Category: nuts

Crispy Sugared Nuts

Mmmm…these nuts sure are good! As a kid, I grew up hating all types of nuts: pecans, walnuts, almonds, you name it, I hated them. My mom would always bake a pan of brownies – half with nuts and the other half without, since my sister and I were picky. The same would prove true with batches of cookies.
When I went to college, my taste buds changed dramatically. I actually started liking vegetables and salads, & no longer ordered chicken tenders and french fries at restaurants. I also discovered my love of nuts, especially sugared nuts!
Two weeks ago, in preparation for all the desserts I was asked to bring to holiday potlucks and life groups at church, my mom came over to help me bake. She pleasantly surprised me when she suggested we make our family crispy sugared nuts recipe. If you’ve never made candied/sugared nuts before, now is the time to start! They are extremely easy and almost impossible to mess up!
Most people will find that they have all six ingredients in their pantry to begin with…unless you are short on nuts! The original recipe calls for walnuts, but both my mom and I like pecans better, so we made a simple substitution. The cinnamon-sugar coating adds a perfectly sweet flavoring to these nuts, and also makes them quite addicting, especially if you eat them as a snack.
Enjoy… hurry, you’ve got to try these before the holiday season ends!
Combine water, sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Heat until boiling or until soft-ball stage (236 degrees F).

Fold in chopped nuts and vanilla.

Pour onto buttered platter. Separate nuts using a fork or spoon (so that you don’t have one large lump of nuts!)

 

Crispy Sugared Nuts
Ingredients
2 1/2 cups walnut or pecan halves (we used pecans)
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla

Directions
1. Heat nuts in 375 degree oven for 5 minutes, stirring once.
2. Butter sides of a heavy 2 quart saucepan.
3. In saucepan, combine sugar, water, cinnamon, and salt. Heat and stir until sugar dissolves and mixture boils. Cook without stirring to soft-ball stage (236 degrees F). Remove from heat and beat by hand for 1 minute or until mixture just begins to get creamy.
4. Add vanilla to the warm nuts. Stir gently until nuts are well coated and mixture becomes creamy.
5. Turn out onto buttered platter or cookie sheet. Separate at once, using 2 spoons or forks.

Yield: about 1 pound of nuts

Check out my recipe and other recipes & crafts on The Kurtz Corner!

Nutty Chocolate Chunk Cookies (David Lebovitz)


My mom loves trying new recipes for chocolate chip cookies. This is probably her 20th chocolate chip cookie recipe to try. They come from David Lebovitz’s newest cookbook, “Ready for Dessert”. When making these, my mom used a food scale and actually measured out the flour, sugar, and nuts in grams rather than in cups. Weighing ingredients on a scale is actually a more accurate way to measure.

If you like nuts, you will love these cookies! We toasted macadamia nuts, walnuts, and pecans, and added Nestle chocolate chunks. Enjoy!

Whisk together dry ingredients, then add to butter, sugars, vanilla, and egg mixture. Stir in chocolate chunks and nuts.

On a lightly floured surface, divide dough into quarters.

Shape each quarter into a log about 9 inches long. Wrap logs in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, about 24 hours.

Bake cookies for 10 minutes, rotating baking sheets halfway through at 350 degrees.


Nutty Chocolate Chunk Cookies
Ingredients
2 1/2 cups (350 g) flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp salt
1 cup (8 oz/225 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup (215 g) packed light brown sugar
3/4 cup (150 g) granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 large eggs, at room temperature
2 cups (225 g) nuts, such as walnuts, pecans, and macadamia nuts, toasted and coarsely chopped
14 oz (400g) bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped into 1/2 to 1 inch chunks or 3 cups (340 g) chocolate chunks (Regular chocolate chips are designed to resist melting, so I use chocolate chunks instead so they will melt and create a gooey cookie).

Directions
1. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt
2. In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, and vanilla on medium speed until just smooth.
3. Beat in eggs one at a time until thoroughly incorporated, then stir in the flour mixture followed by the nuts and chocolate chunks.
4. On a lightly floured work surface, divide the dough into quarters. Shape each quarter into a log about 9 inches long. Wrap he logs in plastic and refrigerated until firm, preferably 24 hours.
5. Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven; preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
6. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
7. Slice the logs into disks 3/4 inch thick and place the disks 3 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.
8. Bake, rotating the baking sheets midway through baking, until the cookies are very lightly browned in the centers, about 10 minutes. If you like soft chocolate chip cookies, as I do, err on the side of underbaking.
9. Let cookies cool on baking sheets until firm enough to handle, then transfer to a wire rack.

Yield 48 cookies