How to Candy Nuts like a Pastry Chef
Serves 15 mins prep5 mins cook
Caramelized sugar and butter form a glossy, golden shell around toasted nuts. Use this foolproof method to candy any nuts of your choice: hazelnuts, almonds, pine nuts, etc. Chop them up to bake into gluten-free biscotti, as shown here, stir them into other favorite cookie recipes, or use them to garnish cakes or other desserts.
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Instructions
2 In a small, heavy-bottomed saucepan, add enough water to barely cover the bottom of the pan. Add the sugar to the center of the pot, moisten it evenly with the water, and wash any crystals that get on the sides of the pan down into the water. Add the syrup or honey and cover the pot with a lid. Place the pot over medium-high heat and bring to a boil until the sugar has dissolved. 3 Have the butter and nuts measured and at the ready, and have a sheet of parchment paper or a baking sheet ready on which to dump the candied nuts. 4 Remove the lid from the pot, and, without stirring, boil the syrup until it reaches an amber caramel. (If the mixture begins to crystallize, you can save it by adding more water and beginning the caramelization process again.) Remove the pot from the heat and immediately swirl in the butter, then add the nuts and stir quickly to coat with a heat-proof silicone spatula. 5 Dump and scrape the nuts out onto the parchment, and quickly separate the pieces with the spatula as much as possible. 24 If using in biscotti or another baking recipe: when the nuts have cooled, chop them coarsely. Bigger chunks of hazelnut look pretty, but small pieces make the biscotti easier to cut, so choose your own adventure!View original recipe