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

FAQs

How long can you keep candied walnuts? ›

After these candied walnuts have cooled completely, I recommend storing them in an airtight container. They'll last for up to a week. However, if you want them to last even longer you can store them in the refrigerator. They'll last for 3 weeks, although they won't be as crunchy.

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.

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.

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. You might also like our Candied Pecans recipe or Candied Almonds!

You can maintain the fresh taste of California walnuts by keeping them cold. 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.

It is the oil content of walnuts, though mostly healthier polyunsaturated fat, that makes proper storage important. Exposure to warm temperatures for long periods of time will cause the fat in walnuts to change and turn rancid. You can tell walnuts are turning old if they are rubbery or shriveled.

Experts agree that to reap the benefits, one should soak the walnuts for about 6-7 hours or overnight. And on an average, a healthy individual can have 3-4 soaked pieces of walnuts.

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.

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.

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.

What are candied nuts called? ›

Pralines, Gebrannte Mandeln, Chou Chou, Garrapiñadas - no matter what you call them, caramelised nuts are a delicious treat enjoyed by people all over the world. Pralines originated in France, where they were originally made with almonds coated in sugar and spices.

Don't under bake the candied almonds, and be sure to turn them every 20 minutes. And perhaps the most important tip: let the cool before digging in! As they cool, they'll firm up and get crunchier. So if you taste one fresh from the oven, don't be alarmed if it's still a bit soft.

Q: Do Nuts Expire? A: Nuts can't expire; however, they can change in taste or go rancid. Nuts contain much-unsaturated fat, an oil that makes nuts likely to go rancid.

Stale nuts are totally fine to eat, of course, but they do need to be processed to make them delicious again. Just toasting them in a dry pan or oven should be enough to revive them, but they'll also go in any recipe that requires nuts.

Nuts that have a large surface area, like walnut halves, with their complex network of ridges and valleys, will go rancid faster because of a greater exposure to oxygen. And fattier nuts, like macadamia or Brazil nuts, will oxidize quicker than leaner almonds.

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.