Healthy Candied Walnuts Recipe (Refined Sugar-Free!)
Craving something sweet and a little salty? These healthy candied walnuts are sure to satisfy! And you don't have to feel guilty about snacking on them since they're refined-sugar free and have just a few simple, nutritious ingredients. Plus, they're super easy and quick to make!
Ingredients
- 4 cups Walnut halves
- 1/2 cup pure Maple Syrup
- 1 tsp ground Cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp ground Cayenne Pepper optional
- 1/4 tsp Salt start with 1/4 tsp and add more if you want them saltier
Instructions
- In a large non-toxic, non-stick sauté pan over medium heat, add the walnuts along with the maple syrup, cinnamon, and cayenne pepper if using. Stir to combine and coat the nuts with the syrup. Do NOT add the salt yet, save it to sprinkle over the nuts when they're done.
- Continue cooking over medium heat, stirring frequently until the maple syrup has thickened and then crystallized with no liquid syrup remaining, roughly 10-15 minutes. The maple syrup will start out runny then gradually get thicker. Keep a close eye at this point to prevent burning, and stir until the syrup becomes dry and the nuts are no longer sticky.
- When done cooking, spread the nuts out on a chlorine-free parchment paper lined stainless steel baking sheet and sprinkle with the sea salt.
- Let cool for roughly 30 minutes or more before storing in an airtight glass storage container.
Notes
- Use a non-toxic, non-stick sauté pan and silicone spoon for easy clean up.
- If they come out sticky, they weren’t cooked long enough.
- Pecans will work in place of walnuts if that's your preference.
- To Halve the Recipe:
- You can halve the recipe, but... you'll regret it. Haha!
- If you want to halve it anyway (no judgment), just do a sprinkle of the cayenne pepper if you choose to use it.
- And you may only need to cook the nuts with the maple syrup and spices for 5-10 minutes instead of 10-15 minutes.
