Written By: Jessica DeMay
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These Candied Nuts are the best thing ever! Deliciously crunchy with a sweet cinnamon coating. You'll be sneaking bite after bite. Dairy free and vegan!
The best candied nuts- that's a pretty bold statement! We've all had those nuts they sell at the mall and fairs and these are just as good, BUT you can make them in just 5 minutes!! No heating your oven, no tricks, and no paying a small fortune!
I made 6 batches of these yesterday because I wanted them to be perfect before I shared. Six batches!! That's how easy they are. My mom taught me how to make these when I was in high school and still living with her. I made them all the time- walnuts for her, pecans for me, and sometimes almonds just for a change. That's another great thing about these- use any nut you like.
The original recipe using heavy whipping cream and the result is delicious, but I know a lot of people are dairy free or vegan so I decided I wanted to try them with a dairy free milk. I usedcashew milk and they came out great. It does take a couple extra minutes of boiling and that's written in the recipe. I'm so glad it worked so well!
Here's the ingredients you'll need:
Nuts- whatever is your favorite, I love pecans but walnuts, almonds and cashews all work great.
Milk- I use almond milk, but any milk of choice will work here.
Sugar, Cinnamon and Salt- simple pantry staples that make these the sweet treat they are.
Lay a piece of wax paper on the counter and measure out the nuts. You don't want to be rushing to do these things when the mixture is hot. It needs all your attention.
With the flame off, add the sugar, milk and cinnamon to a medium or large saucepan. Cook over medium heat until it starts to boil.
Once it starts to boil, stir consistently for exactly 4 minutes (Or 6 minutes if making the dairy-free version). It will start to thicken and look like caramel. Turn off the heat, add nuts, stir to coat completely and pour onto wax paper to cool. Let cool for 10 minutes before eating because they will burn you. I do suggest eating them while they're warm though.
These are the perfect quick snack and especially great for summer when you don't want to turn your oven on.
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Candied Nuts
These Candied Nuts are the best thing ever! Deliciously crunchy with a sweet cinnamon coating. You'll be sneaking bite after bite
Author:Jessica DeMay
Prep Time:2 minutes minutes
Cook Time:4 minutes minutes
Total Time:6 minutes minutes
Servings:10 servings
Course:Dessert
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups nuts - whatever is your favorite kind
- ¾ cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt unless nuts are salted
- ½ cup heavy whipping cream or cashew milk for vegan
- extra cinnamon sugar for sprinkling ¼ cup sugar and ½ teaspoon cinnamon mixed (optional)
Instructions
Traditional Instructions
Place a piece of wax paper on the counter and measure out the nuts. You don't want to be rushing to do this when the mixture is hot.
With the burner off, place sugar, cinnamon, salt (if using), and cream in a medium to large sauce pan. Bring mixture to a boil over medium heat.
Once boiling, cook for exactly 4 minutes, stirring consistently.
Turn off heat, add nuts, stir to coat evenly and pour onto wax paper.
Sprinkle with extra cinnamon sugar if desired.
Dairy Free Instructions
Place sugar, cashew milk, cinnamon, and salt in a pan. Bring to a boil over medium heat.
Stir constantly for 6 minutes or until it starts to thicken and look like caramel.
Remove from heat and stir in nuts.
Pour over wax paper to cool, breaking apart with the spoon. Sprinkle with extra cinnamon sugar if desired.
Let cool before eating because they will be extremely hot.
Nutrition Information
Calories: 313kcal (16%)Carbohydrates: 25g (8%)Protein: 7g (14%)Fat: 23g (35%)Saturated Fat: 5g (31%)Polyunsaturated Fat: 4gMonounsaturated Fat: 12gCholesterol: 13mg (4%)Sodium: 8mgPotassium: 227mg (6%)Fiber: 3g (13%)Sugar: 15g (17%)Vitamin A: 181IU (4%)Vitamin C: 0.2mgCalcium: 35mg (4%)Iron: 1mg (6%)
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27 Comments
Christine Pellew says
My mom made these every xmas, and it's one of the very few things that I can cook. I can make really good bread, and these crystallized nuts, is what we called them. We used walnuts and pecans, but I love pecans. I truly can't cook. I come out of the kitchen sliced, diced, on fire, I blew up a plate once trying to make my Nana's sage and onion dressing for my grandfather one year when his health was waning, and making the English foods he grew up with could actually get him eating. I say this because if I can make this ANYBODY can. And I use the method I was taught, soft ball, firm, hard, stage, no thermometers. When I was married, I joined a HUGE family of people, esp the women who could COOK. I brought my one and only dish, and to my huuuuuge relief, they were gone in under 2 hours. I kept telling them not to eat them before dinner. The thing is, and be warned, once you start, you will not be able stop eating them. They are this perfect balance of sweet and salty and you can experiment with how much coating you want the nuts to have, so you really can make them to your exact taste. I've never met anyone who could eat just a few. I had in-laws begging me to make more. There is a first time for everything, esp because my now ex husband is a tremendous cook. And I was a great eater so it worked. I can't tell you how thrilled I am to find the recipe. Thank you so much.
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Susan W says
So good! I'll make a double batch next time.
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Jessica DeMay says
Thanks, Susan! So glad you like them!
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