We had a nice dinner, and of course when the waiter arrived with the dessert menu we couldn't turn it down. He recommended Butterscotch Pudding with Toffee Walnuts, and we were sold! Each bite was like tasting heaven.
It was so good I had to recreate it, but into a Butterscotch Banana Pudding Pie with Toffee Walnuts. I can't wait to share the rest of the recipe with you later in the week. Toffee Walnuts are delicious on their own, as a garnish to a salad, or to add a little crunch to your favorite dessert.
The possibilities are endless.
Toffee Walnuts also make a great addition to the holiday candy trays or served with cheese.
In a medium-small sized sauce pan stir together but try to avoid getting sugar on edges of pan:
- 1 1/2 cups Walnuts
- 1/4 cup Brown Sugar
- 1/4 cup Granulated Sugar
- 2 tablespoon Corn Syrup
- 1 tablespoon Water
If the sugar crystallizes on the edge it can cause the rest of sugar to seize up even if its a very small amount. If sugar is stuck to edge of pan use a wet pastry brush to dissolve crystals. Do not scrape sugar off sides of pan while stirring.
I've updated this recipe to include corn syrup which will help prevent the candy from becoming grainy. Corn Syrup changes the structure of the sugar.
Attach a candy thermometer, and cook over medium heat. Cook until mixture reaches 295 degrees, being careful not to burn.
Tip: If you don't have a candy thermometer you can cook the mixture until deep caramel colored and thicken. It will stick to the nuts but you will have to be careful not to burn the mixture.
Remove from heat and whisk 1/2 teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract.
The butter might slightly separate continue to whisk or stir until well combined.
Quickly distribute Toffee Walnuts onto a parchment or Silpat lined baking sheet. Working quickly use 2 forks to separate walnuts so they aren't stuck together.
Allow to cool until hardened.
Store Toffee Walnuts in an airtight container until ready to enjoy.
A few other candy recipes you might like are:
Yield: 6
Toffee Walnuts
Toffee Walnuts are an easy to make recipe amazing plain, served with cheese, dessert, or as a topping for salad from Serena Bakes Simply From Scratch.
Prep time: 5 MinCook time: 15 MinTotal time: 20 Min
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups Walnuts
- 1/4 cup Brown Sugar
- 1/4 cup Granulated Sugar
- 2 tablespoon Corn Syrup
- 1 tablespoon Water
- 2 tablespoons Butter
- 1/2 teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract
Instructions
- Line a cookie sheet with parchment or silpat. Set aside.
- In a medium-small sized saucepan attach a candy thermometer. Add walnuts, both sugars, corn syrup and water. Stir using an infolding motion avoiding getting sugar mixture on sides of pan until well combined. Add butter.
- If the sugar crystallizes on the edge it can cause the rest of sugar to seize up even if its a very small amount. If sugar is stuck to edge of pan use a wet pastry brush to dissolve crystals. Do not scrape sugar off sides of pan while stirring.
- Cook over medium heat, stirring as needed until mixture reaches 295 degrees, being careful not to burn. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. If butter separates continue to stir until recombined.
- Working quickly spread nuts on lined baking sheet. Use 2 forks to separate nuts. Allow to cool until hardened.
Notes:
I updated this recipe to add corn syrup to help fix the problem of those with sugar seizing up. The corn syrup changes the structure of the sugar.
Calories
286.98Fat (grams)
20.85Sat. Fat (grams)
4.03Carbs (grams)
24.96Fiber (grams)
1.75Net carbs
23.21Sugar (grams)
21.97Protein (grams)
4.02Sodium (milligrams)
37.66Cholesterol (grams)
10.17The nutritional information and metric conversions are calculated automatically. I cannot guarantee the accuracy of this data. If this important to you, please verify with your favourite nutrition calculator and/or metric conversion tool.
they look amazing, i'm going to make them!!!
ReplyDeleteJust tried out this recipe and the flavor is good but doesn't look anything like the pics. Mine are sort of "dusty" and doesn't have the nice hard candy covered look...I think it needs more butter? Followed everything exactly.
ReplyDeleteI just made them and I agree!
DeleteI just tried this recipe, and it seemed like the sugar never fully melted. Other recipes call for bringing the sugar & water to a boil first, then adding nuts. I may try that next time. Flavor is okay, but the texture is grainy. I may try adding a pinch of salt.
ReplyDeleteThe sugar might have crystillized. That can happen in candy making. I usually don't stir candy for that reason, but I didn't run into the problem when I tested the recipe multiple times. If you try it again it might be worth bring it to a boil, and then stirring. If sugar gets on the side of the pan or dried on the spoon it can cause the sugar to crystallize and effect the texture of the whole batch. Sorry you ran into that problem. -Serena
DeleteI just made them myself, not exactly like the picture however they are still good. I wonder if I cook them in the oven next time instead of on the stove if that would be better.
ReplyDeleteJust made a batch, didn't add the nuts till the end with the vanilla and I was checking the temp with a candy thermometer and checking ball stage with cold water in bowl method and the candy was fine until I added the nuts. That's when it crystallized and turned sandy.
ReplyDeleteOh well, I put the whole pan of walnuts in the oven and now I am cooking it to see if I can salvage any of it.
I made this recipe exactly as written... with no changes. I agree these may not have looked like the picture, but were so good...so who cares! The first batch I made really not enough! Because of that, I then made a double batch! Now my family and I will enjoy these for a few days.
ReplyDeleteI printed off the recipe and as I'm reading the instructions I see that water is to be added in the saucepan with nuts, sugars and syrup. Water is not listed in the ingredients on the printable recipe. I revisited your website and did see 1 TBSP water listed. Maybe that is the reason for the above comments? I don't know but I'm going to try it!
ReplyDeleteThanks for catching that and letting me know! I will fix that asap! -Serena
DeleteLooking forward to trying some of your delicious recipes, thank you!! A bit of information I learned when making fudge, if you rub a little butter on the side of pan prevents the sugar from crystallizing. I use a paper towel to spread the butter. Hope this helps!
ReplyDeleteThats a great tip! I can't wait to try it! Thank you, Serena
DeleteRE sugar crystals: After the mixture is boiling place a well fitting lid on saucepan for 2-3 minutes. It may help getting the sugar off pan side...
ReplyDeleteRecipe makes a tasty nut treat! ;)