Easy Candied Nuts Recipe + VIDEO - The Recipe Rebel (2024)

FAQs

How to make candied nuts not sticky? ›

Let them cool. After a final stir out of the oven, let the pecans cool until they're safe to touch. Gently tug apart any pecans that are stuck to each other, then let them cool completely. They'll continue to crisp up as they cool.

If your candied pecans are sticky, it is likely because the sugar syrup coating has not completely hardened. The syrup may still be wet, or it may have started to crystalize. If the syrup is still wet, you can try putting the nuts in the oven for a few minutes to help the syrup harden.

Nuts naturally contain a small amount of sugar. Whilst not regarded as an inherently 'sugary food', nuts naturally contain some sugar (around 2-6g/100g, depending on the nut type) in the form of sucrose. Pistachios contain the most sugar (5.9g/100g) and Brazil nuts the least (2.1g/100g).

If the sugar mixture is not cooked to the proper temperature (the hard-crack stage 300-310° F {149-154° C.} or if you are working in a kitchen with high humidity, chances are your candy is retaining too much moisture.

Under-cooking the pecans is the likely cause of stickiness, but the risk is low when they're oven-baked. After the sugar-coated nuts have darkened and turned very fragrant, about 20 minutes in the oven, stir the pecans and separate any pieces that have stuck together. Continue to bake for an additional 20 minutes.

Usually if the almonds are soft after candying it means that they weren't cooked for long enough.

If your sugared almonds are sticky rather than crunchy on the outside, it's likely because you didn't bake them for long enough. Next time, bake the almonds for an additional 5 minutes. Just don't be tempted to increase the oven temperature as that could result in burnt almonds!

As long as it takes you to eat them! Ba-dum-dum. Okay, all bad dad jokes aside, these candied walnuts will last quite a while. All nuts do go rancid eventually, but as long as you cool them completely and then store them in an air-tight container, they should be good for about a month.

BHF dietitian Victoria Taylor says:

Brazil nuts, cashews and macadamia nuts are higher in saturated fat. Too much of this can contribute to raised cholesterol levels, so only eat them occasionally. Chestnuts are an exception – they're lower in all types of fats and higher in starchy carbohydrate than other nuts.

What should not be eaten with nuts? ›

And although nuts are a healthy choice by themselves, they'll quickly become detrimental to any diet when paired with sugary or salty toppings or mixes.

Receiving a handful of walnuts, hazelnuts or almonds was a coveted gift, symbolic of prosperity and good luck. Over time, this tradition has continued, with nuts becoming a staple of our Christmas fare.

Best of all, because it was easy and we did it together: we cracked almonds, Brazil nuts, filberts, walnuts, and pecans in shells. While reminiscing about our favorite memories from the past year, we would laugh at funny stories and sing along to old holiday tunes playing softly on the radio while we did this work.

Of all the nuts, pecans are possibly the sweetest, and are loaded with manganese, which not only supports bone health but may help ease the symptoms of premenstrual syndrome (PMS).

How do you fix candied nuts that are too soft and sticky? You can place them back into the oven for 5 to 15 minutes or until they dry out more. They will continue to firm and dry out as they cool.

If after they have cooled down, the pecans are still sticky, this means that the sugar mixture never reached a high enough temperature when on the stove. To fix them, place the nuts back into the skillet and cook a bit longer.

Just toasting them in a dry pan or oven should be enough to revive them, but they'll also go in any recipe that requires nuts. We got through most of ours by toasting them with spices, to eat as nibbles or to add crunch to soups, stews and salads.