Stovetop candied walnuts are addictive. I didn’t intend to spend even 10 minutes of my weekend making these tasty delights. but after seeing them in a recipe a few days ago, I couldn’t resist.
For my Progressive Eats contribution this month, I’m making Retro Waldorf Salad. Researching the post, I found a recipe titled “Waldorf Salad with Truffles and Candied Walnuts.” It called for more minced black winter truffles and deep fried candied walnuts. I can’t afford truffles and don’t think I would like them anyway. I didn’t want to deep fry any ingredient of my salad either.
But the phrase “candied walnuts,” remained firmly planted in my mind.
With a bit more research, I discovered that you can make stovetop candied walnuts without deep frying them. After looking at versions from Genius Kitchen and Natasha’s Kitchen (the similarity in their names is coincidental), I was ready to start.
The whole process takes less than 10 minutes and it’s not messy if you are organized.
Tips for Making Stovetop Candied Walnuts
- Get organized. Once the walnuts go in the pan, you won’t have time to scurry around looking for a place to put the spatula or parchment paper. I’m not always as good as I should be about this rule when cooking, but it’s essential when the process is quick. It’s like stir-frying, but with sugar.
- Use a heavy pan. I prefer cast iron but any heavy pan will do. A lighter one will tend to heat too quickly and burn the sugar.
- After cooking the walnuts, let them cool down before you touch them. Really.
Stovetop Candied Walnuts
These addictive sweets require only 3 ingredients and take under 10 minutes to make.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 cup chopped walnuts
- 1/4 cup sugar (granulated)
Instructions
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Melt the butter on low heat. Add the chopped walnuts and stir until they are well coated. Then add the sugar.
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Once the sugar is added, raise the heat to medium and stir frequently for 5 minutes with a heat-resistant spatula. For the first 2 1/2 minutes or so, the sugar will soften but remain visible in granules. After that, it begins to soften and liquify. Once it begins to soften, keep moving the walnuts around. If necessary, lower the light to keep the sugar from burning.
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Immediately after the 5 minutes of cooking, pour the walnuts onto a parchment-lined pan or baking sheet in a single layer. They will cool down in less than 5 minutes. Try to separate the walnuts while they are still hot. As they cool, they will crisp up and if any remain attached, you can break them apart.
This method should work well with pecans, too. And both types of candied nuts (in halves rather than chopped) would make great additions to holiday gift bags.
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Jlee says
Did anyone else have trouble getting the sugar to melt and coat the nuts? I followed directions to a T and have small clumps of sugar “candy” and nuts…? What did I do wrong?
Laura says
Jlee, Not sure what went wrong in your attempt to make these candied walnuts. The directions work for me. Anyone else?
pc says
yes i had to use a lot more butter than recipe called for. kept adding it until the sugar was sticking to the walnuts.
Laura says
Weird. Mine isn’t the only recipe to use just 1 tablespoon of butter per cup of walnuts and the version on Simply Recipes doesn’t use any butter at all.
Carmelita Merkler says
Mine did not work, slightly burnt, tasted awful not even a hint of sweetness. Followed the recipe, ingredients ready before I turned on the gas stove, parchment paper ready, timer used and started. I used a Calphalon pan. Medium heat might have been too hot. Next time I will use low setting. Taste is missing something. Disappointed.
Laura says
Carmelita, Sorry that yours didn’t turn out well. Stovetop heat is so variable – I can well imagine that medium on my burner (also gas) would translate to a lower setting on yours. And as to the taste missing something, maybe you’d enjoy adding a flavor that goes well. I consulted one of my favorite books for cooking inspiration, The Flavor Bible, for ideas on what flavors pair well with walnut. The book lists chocolate, orange, vanilla and brown sugar as going especially well.
Barb says
I had a hard time getting sugar to melt. Kept adding more butter. Sugar hardened somewhat but didn’t stick to the walnuts
Laura says
Oh dear. Sorry to hear that. It’s worked for me and others – not sure what the problem was.
Pam sontag says
I used a cast iron skillet what did do wrong because everything purple was my not seasoned properly and I swear I wash it very well please help me thank you
Laura says
Pam, Sorry but I can’t understand your comment nor can I figure out what you did wrong. Mine came out beautifully.