.
Make sure you are using fresh walnuts for this as there is nothing that will ruin your experience more than to bite into a stale nut.
Here is what you are going to need for these easy and delicious candied walnuts:
1 cup halved walnuts
½ cup granulated sugar
Place walnuts and sugar in a skillet. Cook, shaking pan frequently, until sugar melts and starts caramelizing. Make sure to coat walnuts well. Remove from heat and cool down.
If the sugar clumps once it is cold simply break it into pieces.
Use as a topping for salads or on fruit.
Mary Ann
My name is Mary Ann Allen and I am here to help you get organized so you can save money on groceries and feed your family healthy, nutritious food. My multi-cultural cooking background comes from being born in the US and raised in Bolivia. I have 5 kids and own around 400 cook books. I absolutely love to cook!
34 Comments
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theFrugalChef
Thank you very much for coming by!
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Kelly Jo
Thank you so much for this great video! 2 questions:
How did you cool them?
Is it necessary to spray your pan with pam or anything? -
theFrugalChef
Hi Kelly!
Thanks for coming by! I appreciate it so much! I used a nonstick pan for this so I did not use any spay. I really don’t think you need any. I let the walnuts cool down a bit in the pan- until I could handle them – and then broke them apart and placed them on a plate. Hope this helps! Have a wonderful weekend!
Mary Ann -
kerrie
I think I stirred too much! My sugar turned into tiny clumps and didn’t coat the nuts well. Any suggestions? Thank you!
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theFrugalChef
Hi Kerrie!
I am sorry I did not reply sooner! I was on vacation. I am also sorry your walnuts did not work . . .By now you probably got rid of them already. I do not think there was anything you could have done to recover them – short of removing the nuts and starting again. Hopefully you did not throw everything away! Take care!
Mary Ann -
Shariem
I really love this recipe! It was very easy to do. Now I will make this all the time for my fruit and walnut salads that I love so much. My cousin was also having trouble finding candied walnuts in the grocery store so I forward her this recipe too.
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theFrugalChef
Thank you Shariem! I really appreciate you coming by and letting me know. I am so happy this worked out for you! Take care!
Mary Ann -
adele
You are TOO cute, Mary Ann. Thank you for this video. I am putting together my menu, for Christmas, and this was so helpful!!!!! I just love your happy smile. Bless you!
Adele -
theFrugalChef
Thank you so much Adele! I am so happy this helped you! Thank you for your support. It means a lot to me! Have a great week!
Mary Ann -
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Laura
I’m such a beginner, how high do I “cook” them – medium flame? Low?
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theFrugalChef
Hi Laura!
Make these on medium heat. Thanks so much for coming by!
Mary Ann -
Dan the man
Hi Mary Ann, I needed candied walnuts as part of a recipe for roasted beets Napoleon. After looking through many recipes online i ran across your video. It REALLY helped add that personal touch and made it a lot easier to try the recipe. Do you have any suggestions that can enhance the flavor of the walnuts during the ‘candied’ process? I saw one recipe that included cayenne pepper. Your thoughts?
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theFrugalChef
Hi Dan!
Thanks for the message. I am happy this helped! I think cayenne is great. You could also try cinnamon. I appreciate you coming by!
Mary Ann -
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Sandy
I wanted to make a spinach, strawberry salad for Easter, but couldn’t find one with candied walnuts. Truthfully, I was scared to death that it would be involved and hard to do. But you made it so easy!! I did add a touch of cinnamon. I had your video running in the background, as if you were talking me through it. They are PERFECT, 1st time. Thank you. And Happy Easter.
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theFrugalChef
Yay! I am so happy these worked for you! Thank you so much for letting me know! Happy Easter to you too! Have a great week!
Mary Ann -
theFrugalChef
Thanks for the tip! Have a great week!
Mary Ann -
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Cynthia
Have followed written recipe countless times but never come out right..hard, like toffy, etc. Your video was what I needed to see the steps/consistency. Thank you MaryAnn..I’ll be back!
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theFrugalChef
Hi Cynthia!
I am so happy to hear this! Awesome! Thanks for coming by. Have a great Holiday Season!
Mary Ann -
Laura
It worked! Thank you for the video, it helped so much!
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theFrugalChef
Yay! I am happy to hear this! Thank you so much for giving it a try and letting me know! Happy Holidays!
Mary Ann -
Irene Skibinsky
Actually, I had better results with a different proportion: 1-1/2 cups walnut halves to 1/2 cup of sugar! It turned out perfectly coated with a hint of heat from the cayenne pepper I added. Thank you so much for your recipe and video.
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theFrugalChef
Hi Irene!
Thanks for sharing! I really appreciate it. I will try your method as well. I appreciate you stopping by!
Mary Ann -
Italian Food Recipes
Hi there! This is the third time visiting now and I really just wanted
to say I truley relish looking through your site. I decided to bookmark it at digg.
com with the title: How to Make Candied Walnuts | The Frugal Chef and your Domain name: http://thefrugalchef.
com/2011/04/candied-walnuts/. I hope this is okay with you,
I’m making an attempt to give your great blog a bit more publicity. Be back shortly. -
theFrugalChef
Hi Christian!
I appreciate this very much! Thank you. I am happy you find value here! Have a great week!
Mary Ann -
Carol
Do you use raw nuts?
Thanks -
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pinterest
Hi there just wanted to give you a quick heads up and let you know a few of the pictures aren’t loading properly.
I’m not sure why but I think its a linking issue.
I’ve tried it in two different browsers and both show the
same outcome. -
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Aruneema
What will happen if I use butter (ghee) for this recipe?
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mary ann allen
Hi Aruneema!
You can go ahead and use ghee for this recipe. Your walnuts will have a toffee like crust. Thanks!
Mary Ann
Comments are closed.
Sadiya
Wow, you made it look so easy! Thanks