I always think about candied peanuts come fall. Not that it’s fall yet – nope, I’m not jumping the gun on that yet! But when I was a kid there was always a beer nuts vendor at the Western Fair – the county fair in my hometown. I’d watch the nuts go from a gigantic steel pot to a trip around a conveyor belt and then they’d be packaged up in a small cellophane bag. The graphics of the booth and on the bag also held my attention as there were usually images of beer steins, Germanic lettering and Heidi-themed illustrations. This was some serious stuff! My mom always bought a warm bag and we’d dive right in when we got home.
Making your own candied nuts isn’t that difficult. There’s no need for a candy thermometer or a conveyor belt and all you need is a wooden spoon and a good stirring arm. As I’m all about the salty-sweet dichotomy, I started off with a tin of salted peanuts, but feel free to sub in whatever nut (salted or not) you fancy most. After whipping up a batch, I knew that I couldn’t be trusted to be alone with these nuts. They are so addictive! So I called up some friends and had them over to share in the calories. They ooooh’d and aahhhhh’d until the bowl was empty. Good stuff, I tells ya, and they end up so much tastier than any batch you’d find at the fair.
salty sweet candied peanuts
(adapted from eat make read)
2 c salted peanuts (or whatever mixed nut selection you fancy)
1 c sugar
1/3 c water
1 t kosher salt
1/4 t cinnamonIn a large pot, mix together the peanuts, sugar and water. Heat over med-high heat, stirring frequently, until everything starts to either look sticky (in my case) or sandy (in eat make read‘s case). Forge ahead! Let the mess get golden and keep stirring for goodness sakes!
About 8-10 minutes later, you’ll see a dark, sticky syrup start to pool. Don’t get distracted, that’s the magic. Keep stirring, but don’t let it burn. Once you’ve reached a nice golden deep colour, take it off the heat.
Stir in the salt and cinnamon and then dump the mixture onto a cookie sheet that’s been covered with parchment or silpat (to keep mess to a minimum). Let cool and then break apart and store in a covered jar.
Rumor has it that it will keep for a week. A day and a half is more like it.
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My mouth is watering!
These look great! I love having a batch of candied nuts around to put in salads.
Oooooh, those look delish!
I just polished off a container of supermarket brand chocolate (pfft, yeah right) covered peanuts over the weekend. Not the best brand I’ve eaten but I had a hankering for something sweet and nutty. These sweet ‘n salty candied peanuts look amazing! I’m going to have to make these one day. The weather has cooled down considerably and I can now use my oven to warm up the house and cook.
so glad you like them! they are so dangerous.
I do enjoy candied nuts from time to time…esp in the winter, around the holidays. I have always wanted to try making candied nuts, and now it looks like I can!
What a great idea for snacking! Or a football game gathering. I might have to try these this fall 🙂
I can’t resist anything that’s sweet and salty. Especially not if it involves peanuts! These look fantastic. I might have to have a party just so I have an excuse to make them and not eat them all myself!
We used to make our own spiced nuts and seeds mixture at the deli I used to work at in
London. Man was that good! Eating those spicy nuts, still warm from the oven! I think they account for at least 2 kgs of extra weight!
This just gave me chills, it sounded so good.
oh girl i just love these. oh heavens. you should market these! LOL
SOunds great…but, prior to checking out your blog, I read an article about lowering ypour salt (sodium) intake. Apparently we should be having about a tsp a day only. Yikes! So, I like your idea of having friends over to share when you make these tasty morsels. They are perfect for entertaining!
Jeannette, I’ve never jumped on the health-oriented, “snack on an ounce of nuts!” bandwagon that everyone subscribes to—until now. I’d gladly have these every day at 3 p.m., and I think it might be the sugary candy coating that makes all the difference. 🙂
This looks amazing. Can’t wait to try it out this week- I plan to make a jar to include in a foodie gift basket for my dad’s birthday. Here’s hoping we don’t eat them all first!
All I can say is YUM. I love candied nuts. The perfect host gift!
I think put in pretty cellophane this would make lovely Christmas gifts for teachers and neighbors. I’m bookmarking!
I have been wanting to make candied almonds for a while – I love the ones I buy in the bulk section of a nearby store, but I don’t trust what kind of junk may be in them.
Salty sweet nuts are the ultimate in I-can’t-stop-myself joy, for certain. My biggest weakness is the salted peanut-caramel popcorn from Orangette’s blog. So delicious! So addictive!
Thanks Michele!
Newlywed, you’ve just diminished my guilt! Salads!! Amazing.
Thanks Liz!
Bijoux, ah, I can understand the need for chocolate and nuts. Cooler weather has finally hit Toronto? Same here. It feels like fall.
Thanks Kelly for bringing these to my life.
Bellcurves, it’s so easy to do. You’ll thank me 🙂
Sues, enjoy, I’m sure you’ll love them.
Joanne, having a party is your safest bet.
Ha, I can understand the urge to snack on these, Foodie in Berlin. So good!
Grab a sweater, Tracy! They’re fantastic.
Vanillasugar, you’re back! Nice to hear from you and these are good and probably very marketable.
Hag, you’re scaring me. Actually, that’s good to know because I eat a lot of salt – probably way more than a teaspoon a day. I’ll knowingly cut down. Did you know that we also shouldn’t be eating more than 6 teaspoons of sugar per day? That I have a handle on. But salt, it’s more of a sacrifice.
Maddie, these aren’t the most healthy way to get your nuts, but jump on that bandwagon!!
Jackie, these would make a perfect gift! You could even add in some cayenne pepper for a different twist.
Thanks Redmenace, they would be ideal gifts.
Bookmark Lynn as these would be perfect for the holidays.
Margie, almonds would be ideal here. I’ve been meaning to try that recipe and originally bought peanuts for that recipe and got waylaid!! Thanks for the reminder.
oh, GOSH, yum!
And I have exactly that bowl! ‘Twas my grandmother’s, now mine, held crepe batter just the other day. Polka dots rock.
Oh YUM! I bet this would be so good with the pecans I have hanging out that are just asking for me to do something with them! These look amazing!
Molly, that bowl is my favorite! Yay!!
Sarena, yes, they’d be great with pecans I think!
I’m not one to snack on nuts, but when they’re candied like that… I can’t resist! Love that you used salted nuts.
hummmm… I just made this and it looks more like peanut brittle than your pictures. 🙁
Thanks Ashley, they’re really good!
Erin, bummer! Did you continue to keep stirring? Once the liquid appears, you have to continue to keep stirring until it starts to clump up. It took about 10 minutes on my stove, but other stoves can take more or less depending on efficiency.
Made it, loved it, giving it away as gifts, featured it on my blog for Food Porn Friday!
http://thealchemistblog.wordpress.com/2011/05/20/food-porn-friday-or-you-must-see-whats-cooling-on-my-kitchen-counter/
Thanks, Jeannette!
Tried it with mixed nuts (cashews, macadamia and blanched almonds). Delicious!!
Oh, but don’t try to double the recipe… I did and couldn’t feel my arm by the time I was done stirring!
Thanx!
I tried these peanuts and way to salty for my taste. Not an even balance of sweet and salt. Maybe because the nuts were already salted, I’m not sure. will have to play with the recipe again.
Lori, you could easily try these with unsalted peanuts & the amount of salt in commercially available salted peanuts vary. I do have more of a salt-tooth than a sweet tooth but I found them as is quite sweet, but by all means, play around with the recipe. Thanks for commenting!
I made these for a party last week. I actually took them just too far and they turned to something resembling brittle… I called them brittled peanuts. They were pretty awesome. Didn’t last long.