Caramelized Walnuts (plant-based, gluten-free)
Ooey, gooey, crunchy, and sweet. These walnuts are a delicious treat on their own or a fancy topping for any other dessert: cakes, ice cream, cookies, cupcakes.I was inspired by a recipe from Turkmenistan for walnut brittle, but I chickened out on the caramelization of the sugar, stopping it at an earlier temperature so it wouldn't burn.The happy result is a lovely, creamy toffee sauce coating each bite of roasted walnut crunch.For today's inspiration, here is a quote from the ancient Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu:"Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don't resist them; that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like."
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups walnuts
- 1 cup coconut sugar
- ¼ cup water
- ¼ cup vegan butter
- 2 Tbsp maple syrup
- ¼ tsp baking soda
Directions
- Spread the walnuts out on a parchment-lined baking sheet and roast at 350F for 10 minutes.
- In a small pot, mix together the coconut sugar, water, vegan butter and maple syrup. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat down to medium low. Bubble and stir gently for about 8 minutes until it's a deep brown caramel color (225F on a thermometer, or you can try going up to 300F to make walnut brittle)
- Remove from the heat and stir in the baking soda.
- Stir the walnuts into the caramel, then spread the whole mixture out thinly on the same parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Cool completely, then enjoy your treats, or blend into a praline paste to use for patisserie, or store in an airtight container in the fridge.
Notes
Did you make this? Tag @maitricooks on Instagram and leave a rating in the comments below. Lots of love!Â
So tasty! 🙂