Cinnamon Walnuts Recipe : Holiday Entertaining

I’m so excited the holidays are here! I just love to share my family recipes and traditions with you. As you know, my style is not complicated and the recipes are tasty but simple. This Cinnamon Walnuts Recipe couldn’t be easier. But, gosh dang it, these are GOOD. Anyone who has ever had them has raved about the flavor. And then when they are given the recipe they are blown away by how easy they are.

Aside from the walnuts, you probably have all of the ingredients at your house already. Sugar, cinnamon and vanilla. That’s it. And a little bit of water.

Mix it all together on the stove and let it melt together. Stir often so the sugar doesn’t burn. I think most things take on more flavor when they are a little overdone. Not sugar though, man. That just gets nasty.

Once the mixture has cooked for a few minutes, you add in your walnuts and mix to stir. Then spread them out on a cookie sheet so they can dry. I’m going to be honest, because I’m no expert and I own my mistakes (all of them… you guys, that perm was NOT a good idea), I didn’t cook the sugar mixture quite long enough when I made them for this post. One thing you should know about me is I’m a skimmer. I read recipes through beforehand and then when it counts, when I’m actually making a recipe, I skim and miss valuable information. Like when it said cook until the water dissolves which would have made this mixture a little more caramel-y and harden up nicer. It didn’t ruin them. They still tasted amazing. It just meant that they didn’t harden up as nicely as usual and because the mixture didn’t cook down enough, there was some extra sauce on my nuts…yeah, I know how that sounds and I hope you got a good chuckle out of it. When I say harden, I don’t mean these will be break your teeth hard. I just mean that the sugar mixture won’t be tacky, and kind of candied but the walnut won’t be any more crunchy than it is on it’s own.

These Cinnamon Walnuts totally remind me of my grandmother. I’m not sure where she got the recipe from but these were always waiting for us at her house when we came to visit around the holidays. And my mom also made them every year. You could always find these out on her sweets table on Christmas day alongside her fudge, the cinnamon candy, the best caramel corn ever and my fave candied orange peels. And now, my mother in law makes them around the holidays. It’s so fun to see my families share what they love with each other.

These would make a great gift for the neighbors, teachers or even a hostess gift when you are making the rounds this holiday season. They are also great to keep on hand in case friends and family drop by unannounced (you know how they do) at this time of year. Store them in an air-tight container, out of sight, or else you will eat them all. I guarantee. I finally had to throw the rest of them away (I gave away a bunch too!) because I think my pants are starting to not fit anymore…Tis the season!

Cinnamon Walnuts Recipe
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This recipe is a family holiday tradition. And super tasty.
Author: Sharon Garofalow Recipe type: Desserts/ Snacks
Ingredients

• 3 cups whole walnuts or walnut halves
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 5 TBSP water
• 1 tsp vanilla

Instructions

1. Combine all ingredients except vanilla and walnuts.
2. Cook on low heat until mixture dissolves and it cooks down a bit (about 7 minutes total).
3. Remove from heat.
4. Add vanilla and mix well.
5. Add walnuts and stir to coat.
6. Spread out on a greased cookie sheet to dry.
7. Eat up.

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