EASY Chinese Candied Walnuts (Baked)

EASY Chinese Candied Walnuts (Baked)

from greedygirlgourmet.com
Appetizer
27 min

These Chinese Candied Walnuts are crunchy, sweet, salty, and delicious. Easy to make, they'll done in one step in UNDER 15 MINUTES. And, they'll save you a ton of money as they're so much cheaper than those outside. Plus, they're healthier as they're baked (traditionally, they're fried, but baked ones taste just as good!)

Ingredients

  • 2 cupsshelled walnuts (ideally walnut halves, if not walnut pieces work too. )
  • 3 ½ tablespoonssugar
  • 1 ½ tablespoonsvegetable oil (be precise with the oil amount as too much oil will make it greasy.)
  • 1 tablespoonwhite sesame seeds (untoasted)
  • generous sprinkle salt (omit if you don't like sweet-and-salty snacks.)

Directions

  1. 1

    Pre-heat the oven to 375 F/ 190C/ 170C with fan.

(optional step) reducing the bitterness of the walnuts

  1. 1

    Boil 2 Cups of walnuts in a small pot of water for 3-4 minutes. (You just need enough water to cover the nuts.) Reducing the bitterness will reduce the amount of sugar you need to add, making the snack healthier.

  2. 2

    Use a slotted spoon or sieve the walnuts.

Baking the nuts

  1. 1

    2a. Place the walnuts on a baking sheet. Immediately place 3.5 Tablespoons of sugar, 1.5 Tablespoon of oil, 1 Tablespoon white sesame seeds, and a pinch of salt on the walnuts.1d. Immediately massage the sugar, oil, and salt into the nuts till the sugar has semi-dissolved, then spread the nuts over the parchment paper in a single layer.Note: after baking, the sugar will form a sticky coating, which is why I highly recommend using the baking parchment instead of putting the nuts directly on the baking tray.Place the baking sheet in the oven (once it's reached 350 F/ 177C/ 157C with fan. )

  2. 2

    Option 1: If the walnuts were not boiled first: Bake for 10 minutes (or till caramelised), then use oven gloves to carefully remove the tray, allow to cool for 30 minutes.

  3. 3

    Option 2: If working with boiled walnuts: Bake for 10 minutes, then use oven gloves to carefully remove the tray, stir the nuts with a fork- the sugar is SUPER hot- turn it around, then return it to the oven. If using honey, some water may have come out so carefully drain it. (The walnuts should ideally be in one layer- when I don't have enough baking trays, I've layered the walnuts on top of each other before.) Basically, the part of the tray that was in front should now be at the back of the oven and vice versa.Bake for 12 more minutes, or till golden brown. (It can take 10 more minutes or more to get it nice and golden with sugar, whilst honey walnuts are usually done in 20 minutes.) Note: if you don't want the nuts to stick together, make sure they're not touching when you bake them!

  4. 4

    Allow to cool- about 30 minutes then store in an airtight container.