Candied Maple Walnuts
Every holiday season, I make jars and jars of these sweet, crunchy walnuts as gifts. People love to receive something homemade. I package them in mason jars decorated with a pretty bow. You can find your own fun way to personalize these such as packaging them in cute Stasher bags that the recipient can reuse or saving different jars and embellishing them with holiday stickers.
You need to be careful not to sample too many. My husband once ate an entire jar meant for my sister on the drive to her house in Marin! Of course you can make a batch for yourself and use them for topping salads and puddings or snacking. Walnuts are one of the top brain and heart foods due to their high level of ALA, an anti-inflammatory omega-3 fatty acid.
I have always made these in a dehydrator, but I wanted to share a recipe that anyone can make at home, so I’ve tested an “oven” version, and it works great! It does take some time, so you need to plan ahead to make sure you can hang around while they slow roast for several hours. To get the most health benefits, be sure to start with raw, organic walnuts. Dehydrating or drying the walnuts at a low temperature is best to preserve all the nutrients and avoid oxidation of the poly-unsaturated fats.
Ingredients:
3 cups walnuts, soaked overnight or for at least 3 hours, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup maple syrup
juice of 1/2 an orange
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
Method:
Place all the ingredients into a large bowl and mix together well. Let the mixture sit for at least two hours, stirring occasionally to coat the nuts evenly with the “sauce.”
Pre-heat your oven at the lowest temperature - about 150 degrees. Line a tray or cookie sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat and spread the mixture out on top in an even layer. Pour any extra liquid on top of the mixture. Place the tray in the oven and bake at the low temperature until the walnuts are slightly crunchy and the liquid has hardened. This should take 4-5 hours. You can leave them longer for crunchier nuts.
Remove the tray from the oven. While the nuts are still warm, use a spatula to scrape them loose from the mat or parchment. Once they are cooled, package the nuts as desired.
This recipe will fill two 16 ounce mason jars. If you want to make several gift jars, you can easily double or triple the recipe as long as you have room in your oven for multiple trays.
