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Caramelized Nuts

There are two methods instructed in this recipe: the cooktop and oven method. 

Course Snack
Cuisine American
Keyword easy snack recipe, kid-friendly recipes
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings 1 cup
Author Linda Spiker

Ingredients

Instructions

Oven Method:

  1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees and place oven rack in center position
  2. Place an oven safe pan on cooktop on medium heat
  3. Add butter
  4. When butter is melted add sugar, stirring with spatula until sugar melts
  5. Add nuts and stir until evenly coated, then place oven safe pan into oven and allow nuts to slowly roast for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes

Cooktop method:

  1. Melt butter in a lightweight pan on medium heat. When butter is melted, add 1 cup nuts. You can use walnuts, pecans, almonds, cashews, mixed nuts...whatever, but I will say walnuts and pecans work best because they have nooks and crannies that hold the melted sugar.
  2. If you are using a spatula just stir nuts in butter until they are nicely coated. Cook them until slightly roasted (4-5 minutes) then add sugar and stir until sugar melts. Remove immediately (you don't want to burn the sugar) and place on a plate to cool.

If you are doing the flip method:

  1. Melt butter in a lightweight pan on medium heat. When butter is melted, add 1 cup nuts. Give the nuts  a 'flip' to make sure all nuts are glistening with butter. To learn the flip I really do recommend you watch this video!

To Flip:

  1. Shake the nuts back and forth in the pan from front to back. Get a little rhythm going. Then when the nuts are moving forward in the pan (away from you) and they reach that curve in the pan, just give the pan a little ummmph and the nuts will flip. This takes practice!
  2. Once nuts are browned slightly, add sugar. I use 1/3 cup C&H light brown sugar. I find it melts the best. Sorry, but organic brown sugar clumps. I wish I could say it wasn't so! If you are looking for a lower glycemic sugar try coconut sugar. It works very well.
  3. Flip again. When nuts are evenly coated with melted sugar, remove from heat and place nuts on a plate to cool. If you are using them right away you can pop them in the fridge or freezer for a quick cool down.
  4. Once cooled, use right away or store in a covered container for up to a month. The recipe for Spicy Caramelized Nuts is on page 62 of my cookbook.