By Vida Gustafson
Contributing Writer
The delicious smell of these roasting in the oven will fill your house with warm cinnamon and vanilla flavors. These candied walnuts have a crisp sweet outer shell and the roasting really amps up their earthy, nutty taste. They are great on a cheeseboard, paired with some blue cheese and persimmons, or you can toss them with some butter lettuce and tart dried cranberries for a tasty fall salad. The recipe is endlessly customizable; some people like to add a little kick of cayenne pepper to the cinnamon. Sometimes I like to use rum flavoring and nutmeg to make an eggnog inspired version. You can even add a dash more sea salt for a truly sweet and salty taste. Also feel free to use any kind of nut or nut mix, make sure they are raw, or they will become overcooked.
Ingredients
- 1 lbs./16 oz Raw walnuts
- 1/3 C brown sugar
- ½ C granulated sugar
- 1 egg white
- 1 tbsp water
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp kosher salt
Method
Preheat the oven to 250° F. In a large bowl, whisk together the egg white, vanilla and water until very foamy. Add the raw nuts and stir to coat. Mix the brown and white sugar, cinnamon and salt in a separate bowl and then add it to the nuts, it will coat and stick to the nuts thanks to the egg white coating.
Bake for 1 hour, stirring at two intervals. Before removing the whole tray from the oven, test one by seeing if the coating crisps up when cooled.
