Make the fancy store-bought candied cashews at home! Salty-and-sweet, ready in 30 minutes, and so good! Add to salads, granola, and more!
Prep Time5 minutesmins
Cook Time30 minutesmins
Cooling Time30 minutesmins
Total Time1 hourhr5 minutesmins
Course: Chips, Crackers, Snack Mixes & Nuts
Cuisine: American
Keyword: candied cashews, candied cashews recipe, candied nuts, candied nuts for salad, how to candy nuts
Calories: 246kcal
Author: Averie Sunshine
Ingredients
1egg whitewhisked to very frothy
1tablespoonwater
3cupscashewsI used 1 pound bag of roasted, lightly salted; substitute with almonds, pecans, walnuts, peanuts or a combo
½cupgranulated sugar
¼cuplight brown sugarpacked
1 to 2teaspoonscinnamonor to taste (I used 2 heaping teaspoons)
1teaspoonKosher saltor to taste (salt will vary based on preference and if you’re using salted or unsalted cashews)
½teaspooncayenne pepperoptional and to taste (reduce to 1/4 teaspoon for milder heat)
Instructions
Preheat oven to 300F. Line a baking sheet with a Silpat or parchment paper. Don’t skip lining your baking sheet; set aside.
To a large bowl, add the egg white, water and whisk vigorously until very frothy, foamy, and bubbly, about 2 minutes by hand.
Add the nuts and stir to coat.
Add the sugars, cinnamon, salt, and optional cayenne, and stir to coat evenly.
Turn nuts out onto to prepared baking sheet, spreading them in an even flat layer.
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes (I baked 28 minutes); don’t overbake or nuts can burn. Coating will appear bubbly, quite soupy and wet in the center of tray even when nuts are ready to be pulled from oven. It will seem like nuts should bake longer so the coating dries out more, but it firms up dramatically as nuts cool. As always, use your judgment and let your nose and eyes be your guide to doneness.
Allow nuts to cool on baking tray for at least 30 minutes. Ideally, leave nuts on baking tray and exposed to air to cool overnight; this helps them get extra crispy and crunchy.
When nuts are cool enough to handle, break apart large clusters.
Transfer nuts to airtight containers or jars.
Notes
Storage: Nuts will keep airtight at room temperature for at least 1 month.