Description
This Candied Nuts Recipe is SO EASY & Delicious! You can us ANY Nuts or Seeds… Plus there’s NO Baking! It’s Egg Free, Gluten Free & Dairy Free! Perfect for Snacks, Parties, Fundraisers, Gifts and Holiday Treats!
Ingredients
Scale
COATING MIXTURE:
- 3 Cups Sugar (I use Evaporated Cane Juice)
- 3 Tablespoons Cinnamon
- 1/4 Teaspoon Salt
- 1 1/2 Cups Water
NUTS:
- 7 Cups of any Nuts/Seeds/Coconut (approx 1.75 pounds, measured & set-aside)
Instructions
- Line a Cookie Sheet with Wax or Parchment Paper and set-aside. Keep you oven-mitts handy too.
- Measure out your Nuts or Seeds in a Medium Bowl and set-aside.
- Place your pot on your stovetop over Medium heat. (I use this Cast Iron Dutch Oven – Cast Iron is wonderful for candy making & all types of cooking since it evenly distributes heat over the whole pan – even in the oven!)
- With a Silicone spatula, mix together the Sugar, Cinnamon, Salt & Water in your pot – stirring occasionally during the first 5 minutes. Between 5-10 minutes, your mixture should start to bubble & foam.
- Continue stirring regularly as the mixture continues to heat up for the next 10 minutes. Be sure to scrape the sides of the pot as you go.
- Stir constantly during the last 5-10 minutes of cooking. Your mixture should start to thicken up and turn darker in color. This is when I use my Candy Thermometer to monitor the temperature of the candy mixture… You want it to reach ‘Soft Ball’ stage which is 238 degrees F.
IMPORTANT: Be sure the mixture is truly at 238 degrees! If you add the nuts too early, or if the temp is not accurate, you will end up with a ‘stringy’ candy result (which can still be saved – see note section below). I sometimes hold the temp for an extra minute or so until I can see the mixture pull away from the bottom of the pan when I scrape it with a rubber spatula. It is crucial to any candy recipe that your candy thermometer is accurate – I test/calibrate mine regularly against boiling water which boils at 212 degrees F.
- Once you reach the Soft Ball temperature, then work quickly to add your Nuts or Seeds to the mixture – using your spatula to continuously combine everything together – coating each Nut evenly. The coating will go from a shiny, stringy glaze to a dull, sugary coating in less than a minute. The coolness of the Nuts/Seeds will begin to crystalize the candy quickly. There should be no wet glaze leftover – it should have all crystalized.
- Using your oven mitts to handle the pot, remove from heat & carefully dump out the candied nuts/seeds onto your prepared cookie sheet & set-aside to cool completely. Break apart any large pieces. I place my cookie sheet on a cooling rack to avoid any moisture during the cooling process.
- Once the candy is cooled, you can store it in an airtight container or package it up for gift giving.
Notes
- The whole process from start to finish takes approximately 25-30 minutes.
- You can use any raw or roasted nut – even some seasoned nuts… Just keep in mind that raw nuts may turn out a little bit softer. To avoid this, you can dry roast your nuts in the oven prior to making this recipe so that they stay crispy longer.
- These Candied Nuts are best when fresh… so keep that in mind when gift giving. You can store it for longer periods of time in airtight containers or with a food sealer.
- If the nuts or candy coating seem ‘stringy’ or too soft after cooling, just pop them onto your cookie sheet & place them in the oven at 325 degrees (f), stirring gently until they crisp up.
- To warm these nuts up before serving, you can simply follow the oven instructions above or toss in a warm pan for a few minutes. But be careful when eating, they may be hot!
- Speaking of hot, my husband likes things spicy! So, you can kick these up a notch with a pinch of cayenne powder, chili powder or any spice of choice… just be sure to warn your tasters! =)
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 Piece
- Calories: 14