Candied Walnuts
- Total Time: 35 mins
- Yield: 3 cups 1x
Description
These spiced treats are delicious as a snack, on salads and as an ice cream, pudding or cake topping and make a great homemade gift.
Ingredients
- 4 tsp butter
- 1 tbsp (15 ml) olive oil
- 1 tsp apple pie spice
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 3 cup (720 ml) walnuts
- 3/4 cup (180 ml) dark brown sugar
- 2 tbsp (30 ml) honey
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325°F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper or foil. If using foil, spray with cooking spray or lightly grease with oil.
- Combine butter, olive oil, brown sugar, honey, apple pie spice, and sea salt in a medium-size sauté pan. Cook over medium heat until bubbly and well combined, stirring occasionally.
- Add walnuts and cook for 5-6 minutes, stirring continuously with a heat-proof spatula or wooden spoon till golden and sugar mixture binds to the walnuts. Turn onto prepared pan, and working quickly, separate nuts with wooden spoon or spatula. Be careful the nuts will be very hot!
- Place pan in oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until nuts are a deep, golden brown. Stir nuts occasionally during baking time, then spread out again to a single layer. Remove from oven. Cool completely, then store in an airtight container.
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 25 mins
- Category: Snack
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/4 cup
- Calories: 200
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Frequently Asked Questions
Why does this recipe cook the walnuts on the stovetop first and then finish them in the oven?
The stovetop step — combining butter, olive oil, brown sugar, honey, apple pie spice, and salt over medium heat until bubbly, then adding the walnuts and cooking 5-6 minutes — coats and binds the sugar mixture to the nuts before they go into the oven. The 325°F oven then caramelizes the coating to a deep golden brown over 15-20 minutes, which a stovetop alone couldn’t achieve without burning the sugar.
The instructions warn the nuts are very hot — what should I be careful of?
When you turn the coated walnuts onto the prepared pan and separate them, the sugar coating is at candy temperature — it will cause serious burns if it contacts skin. Use a heat-proof spatula or wooden spoon to spread the nuts apart quickly, and don’t touch them with bare hands until they are completely cool.
