These candied walnuts are crunchy, sweet, and last but not least super easy to make. This is the best candied walnuts recipe you’ve ever tried.
This crunchy candied walnuts recipe is one of my favorite recipes. I love the way the walnuts turn out at the end of the process: crunchy, sweet and super shiny.
If you notice, most of candied walnuts recipes out there have the white sugar coated the outside of walnuts. It likes you eating and munching on granulated sugar, in my opinion.
With the methods used in this recipe, we will get rid of that white coat. Instead, a shiny and very attracting coat is in place.
To sum up, these crunchy candied walnuts are not only tasty but also look amazing. You might not even believe they’re homemade after you finished cooking.
Facts about walnuts
Walnuts, together with peanuts, are non-nut nuts.
Because generally, nuts are the edible single-seed kernel of a fruit surrounded by a hard shell. While walnuts have two kernels and peanuts are legumes that grow underground.
Walnuts are relatives of pecans. They are native to Europe, North America and Asia.
Inside the US, pecans perhaps are the most famous and popular nuts. However, outside of the US, walnuts are more popular.
Walnuts are often used in baked goods, side dishes or cold pressed for oil.
The most common variety of walnuts are English walnuts, now grown primarily in California.
Black walnuts, native to Appalachia, has a dark brown meat and very strong flavor.
Health benefits of walnuts
According to Healthline, there are several science-based health benefits of walnuts.
- They have higher antioxidant level than any other nuts
- Walnuts are a good source of omega-3 which helps to reduce heart disease
- Walnuts may help to decrease inflammation which the root of many bad diseases like diabetes, heart disease, and cancer
- They can support good brain function and aging
Ingredients, variations, pairings and storage of this crunchy candied walnuts recipe
Ingredients
It is best to use raw walnuts. However, if salted walnuts or flavored walnuts are all you have, they can still be used in this recipe.
Variations
There are couple of variations you can do with this recipe: replace the walnuts then you have candied cashews and candied pecans
Pairings
The beautiful of candied walnuts is you can do a lot of things with them.
You can eat them as they are because they are delicious. Just a soft warning, you might be addicted to their sweetness. Bonus: my cats love these snacks.
Besides, they are a good add-on for any charcuterie and cheese platter, a good garnish for Western style salad, or semi-sweet dessert like panna cotta.
Storage
Walnuts, or nuts in general, are high in fat so that make them very vulnerable to rancidity and odor absorption. Rancidity is caused by temperature, light, air, exposed surface, and traces of metal (Science Direct).
So it is best to store walnuts and their relatives in a nonmetal, airtight container in a cool, dark place.
Crunchy Candied Walnuts
Equipment
- Food mesh strainer OR
- Stainless steel colander
- 1 small rimmed baking pan lined with paper towel
- 1 small rimmed baking pan lined with parchment paper
Ingredients
- 2 c raw walnuts or flavored walnuts
- 1/2 c sugar
- 2 c water
- vegetable oil as needed
Instructions
- In a sauce pan, combine walnuts, sugar, and water bring to boil then reduce the heat to medium. The water shoulbe be enough to cover walnuts completely. Add more if needed.
- Let the walnut mixture simmer. Remember to not stir the pot contantly or it might cause sugar to crystalize.
- The mixture should be simmer from 15 to 20 minutes. You can give the mixture a few stir when it is half way of the process (after boiling for 10 minutes) to coat the walnuts evenly with sugar syrup.
- When many white bubbles start to appear on the surface, and the liquid reduced by third, turn off the heat immediately. Don't let the sugar crystalize and form a white coat outside of walnuts and don't wait until the liquid reduce completely to turn off the heat.
- Remove the pot from the heat immediately and strain walnuts through a food mesh or stainless steel colander.
- Quickly lay the walnuts 1 inch away from each others on a rimmed baking pan that lined with paper towel or the walnuts will start sticking together.
- In a cooking pot, fill enough vegetable oil to fry walnuts (about 4 cups of oil).
- Bring oil temperature to at least 350F. Divide the walnuts into 3 batches and deep fry each batch for 2 minutes or until the color of walnuts turn brown-ish.
- Immediately take walnuts out and line on rimmed baking pan line with parchment paper. If you use paper towel or oil-absorbed paper, the candied walnuts will stick to the paper and very hard to take them apart.
- Remember to have a little space between each walnut (about 1 in) or they might stick to each other.
- Let the walnut cool completely to room temperature before store them in an nonmetal airtight containers in a cool, dark place. They can be kept for up to a week.
- Eat them in a form of candied walnut or serve them as garnish or topping of a dessert and salad (see note below). Enjoy!
Notes
Ohhhh I like the sound of these! I always have walnuts in the cupboard but mostly eat them raw. #KCACOLS
I love raw walnuts too. As for these sweet version I’m addicted to them. There were days when I constantly open the box and munch on them.
My husband would love these and I bet they would go great on an autumn salad. Thanks so much for linking up at #KCACOLS. Hope you come back again next time.
I adore walnuts for me they are the best nuts xx #KCACOLS
This looks absolutely amazing! We love walnuts but I’d never thought of using them in a recipe like this, what a yummy snack. #KCACOLS