Walnuts in Caramel

Here’s an easy, quick treat for the holidays, walnuts in caramel.

First, I put about two cups of walnuts into a frying pan, though you can use any kind of nut. Then I add the caramel ingredients: butter and sugar.

I am not a expert on caramel, so it’s best to Google it if you need detailed instructions. I make a small batch by sight. I throw some sugar and butter into a frying pan with the nuts, and let them melt and cook together on medium heat, stirring as I go and being careful that nothing burns. I also add a little salt. Once the caramel forms (as in, it’s a nice golden color), quickly remove it from the heat, as you don’t want it to burn (which it can do quickly). The caramel should harden within a minute or two, so you may want to separate the walnuts as you stir them around to coat them, so that they don’t stick together in a giant clump.

These taste delicious in this basic version, salty, sweet, and crunchy. However, you can also experiment with different spices and flavors, such as black pepper, cayenne, or cinnamon, depending on the nut you use. You can also throw these walnuts into a salad.

As I largely avoid refined sugars, I don’t make these walnuts often and don’t totally cover them in the caramel. Just a light, patchy coating of caramel is fine.