Three Ways to Make Candied Nuts

The holidays seem to revolve around two of our favorite things that naturally go together: Guests and food. It’s a wonderful time of year to host family and friends, and we always offer our guests food and drinks. Whether we’re brewing tea, serving snacks, or putting together an entire meal complete with dessert, we want to have refreshments at the ready.

Our latest suggestion to wow your guests is homemade candied nuts. You can find a variety of raw nuts at the supermarket, from almonds and pecans to pistachios and walnuts. It doesn’t take much time or effort to turn them into a tasty snack.

Candied Nuts: On the Stovetop

This technique from Bon Appetit is so simple we had to try it ourselves to believe it. Heat a stainless steel skillet on medium-low, and add nuts or seeds. Toss them gently until the oil in the nuts starts to come to the surface. The nuts will look shiny. Reduce the heat to low, and sprinkle sugar over the nuts as you stir them. As the sugar melts, it will glaze the nuts. Then remove the skillet from the burner and sprinkle more granulated sugar over the nuts as you stir. Let them cool on parchment paper or a cooling rack.

Here’s another simple stovetop recipe from Food Network that’s perfect for maple walnut lovers. Heat a stainless steel skillet over medium-high, then add walnut halves and maple syrup. Stir to coat the nuts with syrup, and then keep stirring as the maple syrup caramelizes. Transfer the nuts to a parchment-lined cooling rack. While the recipe calls for adding salt to the syrup, we like the suggestion made in one of the reviews to sprinkle salt over the top of the nuts before they cool. If they still seem sticky after they’ve cooled, return them to the skillet over heat again.

Candied Nuts: In the Oven

This recipe from Serious Eats will take some prep work because it uses lemon syrup that’s made separately. The syrup calls for macerating chunks of lemon rind in granulated sugar for several hours. Then use a potato ricer or handheld citrus squeezer to extract syrup from the lemon rinds.

Then you’ll toss shelled pistachios -- you can buy them shelled, or you can shell them yourself -- with the lemon syrup. Spread them on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake at 350ºF for 12-15 minutes. The syrup will darken the nuts considerably, but this doesn’t mean they’re burnt. Take the nuts out of the oven, and while they’re still hot, toss them with powdered sugar and allow them to cool for about half an hour.

Add a little heat to this treat with a recipe from Once Upon a Chef. Whisk together powdered sugar, salt, cayenne pepper, and water. Add the nuts to this mixture and stir to make sure they’re evenly coated. Spread them on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake at 350ºF for 10-12 minutes. Transfer the parchment, with the nuts still on it, to a cooling rack. This is a great technique for making several batches of candied nuts, one after the other. Just quickly wash out the bowl where you’ve mixed the coating. Try substituting cinnamon in place of the cayenne pepper too.

Candied Nuts: Deep Fried

Although we rarely deep fry in our own kitchen, we couldn’t leave out this recipe from Chef Steps. Blanch the nuts in salted water, which will remove tannins from the skin and reduce any lingering bitterness. Then toss the nuts with powdered sugar to fully coat them. Use a spider strainer to transfer the sugar-coated nuts to hot oil for deep frying. Allow them to fry for 5-8 minutes; they’ll start to float as they finish cooking. Then use a spider strainer to transfer the nuts to a cooling rack. If they stick together, use a fork to separate them so the nuts cool individually. They’re perfect for snacking, but you can also add them to salads or desserts.