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

How long can you keep candied walnuts? ›

After these candied walnuts have cooled completely, I recommend storing them in an airtight container. They'll last for up to a week. However, if you want them to last even longer you can store them in the refrigerator. They'll last for 3 weeks, although they won't be as crunchy.

Why are my candied walnuts soft? ›

Let the candied nuts cool for at least 20 minutes or until completely cool. You don't want to package warm nuts or the moisture will cause condensation which will soften the candy coating.

How do you keep candied nuts from sticking? ›

They were not baked long enough or they were not baked at the correct heat temperature. Another reason could be that they they were not spread out properly in the tray to allow even baking. How to keep candied nuts from sticking? Toss the nuts with a spoon every 10-15 minutes during baking.

What to do with too many walnuts? ›

10 Simple Ways to Use Walnuts
  1. Plus-Up Cereal or Oatmeal. ...
  2. Make a DIY Trail Mix. ...
  3. Pair with Fruit, Cheese, and Crackers. ...
  4. Swap-in on Salads. ...
  5. Add to Sandwiches and Wraps. ...
  6. Make-Ahead Walnut Pesto. ...
  7. Just Eat a Handful Plain. ...
  8. Top Your Pizza, Pasta, or Roasted Veggies.
Sep 15, 2022

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.

Do walnuts go bad if not refrigerated? ›

You can maintain the fresh taste of California walnuts by keeping them cold. 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.

Do you really need to soak walnuts? ›

"Soaking can also help prevent indigestion as it helps reduce gas forming compounds. It also reduces polyphenols and increase nutrient availability. Besides, soaking walnuts also improves their texture," says Bharadwaj. "Just soak 2-4 walnut pieces overnight in a cup of water and have them.

How long to soak walnuts to make them soft? ›

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.

Why do my walnuts taste funny? ›

Nuts with higher fat content, like walnuts and pecans can also go rancid after a few months if stored at too warm a temperature. If you notice that your nuts have taken on a noticeably bitter, sour flavor, they may have entered this unfortunate phase.

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.

Why are my candied nuts grainy? ›

Either you used raw nuts, or you added them before the sugar had a chance to fully caramelize. Why is the sugar all crystallized and grainy looking? It means that the sugar has crystallized before caramelizing.

Why wont my candied fruit harden? ›

If your candied coating isn't hardening, the candying mixture did not reach a high enough temperature.

What happens if you eat 20 walnuts a day? ›

Excessive consumption of walnuts may cause diarrhea, bloating, stomach pain or kidney stones. Due to the phytic acid they contain, too many walnuts may also inhibit the absorption of dietary iron, calcium and zinc. Recommendation: One ounce (10-14) English walnut halves per day.

What happens if you eat 4 walnuts a day? ›

Eating walnuts on a daily basis poses little to no harm unless you have a food sensitivity, intolerance or allergy. With that said, replacing less nutrient-dense foods with nutrient-dense options, like walnuts, may help you achieve your health goals. Who knows, you may experience a boost in your mood, too.

Is there a downside to eating walnuts? ›

Walnuts are tasty and healthy, but you should eat them carefully. Eating a hundred grams of walnuts will add 654 calories to your daily intake. This will make it difficult to include enough foods from the other major food groups in your diet.

Do candied nuts go bad? ›

Ba-dum-dum. Okay, all bad dad jokes aside, these candied walnuts will last quite a while. All nuts do go rancid eventually, but as long as you cool them completely and then store them in an air-tight container, they should be good for about a month. You might also like our Candied Pecans recipe or Candied Almonds!

How long do walnuts last in a Mason jar? ›

Another option is to use containers with airtight seals, such as glass jars or plastic ones, to ensure the nuts maintain the proper moisture level. If you keep nuts at room temperature, ensure they are away from direct heat; this will maintain their freshness for up to 3 months, considered short-term storage.

How do you store walnuts long term? ›

Answer
  1. Store in air-tight packaging.
  2. Store away from foods with strong odors, like cabbage and onions.
  3. For short-term storage, keep them in your refrigerator. If you'll be storing them for a month or longer, store them in your freezer.
  4. Prep as needed – shell, chop or grind walnuts right before using them.

How long do baked walnuts last? ›

If you plan on storing them long-term, you can refrigerate or freeze them for 2 to 3 months. If you store the toasted walnuts at room temperature, keep them in a dark, cool place and use them within 1 week.

References

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