Caramelised Hazelnuts

[paw862]

We've got three hazelnut trees in our garden and while they provide much welcome shade on the terrace it has become a hazardous pastime sitting out in recent days as hazelnuts come raining down.  So, this year I collected a bucketful of nuts and decided to try out a recipe.

Just cooking them over a low flame with a mixture of sugar, water, cinnamon and  vanilla has produced a wonderful batch of caramelised nuts.  They are lush!  Sorry squirrels.

[:)]

 

[Cluzo]

Gosh that sounds yummy

[mint]

Perhaps I could do your recipe with my walnuts?  They will start falling by the ton any day now.

[paw862]

I think it would work with any sort of nut.

2 cups raw nut

1 cup granulated sugar

1/3 cup water

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence

Put nuts, sugar and water into heavy pan.  Simmer over medium heat until all dissolved.  Keep stirring.  Mixture will reduce and then go sugary.  Keep stirring until sugar dissolves again and goes sticky and toffeeish.  (10-15 mins)  Stir in cinnamon and salt.  Remove from heat.

Stir in vanilla.  Tip out onto foil covered tray to cool.

My OH has had to hide my batch to stop me eating them all at once!

[mint]

Thanks for that, Paw; how very kind of you to tell us your recipe.

Do you think that lightly roasting the nuts first will give a better flavour?

[paw862]

Pre-roasting might enhance the flavour but I find that the pan cooking process browns them and crisps them up quite nicely.  As walnuts are a bigger nut though they might benefit from a pre-roast.

When do you think walnuts will be ready for picking?  I know of a tree where I can go and scrump some from! [:)]

[Cat]

I do a very simple caramelised walnut recipe that's so quick you can prepare it to eat 10 minutes later.

Preheat oven to 180°

Put a sheet of baking paper on a baking sheet

Put some honey in a bowl, add a little cinnamon, stir in walnuts till they're nicely coated

Pick walnuts out of honey, put on baking sheet, cook for about 5 minutes or until honey is caramelised.

Let them cool for a couple of minutes, then serve.

[mint]

Cat, that is a wonderful suggestion on serving walnuts.

I always knew that walnuts and honey are a marriage made in heaven since a friend gave me a jar of walnuts steeped in honey after she returned from holiday in Greece.

Paw,  walnuts will be ripening and falling off the trees any day now so not long to wait for this treat.  If they are only half out of their green shells, be careful about staining your hands if you picked them at that stage.  Your hands will mark you out as a stealer of walnuts![;-)]