These should come with a warning, they are so incredibly tasty and super moreish! This easy Candied Nut recipe is simple to make and you’ll not be able to stop at one. 

 

I have been wanting to perfect this recipe since I tried candied almonds several years ago in America. I hadn’t found anything I liked as much here in New Zealand, and now when you do they are quite pricey.

 

So with the festive season coming up and edible gifts on my mind I wanted to test out a few versions and this one was definitely the winner.

Nuts are traditionally gifted at Christmastime due to being ancient symbols of good luck and fertility apparently. Or they just taste really really good! 

 

Candied nuts are simply nuts coated in sugar and cinnamon, but first coated in a whipped egg white which binds the sugar coating to the nuts, this then hardens as it is slowly baked, resulting in lovely golden crunchy sweet nuts.

Their origins are likely from France, starting with pralines which were caramelized sugar coated almonds. Pecans being more abundant soon became the usual nut used, and now we have an abundance of delicious nuts to try.

 

Typically many of these recipes are made with Pecans, however my version can be made with any nuts you like. I like a combination of cashews, walnuts, almonds and pecans.

You can do a single type of nut or a mixture to suit your tastes and what you have available. 

 

The ingredients you need are:

Please scroll down to the printable recipe card for full ingredients and method

• White Sugar

• Brown Sugar

• Cinnamon

• Salt

• Nuts – Cashews, Almonds, Pecans, Walnuts etc

• Egg White

• Vanilla

• Water

 

Baked for an hour in a low oven until dry and crunchy, these are such a lovely recipe to fill your home with the smells of the festive season. You will need around 4 cups of nuts so this makes a big batch, perfect for gifting. 

 

The first step is to whip together the egg white with some vanilla and a little water, to make fluffy medium peaks, you can do this with a whisk by hand, it only takes a few minutes. 

 

Then add that to that the nuts and allow them to sit for 5 minutes while you prepare the sugars and the cinnamon.

Everyone has different tastes when it comes to the cinnamon, I stick with 1 teaspoon but it is quite subtle, some like more, others less. A little pinch of salt adds a nice contrast. 

 

Adding a little heat suits some people, for me I just like the straight sweetness, with the savoury nut coming through. However feel free to add a small punch of cayenne pepper if you like the contrast and added warmth. 

 

The sugar mixture is then folded into the nuts, and clings well to the egg white coated nuts. Then this is spread onto two lined trays and baked for an hour. During this time the nuts are stirred every 15 minutes to ensure even roasting, and then spread evenly again until they are dry and crunchy. 

 

Once they are golden brown and crispy, remove from the oven and let them cool completely on the pan before adding them to an airtight container. They keep so well, at room temp for a week, in the fridge for a few weeks, or frozen for up to 3 months. 

 

I hope you love this one, I cannot wait to see how you wrap them for gifts, or how many batches you nibbled on yourself! There are many different versions available online to choose from, I hope you love this easy one. 

If you have any nuts leftover be sure to check out my Caramel Nut Slice, such a dreamy easy recipe! 

Onto this recipe for Easy Candied Nuts

Be sure to rate it and let me know in the comments below what you think once you have made these yourself.

 

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Happy Baking!

Anna

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