Caramelizing may sound scary, but it’s pretty darn easy, and once you get the technique down, you can caramelize any nut to your heart’s content. They’re great on salads, on top of desserts, or just to snack on!
There are several different methods of caramelizing nuts, but this is my favorite because I think it’s the easiest. You make sort of a caramel coating and toast the nuts in it as it cooks as opposed to just melting plain sugar which can sometimes end in disaster.
In these pictures I’m using macadamia nuts, for the Steak and Mango Salad, but you could do pecans, walnuts, whatever. And let me just say that these are g o o d. I made these ones for my dinner, and instead I ate the entire pan plain!
Caramelized Nuts
recipe by Our Best Bites
2 T brown sugar
1/2 T light corn syrup
1/2 T butter
1/2 C nuts
Optional: 1/8 tsp cinnamon (SO good)
Place brown sugar, corn syrup, and butter (and cinnamon if you’re using) in a non-stick skillet on the stove top. Set heat to medium or medium-high. Stir the mixture as it comes together until it bubbles like this:
Add nuts and stir to coat
Continue cooking for 5-7 minutes, stirring constantly until nuts turn golden brown in color and smell toasted.
OR, after nuts are coated in sugar mixture, transfer from skillet to a parchment lined baking sheet and place in a 400 degree oven. Stir occasionally (every 1-2 minutes) until golden brown and toasted. It happens quick, so keep an eye on them!
Transfer to foil (lightly sprayed with non-stick spray) or parchment and cool completely.
Break them apart with your fingers and enjoy!
Pecans:
Questions & Reviews
This was so good i put it on top of carot cupcakes. also i made brittle i changed it alittle for the brittle i used 1 cup brown sugar and one cup boiling water and put the nuts on a baking pan and poured the mixture on top then put it in a 350 degree oven for 2 mins and lets it cool in the freezer for 3 mins it came out AMAZING!!! it melted when it hit ur tounge but i used walnut.
These turned out awesome. I completed entire process in a saute pan. I turned the pecans ever minute for about 12 minutes and they are perfect and crunchy.
You could substitute honey for corn syrup. It adds a tinge of different flavor, but acts the same way, which is to keep the caramel from crystalizing.
I dont have the corn syrup, can I substitute something else?
Im a cake decorator and I was asked for a caramelized pistachio cake filling. Does this caramelizing method work for pistachios? After caramelizing the pistachios, Im sure I can make a cake filling with them right?
Never tried it with pistachios, but you can give it a shot! 🙂
Does T stand for table spoon?
Yep!
Awesome. I am on. Ww. So to make it a little more ww
Friendly I used becel and brown sugar sweetener
Still used corn syrup. This has spiced up my
Foods in an awesome way. By the way I used a mix of walnut
Almonds and pecans. 1/2 tsp on fruit veg ff desserts salads
and potatoes.
Thank you Thank you Thank you !!!
How many times can you double the recipe and have it still work? (I use the word double because quadruple is the biggest word I know for that…and I still think I would want to do more nuts than that!) Should I just make several single batches of this? Sorry for a silly question…
Jeannette, you can do however many will fit in/on your pan 🙂
I soooo love your site. You make food I would actually EAT and COOK. Bless you both. 🙂 I use many of your recipes and I have to say thanks for this post on the nuts. I tried a recipe where you are supposed to melt the white sugar and you’re right, it WAS a disaster. I was so confused! I wish I would have checked here FIRST but I didn’t think you would have a recipe for this! Proved me wrong! Your way is MUCH MUCH easier! xoxo
Mmmm…I’m addicted now. I will be making them again…and again. They are great on salads!! Thanks!
Barbara- I just edited to save a step and cooked them entirely in the skillet. If you prefer, you could put them in the oven instead. 400 degrees, and just stir them every couple of minutes until they're toasty brown!