Merry Christmas! Matt and I started off the holiday with a lunch party for work last Friday and then kept the fun going with dinner at my family’s house on Sunday, Christmas Eve dinner at our house, and Christmas Day dinner with Matt’s family. At some point in the future I will post about the dinner that Matt and I made on Christmas Eve (standing rib roast with yorkshire puddings… YUM!) but for now I want to focus on some sweeter holiday treats that make great gifts for friends and family. Here they are…
Oh yes, those are candied nuts! Sugary, salty pecans with just a hint of cayenne, to be precise. Don’t they look delicious?!? I found the recipe over at Smitten Kitchen and after a quick trip to Target for some walnuts and pecans we were ready to start cooking. These candied nuts are really easy to make, by the way. We simply coated the nuts with egg white, stirred in the sugars and spices, and baked them in the oven for 30 minutes. After the nuts cooled completely I packaged them in jelly jars with a red bow and they were ready for gifting!
Candied Walnuts and Pecans (from Smitten Kitchen)
You will need…
2/3 cup White Granulated Sugar
1/3 cup Dark Brown Sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons Salt
1 teaspoon Cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper (or hot smoked paprika)
1 Egg White
1 tablespoon Water
1 lb. Walnuts or Pecans (or any other type of nut you want to candy)
Directions:
Combine the sugars, salt, cinnamon and cayenne in a bowl and stir well. Place the egg white and water in a separate large bowl and beat with a fork for approximately 30 seconds until the mixture is frothy. Add the nuts to the egg white mixture and stir to coat evenly, then sprinkle on the sugar mixture and stir well until combined.
Spread the nuts out in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake the nuts in a preheated 300°F oven for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. When the nuts are done baking separate them (we transferred them to another piece of parchment paper on the counter) and allow them to cool completely. Store in an airtight container until you are ready to eat them (or gift them!). I found that one pound of nuts filled approximately 4 1/2 ten-ounce Ball quilted jelly jars.
The Little GSP 
Annie, the pecans are delicious!!
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Glad you liked them, Mom! 🙂
Love candied walnuts, some nice gorgonzola and cranberries on fresh field greens with a sweet and savory dressing! Suddenly VERY hungry! I haven’t even had breakfast yet! YUM !
Mmm… you’re right, these would be GREAT in a salad with gorgonzola and cranberries. (Makes me want to make that right now!)
Definitely keeping this recipe on file for gifts, they sound delicious.
In addition to being yummy and pretty easy to make, these also keep well so your gift recipients don’t have to eat them all at once (unless they taste one, then they won’t be able to stop!). 🙂
Couldn’t agree more! We made at least three batches of these nuts (same recipe) for various colleagues, friends, and family. I didn’t take a picture, but I wrapped them in cellophane bags with a red ribbon and a gift tag with suggestions for use (sprinkle in salad, crumble over vanilla ice cream, snack of them straight from the bag). They do look very pretty in the canning jars – will keep that in mind for next year.
In one of the batches, I mixed my measurements up, adding 1/2 tsp paprika and a generous pinch of cayenne. I found the sweet and spice flavors more balanced with a nice lingering kick of heat at the end.
Great gift!
That’s so funny that you made the exact same recipe! They are good, aren’t they? I like your idea of including suggestions for use. I never thought of that since I was just eating them straight off the cookie sheet. 🙂
I generally eat them straight from the cookie sheet too, sometimes forgetting to wait for them to cool
I think I’ll put these in my regular rotation, not just for the holidays.
Hope your staying warm and get a chance to enjoy the snow.
It seems we think along the same lines…I know your nuts were delicious. I hope you and your family have a wonderful New Year.
Thanks Karen, your spiced nuts looked really good too! Happy New Year! 🙂
These candied walnuts looks fabulous. They look like perfect holiday gifts! Happy holidays!
Thank you and Happy Holidays to you as well! 🙂
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