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
I tried to do the candied nuts and added maple syrup to the water thinking I was adding flavor. It didn’t boil down to crystalize – it just got soupy. I’m not a cook, but …what happened? 🙁
The syrup interfered with the chemical process. You don’t want to mess with sugar, it’s very touchy!
I made these because Whole Food sells these caramelized spanish pecans (imported from Spain) which are expensive and they don’t often stock them. So I decided to make my own. I used the oven per the instructions and they taste amazing. Doesn’t taste exactly like it but it is just as good if not better.
Great snack and lovely to give as a gift when placed in a fancy container and tied with ribbon! I do the skillet method also. However, I add a tablespoon of lemon juice which adds a slight sweet and sour taste! I end up eating most of them before anyone even knows I have made them!
I follwed directions but mine looked nothing like picture. They looked like molasses and tasted burnt. Any ideas why?
Sounds like you burned them 🙁 They should be a nice light caramel color, and although the caramel mixture is soft and gooey when they are removed from the pan, they harden and turn crisp as they cooled. All pans and ovens are different, so it’s best to go by appearance and smell!
I transferred the batch I just made to waxed paper and the nuts stuck and now have a paper coating. I recommend changing the recipe to say DON’T transfer to wax paper. Back to the store for more nuts…
I’ve done it on waxed paper before with no problems, but that’s good to know!
Can one use regular maple syrup instead of corn syrup ? Or is this a silly question !
Not a silly question! I bet it would work just fine 🙂
Thanks so much for having this on the web
I would think you could make them several days in advance if you store them in an airtight container.
This was the first time that I’ve attempted to make these and they turned out absolutely delicious! Using them as a pancake topping for my Father’s Day breakfast for my hubby. Thank you!
This recipe is perfect! I have used this recipe with sliced, blanched almonds and puvlerized the caramelized nuts in the food processor and used it as a crumb mixture. It adds a perfect crunch and texture to cakes and chocolates. Thanks for sharing!