Toffee Walnuts - An Easy Candied Nuts Recipe! (2024)

FAQs

Why are my candied walnuts grainy? ›

The sugar will look grainy until the melting/liquifying process happens at the very end. Immediately transfer nuts to parchment paper and separate using 2 forks OR let the nuts harden together and break them apart with your fingers once cooled.

QUICK TIP. If the Candied Walnuts turn sticky, rescue them by transferring them to a lined baking sheet and bake for 5-15 minutes at 325 degrees F. Watch carefully — at the higher temperature it is more likely the nuts will burn.

Yes, candied nuts can go bad.

If your candied pecans are sticky, it is likely because the sugar syrup coating has not completely hardened. The syrup may still be wet, or it may have started to crystalize. If the syrup is still wet, you can try putting the nuts in the oven for a few minutes to help the syrup harden.

Soaking nuts

Simply place your nuts in a bowl, add 1 to 2 teaspoons sea salt and cover with warm or room temperature water. Leave to sit for 7 hours or overnight before draining (note: cashews shouldn't be soaked for more than 6 hours).

To make rancid walnuts tasty again, a "chemical engineer" (consulted for this purpose) advises to soak the rancid walnuts in milk or other emulsive ingredient which is then rinsed off with hot water, and the nuts gently dried and roasted with sea salt.

Walnuts contain natural compounds, including tannins, which contribute to their bitter taste. Soaking walnuts in water can help reduce the bitterness by leaching out some of these compounds.

Let the walnuts cool completely: Let the candied walnuts cool for ten minutes or so before moving them around or taking them off the pan. It will be easier to break them up, the texture is best and they won't burn your mouth.

1. Toasting nuts takes away their raw, sort of green flavor and gives them roasty, toasty brown notes. 2. Toasting nuts gives them better texture and crunch.

If your walnuts smell like paint thinner, you know they're rancid. And if they're rancid, you should throw them away!

How to improve the taste of walnuts? ›

According to The Flavor Bible by Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg, the best food pairings for walnuts are apples, honey, prunes, sugar, sharp and mild cheeses, brandy, sweet dry wine, whiskey, coffee and many other fruits and spices.

Although it may be technically safe for dogs to eat a few walnuts (especially if they are store-bought and unsalted), walnuts are not the best choice for your dog. Walnuts can be a choking hazard for dogs and, when eaten in large quantities, can lead to a potentially life-threatening condition called pancreatitis.

Salt: 1/2 teaspoon of fine sea salt makes these taste salty-sweet. If you'd prefer to not taste the salt, reduce to 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Pecans too sticky: If your nuts are still sticky after cooling, heat your oven to 325°F (162°C) and bake for 5 to 10 minutes to help harden the candy coating.

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.

To Store: Candied nuts can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature or in the fridge for several weeks. To Freeze: They freeze well in an airtight container for up to 2 months.

The problem is that crystals of sugar were re-introduced into the liquid candy. This will cause your candy to crystallize and become grainy. To prevent this, (stove-top method only) wipe down the inner sides of your pan a few times with a wet pastry brush while your candy is boiling.

If you are getting a grainy, rough or matte surface on your clear glaze, it is often caused by either a thin application of clear glaze or an underfiring of the glaze. Mixing non-toxic & toxic glazes: Toxic and non-toxic formulas can be very different so we do not suggest you try this.

Essentially, brown sugar hardens when moisture evaporates due to aging or improper storage. But hardened sugar is still safe to eat and use—you just have to soften it back up to a usable texture. If your recipe has the sugar dissolving or melting into a liquid, you can actually use the hardened stuff without issue.

What's important to know is that the corn syrup controls the grain of the brittle so adding too little and you have a grainy textured brittle, while adding too much will result in a stringy and sticky brittle. To start this Peanut Brittle, the water, corn syrup, sugar, raw peanuts, and salt are brought to a boil.