Small Batch Crunchy Candied Walnuts (2024)

FAQs

Why are my candied walnuts grainy? ›

The sugar will look grainy until the melting/liquifying process happens at the very end. Immediately transfer nuts to parchment paper and separate using 2 forks OR let the nuts harden together and break them apart with your fingers once cooled.

Yes, candied nuts can go bad.

Save the packets of silica gel that come in boxes of crackers and cookies. Slip one into the jar or container you keep the candied nuts in. The packet will help absorb moisture from humidity, keeping your nuts from getting sticky.

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.

The problem is that crystals of sugar were re-introduced into the liquid candy. This will cause your candy to crystallize and become grainy. To prevent this, (stove-top method only) wipe down the inner sides of your pan a few times with a wet pastry brush while your candy is boiling.

Walnuts go rancid when exposed to warm temperatures for long periods of time. Heat causes the fat in walnuts to change structure, which creates off odors and flavors. Fresh walnuts smell mildly nutty and taste sweet. If your walnuts smell like paint thinner, you know they're rancid.

Is it dangerous? Eating rancid food won't make you sick, but the new molecules that form as oxidation occurs may lead to digestive issues. Rancid foods are also less nutritious because oxidation destroys the good fats and some of the vitamin content.

However, Kanney says, “If a nut has spoiled or gone rancid, recognizable by a sour or bitter flavor, the nut is no longer good and should be thrown away.” Whelan agrees that once the nuts have turned this corner, there's no amount of sugar or butter or time spent in a hot oven that will save them.

Salt: 1/2 teaspoon of fine sea salt makes these taste salty-sweet. If you'd prefer to not taste the salt, reduce to 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Pecans too sticky: If your nuts are still sticky after cooling, heat your oven to 325°F (162°C) and bake for 5 to 10 minutes to help harden the candy coating.

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

How do you get the rancid taste out of walnuts? ›

To make rancid walnuts tasty again, a "chemical engineer" (consulted for this purpose) advises to soak the rancid walnuts in milk or other emulsive ingredient which is then rinsed off with hot water, and the nuts gently dried and roasted with sea salt.

Let the candied nuts cool for at least 20 minutes or until completely cool. You don't want to package warm nuts or the moisture will cause condensation which will soften the candy coating.

How it works: Arrange the nuts in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet and place in a moderate oven (about 325 degrees with convection or 350 degrees without), stirring halfway through, until fragrant and toasted inside and out. Then immediately transfer the nuts to a plate or bowl.

If you are getting a grainy, rough or matte surface on your clear glaze, it is often caused by either a thin application of clear glaze or an underfiring of the glaze. Mixing non-toxic & toxic glazes: Toxic and non-toxic formulas can be very different so we do not suggest you try this.

Essentially, brown sugar hardens when moisture evaporates due to aging or improper storage. But hardened sugar is still safe to eat and use—you just have to soften it back up to a usable texture. If your recipe has the sugar dissolving or melting into a liquid, you can actually use the hardened stuff without issue.

What's important to know is that the corn syrup controls the grain of the brittle so adding too little and you have a grainy textured brittle, while adding too much will result in a stringy and sticky brittle. To start this Peanut Brittle, the water, corn syrup, sugar, raw peanuts, and salt are brought to a boil.