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Just a few simple ingredients are all you need to make these delicious Cinnamon Walnuts. They’re crisp and buttery with a not-too-sweet maple cinnamon flavor that will keep you coming back for more. The simple small batch recipe makes a fantastic party snack or holiday gift!
If you’re looking for a fun snack, these cinnamon walnuts check all the boxes: they’re indulgent but not overly sweet.Are easy to make. And they taste delicious!
We like to add them to bowls of oatmeal and yogurt but these crunchy nuts also make a great addition to snack platters.
Similar to these flavorful spiced cashews, the small-batch recipe makes just one cup of seasoned nuts but it can easily be doubled if you want more.
Recipe Notes
Walnuts Halves: It’s okay if there are a few smaller pieces in the mix but the nuts will toast more evenly if they’re mostly the same size.
Oil: You can use any oil you want. A basic olive oil is my go-to but grapeseed, coconut oil, or canola oil will also work.
Step-By-Step Instructions
1. Start by adjusting your toaster oven’s cooking rack to the bottom placement. Select the BAKE setting and preheat to 325°F.
2. Next, mix together the maple syrup, oil, cinnamon, and salt. You want a thick and well-combined mixture. That way each nut gets coated with a yummy maple-cinnamon-salty flavor.
3. Now add your nuts and stir well to coat them. Then stir them again. You want to get all that syrupy goodness into every little walnut nook that you can.
4. Pour the walnuts onto a greased pan and spread in an even layer. A little 1/8 Sheet Pan is my go-to for small jobs like this. It fits nicely in our toaster oven and the rimmed edges help to keep the nuts from escaping when you stir them.
5. Pop the pan in the oven and go wash up. After about 7 minutes, carefully pull out the pan and give the nuts a few good stirs.
You’ll notice a little bubbly syrup on the pan. Use your spatula to scoop up all that deliciousness and stir it onto the nuts.
6. Pop the pan back into the oven and repeat the stirring every 3 or 4 minutes until the nuts are golden and toasted.
7. You’ll know they’re ready when your house smells amazing and the walnut flesh is toasted with a deeper color.
8. As soon as the nuts come out of the oven, give them a dusting of cinnamon sugar and let them sit for 30 minutes. While they cool, the nuts will develop a light and crispy coating.
Once they’re completely cooled I usually store the nuts in a jar in the pantry. If you keep them anywhere in your eye line, I guarantee they won’t last long!
More Toaster Oven Snacks
- Toaster Oven Cinnamon Chips
- Toaster Oven Pizza Bagels
- Rosemary Cashews
- Toaster Oven Bagel Chips
- Polenta Bites (Bake or Air Fry)
- Toaster Oven Baked Pita Chips
- Small Batch Chex Mix
Cinnamon Walnuts
Yield: 1 Cup Nuts
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Cooling Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes
Maple syrup and a dusting of cinnamon sugar give these toasted buttery walnuts a lightly sweet and crispy texture. Perfect for gifting, they can be enjoyed on their own, atop baked sweet potatoes, or sprinkled on your morning oatmeal.
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons Maple Syrup
- 1½ teaspoons Olive Oil (see note)
- 1/4 teaspoon and 1/8 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon, divided
- 1/8 teaspoon Fine Sea Salt
- 1 cup Shelled Raw Walnuts
- 1/2 teaspoon Organic Granulated Sugar
Instructions
- Adjust the cooking rack to the bottom placement, select the BAKE setting, and preheat the toaster oven to 325°F. *In a traditional oven use the middle rack placement.
- Lightly coat a small rimmed sheet pan with cooking oil spray and set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the maple syrup, olive oil, 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon, and sea salt. Add the walnuts and stir well to coat.
- Pour the nuts onto the prepared pan and arrange them in a single layer.
Cook until the nuts are toasted, stirring occasionally, about 13 to 17 minutes total. - While the nuts are cooking, combine the granulated sugar and remaining 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon.
- When the walnuts are ready, remove the pan from the oven and immediately sprinkle with the cinnamon-sugar mixture. Wait 30 seconds, then give the nuts a stir and spread into a single layer.
- Leave nuts on the pan to cool completely (about 30 minutes), they will crisp up further as they cool.
- If you manage to not devour them all in one sitting, store any leftovers in a well-sealed container.
Notes
Oil: We like to use a basic olive oil for this recipe. Extra-virgin olive oil works too it just has a more pronounced flavor that you may or may not like. Melted coconut oil is another good option but it may give the nuts a subtle coconut flavor.
