Candied walnuts- made with just walnut, sugar and water in under 10 minutes. Ideal winter candy for snacking that doubles as a topping for sweet or savory dishes. A beautiful homemade gift to give any time of the year.
-----2019's most crowd pleasing ways to have candied walnuts, best tasting and my personal favorites are -------
- IF YOU ARE IN THE HOLIDAY MOOD - Show stopper appetizer, the French Brie cheese slathered with fig spread and topped of with candied walnut. It is the best I have ever tasted.
- IF YOU ARE IN THE DIET MOOD - Candied walnut tastes great in green salads. The sweet and salty combination with the crunch is sooo good. They elevate your everyday simple salad with basic vinaigrette to the next level.
Here are some similar candies you could try if you love brittles. SESAME BRITTLE made with sesame seed. Interestingly I find older people have a great liking for this and enjoy eating it . COCONUT BURFI made with coconut a slightly softer version not as hard as brittle yet crisp. CASHEW BURFI made with cashew nut and milk powder.
Candied walnut
Ingredients
- 2 cups Walnut Pick only pretty looking walnut halves
- 1 cup Sugar
- 1 cup Water
- 1 Lime juice or lemon juice
Instructions
- In a heavy bottom pan add a cup of water and sugar. Simply swirl the pan until the sugar dissolves.
- Allow this to come to a rolling boil. The lime juice and the walnut give it a quick stir. Cover it and allow it to cook on high flame. Open and check in between.
- Boil it for 5 minutes.
- When the sugar begins to change keep an eye (see notes). Remove from heat immediately,
- Carefully place each walnut on the wax paper separately with a fork. Work fast else you will end up with clusters not singles.
- Allow it to cool down completely before toughing the walnut. After 10 minutes or so slowly remove the walnut. If there is excess sugar on the side simply snap it off.
- Walnut candied can be used as a snack,use in cheese boards, in ice cream, as cake topping, praline on desserts
Video
Warnings to keep in mind: The sugar syrup has a very high temperature until it cools down so do not be tempted to touch it to see if it is done. It could cause very serious burns.
The sugar syrup will burn very quickly and will become inedible if left unattended as it . So be attentive and always keep an eye on it. Using a glass lid while cooking helps to see whats happening inside. For the most part the sugar syrup will look like it is bubbling the color change happens very quickly.
How much stirring is too much stirring ?
The sugar bond is very finicky. If you stir too much in the initial stages the bond is broken too early and it won't thicken to required consistency. You might have learnt in school that the sugar bonds can form hard crystals if it is not broken and allowed to solidify. The lemon/ lime juice or the acidic substance breaks that bond and gives a much smoother texture. The oils in the nuts also prevents the sugar from forming hard crystal bonds. High heat cooking too plays an important role in getting the right texture.
How to know if the sugar has caramelized enough for candied walnuts?
The sugar at high temperature can burn in a split second and turn into bitter tasting nuts. Ideally the nuts should be removed from the heat when the water in the nut sugar mixture begins to evaporate a lot and the color is light yellowish to light caramel color.It will caramelize in the residual heat of the container and by the time the nut cools down completely on the wax paper. Do not wait for the right brown color while it is still on the stove, you will hear nut cracking and bursting noises this says its burning in the sugar syrup and it is inedible. (Been there done that! 🙂 )
Best use: Candied walnut tastes great in green salads. The sweet and salty combination with the crunch is soo good. They elevate your everyday simple salad with basic vinaigrette to the next level
Hope you would give this a try and let me know.
Meena
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