How to Candied Nuts Without Burning
You don’t have to risk life and limb fiddling with melted caramel to make delicious candied nuts. There’s a much faster way to do this sweet thing, and it doesn’t involve candy thermometers, silicone mats, or burn cream. These candied nuts are so simple, tasty and pretty that making them is a great activity for kids. All you need is some sugar and some egg white. Oh, and nuts.
Usually homework with sugar involves melting the good stuff to almost 350°F, breaking it up with crystallization, and grumpy starting over again. However, once you do it right, the payoff is a shiny, crystal clear, caramel finish on everything you dip into it. This method does not melt the sugar in the same way and will give you a different look, but it still provides the toasted nutty flavor, crunch and sweetness. In fact, it gives them a look that I would describe as “snowy”, which means they make an even more festive cheeseboard accent at winter holiday parties. So here’s what you need to do.
Mix the raw nuts you want to candy into a bowl along with a little egg white. Mix with your hands, carefully coating the nuts with the egg white. Throw some white granulated sugar into a bowl and stir. Arrange the sugar and egg white coated nuts on a parchment-lined baking sheet and toast in a 350°F preheated oven for 10-12 minutes until browned and fragrant. Nuts may stick together a little; just break them apart as soon as they cool down.
Be careful not to overdo the egg white. For about ½ cup of nuts, I use only a meager teaspoon of egg white and one tablespoon of sugar. Egg white acts like a tasteless glue that holds nuts and sugar together. The egg white dries in the oven, leaving you with sparkling clusters of sugar-coated nuts. If you add too much egg white, it will leave white clumps on the baking sheet and the sugar won’t coat the nuts evenly. Since the egg white is not easy to remove directly from the egg, separate the white from the yolk in a small bowl and beat it with a fork until it becomes a little frothy. This will break up the egg white so it’s not as globular and at this point it’s easier for you to scoop it up with a teaspoon.
Make it as a festive appetizer, simply served on a party plate, or as a sparkly cake or pie decoration. The following recipe can be made with any kind of nuts and multiplied for larger batches.
Light candied nuts
Ingredients:
- ½ cup raw nuts
- 1 teaspoon egg white
- 1 tablespoon white sugar
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Whisk nuts and egg white together in a small bowl until evenly coated. Add sugar to the bowl and stir. Arrange the nuts on a baking sheet and roast in a preheated 350°F oven for 10-12 minutes or until browned and fragrant. Let cool completely, about 15-30 minutes, before serving.