Storage: Store leftover nuts in a sealed container at room temperature for 7 days or freeze for up to 2 months.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4Serving Size: 1/4 cup
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 199Total Fat: 18.3gSaturated Fat: 1.2gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 59mgCarbohydrates: 5.6gFiber: 2gSugar: 2.8gProtein: 6.8g
FAQs
The sugar will look grainy until the melting/liquifying process happens at the very end. Immediately transfer nuts to parchment paper and separate using 2 forks OR let the nuts harden together and break them apart with your fingers once cooled.
Do candied walnuts go bad? ›
All nuts do go rancid eventually, but as long as you cool them completely and then store them in an air-tight container, they should be good for about a month.
What is the best nut to replace walnuts with? ›
Pecans are the closest match in taste to walnuts, offering a similar earthy note with a hint of sweetness. They have a rich, buttery taste, but they tend to be slightly sweeter than walnuts. Almonds, while milder, can sometimes serve as a substitute due to their nutty and somewhat sweet profile.
How do you get the rancid taste out of walnuts? ›
To make rancid walnuts tasty again, a "chemical engineer" (consulted for this purpose) advises to soak the rancid walnuts in milk or other emulsive ingredient which is then rinsed off with hot water, and the nuts gently dried and roasted with sea salt.
How long to soak walnuts before baking? ›
Soaking nuts
Simply place your nuts in a bowl, add 1 to 2 teaspoons sea salt and cover with warm or room temperature water. Leave to sit for 7 hours or overnight before draining (note: cashews shouldn't be soaked for more than 6 hours).
Can you tell if walnuts are rancid? ›
Walnuts go rancid when exposed to warm temperatures for long periods of time. Heat causes the fat in walnuts to change structure, which creates off odors and flavors. Fresh walnuts smell mildly nutty and taste sweet. If your walnuts smell like paint thinner, you know they're rancid.
Can rancid walnuts make you sick? ›
But if you do, for some reason, eating the occasional spoiled nut is “no big deal,” because we have enzymes in our stomachs that can essentially incinerate the oxidation byproducts.
How to improve the taste of walnuts? ›
According to The Flavor Bible by Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg, the best food pairings for walnuts are apples, honey, prunes, sugar, sharp and mild cheeses, brandy, sweet dry wine, whiskey, coffee and many other fruits and spices.
What nut is healthier than walnuts? ›
Both walnuts and almonds are keto-friendly and great nuts for heart health. When it comes to weight loss and blood sugar control, almonds are the winners, but walnuts take the lead regarding brain health.
Which nut is equal to walnut? ›
Almonds and walnuts are both tree nuts, and the similarities don't end there. They provide similar amounts of calcium and potassium and their nutritional profiles are *nearly* a perfect match. This table shows how an ounce of unsalted walnuts compares with the same amount of unsalted almonds.
Pili Nuts. Pili nuts are versatile tree nuts that, when shelled, provide a flavor that's close to peanuts. The flavor of pili nuts alone makes them a good substitute for peanuts, Rails says.
What pairs well with walnuts? ›
Top 5 Pairings
Although people enjoy a mix of sweet and savory flavors with walnuts, a sweet combination is most liked by all: (1) Dark Chocolate, (2) Sesame Cayenne, (3) Vanilla, (4) Sea Salt Caramel, (5) Coffee.
Can dogs have walnuts? ›
Although it may be technically safe for dogs to eat a few walnuts (especially if they are store-bought and unsalted), walnuts are not the best choice for your dog. Walnuts can be a choking hazard for dogs and, when eaten in large quantities, can lead to a potentially life-threatening condition called pancreatitis.
How to use old walnuts? ›
Stale nuts are totally fine to eat, of course, but they do need to be processed to make them delicious again. Just toasting them in a dry pan or oven should be enough to revive them, but they'll also go in any recipe that requires nuts.
Why is my candy grainy? ›
The problem is that crystals of sugar were re-introduced into the liquid candy. This will cause your candy to crystallize and become grainy. To prevent this, (stove-top method only) wipe down the inner sides of your pan a few times with a wet pastry brush while your candy is boiling.
Why is my glaze gritty? ›
If you are getting a grainy, rough or matte surface on your clear glaze, it is often caused by either a thin application of clear glaze or an underfiring of the glaze. Mixing non-toxic & toxic glazes: Toxic and non-toxic formulas can be very different so we do not suggest you try this.
Why is my brown sugar grainy? ›
Essentially, brown sugar hardens when moisture evaporates due to aging or improper storage. But hardened sugar is still safe to eat and use—you just have to soften it back up to a usable texture. If your recipe has the sugar dissolving or melting into a liquid, you can actually use the hardened stuff without issue.
Why is my peanut brittle grainy? ›
What's important to know is that the corn syrup controls the grain of the brittle so adding too little and you have a grainy textured brittle, while adding too much will result in a stringy and sticky brittle. To start this Peanut Brittle, the water, corn syrup, sugar, raw peanuts, and salt are brought to a boil.
