These candied walnuts are roasted to perfection with cinnamon and paprika. They make a perfect salad or ice cream topping or eaten as a snack.
There are very few things that I love to snack on more than these candied walnuts. They have a nice sweetness with the perfect hint of cinnamon and smokiness from the paprika. The best thing is that they also make for a perfect crunch to a salad or chopped and sprinkled over fruit or ice cream. You will find yourself doubling this recipe since they are so easy to make and taste great!
In this recipe
There are only 6 ingredients in this recipe making it a very simple one to follow and easily accessible.
Walnuts: you will want halves or quarters for this recipe. Chopped walnuts will cook quickly and might burn while roasting.
Cinnamon: a warming spice that enhances the flavor of the walnuts
Paprika: will add some smokiness to the walnuts for a more intense flavor add smoked paprika or double the amount.
Why do I boil the nuts?
There are a couple of reasons that you will want to boil the walnuts. The first reason and the one that is important to me is that it reduces the tannins in the walnuts which makes them much less bitter. The heat and residual water from the nuts will help dissolve the sugar and let it coat the nuts better than using the dried nuts or even toasted ones. Then once you add the oil you will have a very nicely seasoned nut ready to roast.
Roasting the candied walnuts
Once you are ready to roast you want to make sure that all of the walnuts are spread out so they do not touch. This ensures that they will roast evenly and will keep them from sticking together later. After about 10 minutes you will need to gently stir the walnuts so they can flip over and roast on the other side as well. In about 5 minutes they will be fragrant and ready to take out. You will want to let them cool completely to prevent the sugar from burning your mouth.
Can I change the spices?
By all means of course you can. This is my go to combination for my salads and snacks but don’t let that limit your creativity. Here are some great additional spices to use.
- Cardamom
- Nutmeg
- Ginger
- Turmeric
- Garam Masala
- Clove
- Allspice
- Mace
- Curry
- Chinese 5 Spice
Cinnamon Candied Walnuts
Equipment
- Mixing Bowl
- Parchment lined sheet pan
- Spatula
- Saucepan
- Spider skimmer or colander
Ingredients
- 8 ounces walnut halves
- ¼ cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F, 177°C or gas mark 4 and bring a saucepan of water to a boil.
- Add the walnuts to the boiling water and cook for 5 minutes. Remove from the boiling water and place into a mixing bowl.
- Add the sugar, salt, cinnamon, paprika and toss to evenly coat. Add the oil and mix well. Pour onto the parchment lined sheet pan and spread out evenly.
- Cook for 10 minutes remove from the oven and stir to flip the nuts over. Cook for another 5 minutes or until the nuts become fragrant.
- Remove from the oven and gently separate any nuts that are stuck together. Allow to cool completely.
Nutrition
