Toffee Walnuts - An Easy Candied Nuts Recipe! (2024)

FAQs

How long can you keep candied walnuts? ›

How to Store Candied Walnuts. Let your walnuts cool completely, then store them in an airtight container, like glass canning jar, at room temperature. As long as it's not too humid where you live (Moisture will cause the walnuts to become sticky!), they should stay crunchy for at least a week.

Let them cool. After a final stir out of the oven, let the pecans cool until they're safe to touch. Gently tug apart any pecans that are stuck to each other, then let them cool completely. They'll continue to crisp up as they cool.

Storing Candied Nuts

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.

Let the walnuts cool completely: Let the candied walnuts cool for ten minutes or so before moving them around or taking them off the pan. It will be easier to break them up, the texture is best and they won't burn your mouth.

As long as it takes you to eat them! Ba-dum-dum. Okay, all bad dad jokes aside, these candied walnuts will last quite a while. All nuts do go rancid eventually, but as long as you cool them completely and then store them in an air-tight container, they should be good for about a month.

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.

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.

If the sugar mixture is not cooked to the proper temperature (the hard-crack stage 300-310° F {149-154° C.} or if you are working in a kitchen with high humidity, chances are your candy is retaining too much moisture.

To get the spices to stick to the nuts, use egg whites, butter, coconut oil, olive oil or blanch the nuts in boiling water. Some recipes call for nuts to be fried in oil prior to seasoning, but this adds unnecessary fat – you can make them just a delicious without all the extra calories.

Nuts with higher fat content, like walnuts and pecans can also go rancid after a few months if stored at too warm a temperature. If you notice that your nuts have taken on a noticeably bitter, sour flavor, they may have entered this unfortunate phase.

How do you soften walnuts quickly? ›

So, if you forget or don't have the patience to wait 8 hours while the walnuts soak (I certainly don't), I suggest boiling them! This will soften them really quickly (only about 15-20 minutes, as opposed to 8+ hours of soaking) so they blend well and you end up with a silky smooth and creamy walnut milk.

You can tell walnuts are turning old if they are rubbery or shriveled. They have turned rancid if they have a strange odor similar to paint thinner. Throw away rancid walnuts! Store shelled or unshelled walnuts safely in an airtight container and store in a cool, dry place.

Walnuts contain natural compounds, including tannins, which contribute to their bitter taste. Soaking walnuts in water can help reduce the bitterness by leaching out some of these compounds. Many people find that soaked walnuts have a milder flavor and are more palatable compared to raw walnuts.

To reduce the bitter and astringent taste from green walnuts, they are thinly peeled, vertically and horizontally perforated with a skewer, and put into a container full of water for approximately 7 days and the water is changed daily during this period.

Place walnuts in boiling water for five minutes to remove bitter taste. Remove from water and drain, then run cold water over the walnuts.

If you plan on storing them long-term, you can refrigerate or freeze them for 2 to 3 months. If you store the toasted walnuts at room temperature, keep them in a dark, cool place and use them within 1 week.

Wet Walnuts can be stored for up to 1 day in an airtight container at room temperature, but they'll lose a bit of their crispness overnight, so it's best to prepare them shortly before using them.

You can store soaked nuts in your refrigerator for 5-7 days until you eat them or use them in a recipe. To stock your pantry with soaked ingredients, however, you will need to dehydrate them.