Candied Walnuts
This recipe will yield a bunch of nuts, so gift the rest to your guests or stash away for yourself. They won’t last long.
Ingredients
- 2 cups walnuts
- ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
- Pinch ground ginger
- Pinch ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon sea salt plus more for sprinkling
- ¾ cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons water
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper, and set aside. Spread walnuts on a separate rimmed baking sheet, and toast in oven for 7 to 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool.
- Combine cardamom, ginger, cinnamon, and salt in a small mixing bowl, and set aside.
- In a medium saucepan, heat sugar and water over medium-high heat, and cook without stirring until syrup dissolves and turns a deep amber color, 7 to 10 minutes.
- Quickly add spice mix and the walnuts to the saucepan, and stir to combine. Spread nuts onto lined baking sheet, and return to oven. Bake for another 7 to 10 minutes. About halfway through baking, open oven, use a fork to break any nut clusters apart, and sprinkle nuts with additional salt, if you like.
- Remove from oven. While nuts are still hot, break up any remaining clusters with a fork. Cool completely. Stored in an airtight container, nuts will keep at room temperature for about a week.
Leigh Belanger
Leigh Belanger is culture's former food editor. She's been a food writer, editor, and project manager for over a decade— serving as program director for Chefs Collaborative and contributing to local newspapers and magazines. Her first book, The Boston Homegrown Cookbook, was published in 2012. She lives and cooks in Boston with her family.
