These vanilla bean candied walnuts are completely and totally irresistible. They’re perfect on salads!
These walnuts need to come with a huge warning label:
ADDICTING.
SEVERELY ADDICTING.
DON’T LEAVE OUT IN PLAIN SIGHT.
WARNING: IMPOSSIBLE TO EAT JUST ONE.
Seriously. Vanilla and walnuts are made for each other. Match made in food heaven.
These are amazing on salads, would be great on ice cream or frozen yogurt (duh) and obviously are perfect on their own. By the handful. These are hide-in-the-back-of-the-cupboard addicting.
Long story short, you need these in your life. I guess the story wasn’t really that long. I’m running on about 3 hours of sleep as I write this, people. Don’t expect genius. I’ll be happy if there are no typos. Actually, I’ll be happy if the two-year-old stays asleep and I stay awake long enough to finish typing this.
With only 3 ingredients, these delectable walnuts are simple to make. Plus, walnuts are good for you because they are a good source of healthy fats, protein, and fiber.
These vanilla bean candied walnuts are perfect on salads. You know, if you have any left after eating them by the handful! And if you throw them on a salad, maybe you’ll feel better about the massive quantities you are consuming. Right? Right? Okay maybe. Maybe not.
They’d also make a great appetizer. I’m envisioning a group of friends playing cards, with a few bowls of candied walnuts on the table. Or put some on your charcuterie board for a special treat with cheeses and fruits.
Or….if you’re willing to share, these vanilla bean candied walnuts would make a great gift (and so would the other nut recipes listed below). Just put them in a jar and tie a pretty ribbon around the top! A great hostess or teacher gift.
More Nut Recipes
- Smoky Roasted Almonds
- Sugar Free Cinnamon Roasted Almonds
- Olive Oil and Rosemary Roasted Almonds
- Olive Oil Roasted Almonds with Sea Salt
- Bourbon Pecans
- Sweet and Salty Spiced Pecans
Vanilla Bean Candied Walnuts
Ingredients
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 ½ cups raw walnut halves and/or pieces
- the seeds scraped from one whole vanilla bean
Instructions
- Toast walnuts in a dry frying pan over medium heat stirring frequently, about 3-5 minutes or until fragrant. Pour onto plate to cool. Also prepare a large rimmed baking sheet with a Silpat mat or parchment paper.
- In a medium saucepan, combine sugar and vanilla bean seeds. Cook on medium until sugar melts and starts to turn the color of amber. Remove from heat, add walnuts and stir to coat. Work quickly.
- Pour walnuts out onto prepared lined baking sheet and separate walnuts with two forks, working quickly. If you don’t get them all separated, it’s no biggie, you can cut or crack them apart once they cool.
- Cool completely before storing in an airtight container. If you don’t eat them all first.
Notes
- Serving size: 1/4 cup.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I love how simple these are! And wow, I can bet they are amazing. I once had a “vanilla walnut” scented candle in my room and I swear I was tempted to eat it every day. I LOVE the versatility of nuts, even in their raw form I’m addicted, so I can only imagine how ravenous I’d be with a bag of these!
Great idea – I never thought of making candied walnuts before. But I’m up for vanilla flavored anything :)
YES! Short ingredient list including nuts and sugar, heck yes!
These look so good! What a great snack!
Ummm this sounds awesome! Great “healthy” snack!
I would love to have these around to snack on!
Ooh what a great snack! Im trying to teach myself to like nuts more..much healthier than snacking on chips! :P Thanks!
Vanilla bean anything and I’m sold. Love these!!
I have a hard time resisting any type of “spiced” nut! These sound amazing!! Vanilla bean & walnuts?? Yum!
What a great idea – I love the idea of the sweetness of the vanilla with the bitterness of the walnuts. I can imagine so many awesome uses for these!