Small Batch Crunchy Candied Walnuts (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. Before cooling, I like to sprinkle with cracked sea salt.

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.

Yes, candied nuts can go bad.

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.

Usually if the almonds are soft after candying it means that they weren't cooked for long enough.

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.

Walnuts go rancid when exposed to warm temperatures for long periods of time. Heat causes the fat in walnuts to change structure, which creates off odors and flavors. Fresh walnuts smell mildly nutty and taste sweet. If your walnuts smell like paint thinner, you know they're rancid.

“If a nut is really oxidized, I guarantee you you're not going to get it past your mouth because it just tastes so awful,” says Schaich. But if you do, for some reason, eating the occasional spoiled nut is “no big deal,” because we have enzymes in our stomachs that can essentially incinerate the oxidation byproducts.

Storage Instructions: Candied nuts can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature or in the fridge for several weeks. Freezing Instructions: They freeze well in an air-tight container for up to two months. Nuts: use any kind of nuts with this recipe, like walnuts, almonds, peanuts, cashews, or pistachios.

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.

Why do you soak walnuts in water? ›

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.

Here Is the Nourishing Traditions Method for Crispy Nuts:

Soak 4 cups raw nuts in sea salt and filtered water to cover in a warm place at least 7 hours. Drain and spread in a single layer (I found that part out by experience) on pans and dry in an oven on its lowest temp for 12-24 hours. Freshly shelled nuts are best.

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.