Candied Maple Walnuts (Crispy Stovetop Method)
Walnuts, salted butter, and pure maple syrup cooked in one skillet until the syrup caramelizes into a glossy coating. No refined sugar and no oven. About 10 minutes on the stove, plus 30 minutes of cooling before they turn crisp.
Servings: 2 people
Calories: 515kcal
Equipment
- 1 non-stick pan
Ingredients
- 1 cup walnuts (halved or chopped)
- 3 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon salted butter add pinch of salt if using unsalted butter
Instructions
- Heat the pan. Set a heavy-bottomed skillet over medium heat and let it come up to temperature before anything goes in. A cold pan means the butter sits and the syrup starts reducing unevenly once it hits.
- Add the butter and walnuts. Let the butter melt all the way through, tossing so it coats the walnuts. Don't let it brown yet. A minute or two in the melted butter gives the walnuts a head start on toasting before the syrup goes in.1 tablespoon salted butter, 1 cup walnuts (halved or chopped)
- Add the maple syrup. Pour it in and stir until every walnut is coated. Do it while the syrup is still thin, because once it starts reducing it stops moving around the pan and you'll get bare patches.3 tablespoon maple syrup
- Cook for 5 to 7 minutes, stirring constantly. Watch the stages, not the clock. The syrup bubbles across the pan, then the bubbling slows and it starts clinging to the walnuts instead of pooling underneath, then the nuts clump together and the pan looks nearly dry. When the coating turns thick and glossy and drags behind the spoon, they're done. If liquid is still running loose in the pan, they aren't.
- Cool for 30 minutes. Spread on parchment in a single layer and separate any clumps while they're still warm, since they set hard and won't break apart cleanly later. They crisp as they cool, not in the pan, so they'll feel soft and tacky coming out of the skillet. That's normal.
Notes
Walnuts. Use raw and unsalted. Roasted walnuts toast a second time in the pan and turn bitter, and salted ones fight the salt from the butter. Taste one before you start, since walnuts that have been in the pantry a while go bitter on their own.
Maple syrup. Pure maple syrup only. Pancake syrup is mostly corn syrup and won't caramelize, so the coating stays wet instead of setting.
Pan. A heavy-bottomed skillet gives you margin. Thin pans concentrate heat and take the syrup from caramelized to burnt in seconds.
If they turn out sticky. The syrup didn't cook long enough and water is still trapped in the coating. Spread them on a baking sheet, heat at 300°F for 3 to 5 minutes, then cool completely on the counter.
Substitutions. Coconut oil or vegan butter in place of butter, though the coating sets softer. Pecans, almonds, or cashews in place of walnuts, with pecans cooking about a minute faster.
Storage. Airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks, or the freezer for up to 3 months. Pack the container reasonably full, since air is what softens the coating.
Cleanup. Soak the pan in warm water for 10 minutes and the hardened syrup dissolves on its own.
Nutrition
Serving: 2g | Calories: 515kcal | Carbohydrates: 26.3g | Protein: 15.1g | Cholesterol: 15mg | Sodium: 45mg | Sugar: 18.6g
