Make Ahead

Sage-Candied Walnuts

Name: Sage-Candied Walnuts
Yield: Makes a baking-sheet full
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons salted butter; 1.5 tablespoons sage, finely chopped; 5 cups walnuts; 1 egg white, beaten until a little stiff; 1 tablespoon maple syrup; 1/4 cup light brown sugar; 3/4 cup white sugar; a generous sprinkling of sea salt

by: Cristina Sciarra

January 5, 2012

4.3

6 Ratings

Photo by James Ransom

Makes a baking-sheet full

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Author Notes

I have never been a particular fan of nuts. Cashews were all right in my book, but pecans? Walnuts? I didn't want them muddying up my breads and cookies. Everything changed after I tried The Nut Box's candied pecans. Glorious! I think the word "addiction" is appropriate, and now I find myself giving all nuts a second look. All I know about the pecans are the ingredients: butter, sugar and salt. This is my take on them, using sage and walnuts. (I got the egg white tip from Smitten Kitchen). —Cristina Sciarra

Test Kitchen Notes

This is the kind of adult walnut confection that should be served at your favorite cocktail bar. Don't be afraid to up the sage by half or reduce the sugar a little depending on your taste. Either way, you'll be munching on these til kingdom come. Highly addictive. —favabean

Test Kitchen-Approved

What You'll Need

Ingredients

2 tablespoons salted butter
1.5 tablespoons sage, finely chopped
5 cups walnuts
1 egg white, beaten until a little stiff
1 tablespoon maple syrup
¹/₄ cup light brown sugar
³/₄ cup white sugar
a generous sprinkling of sea salt

Directions

In a medium pan, heat the butter over medium heat. Add the finely chopped sage, and cook for a few minutes, until fragrant.
In a large bowl, beat the egg white. Add the walnuts, and toss. Add the maple syrup and the butter, and incorporate. Add the sugars, and toss until the walnuts are evenly coated.
Preheat the oven to 300F. Spread the walnuts evenly on a parchment-paper lined baking sheet. Sprinkle with sea salt. Cook the walnuts for 30 minutes, breaking them up about every 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.

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Cristina is a writer, cook, and day job real estate developer. She studied literature, holds an MFA in Fiction Writing, and completed the Basic Cuisine course at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris. She lives in Jersey City with her husband--a Frenchman she met in Spain--and their sweet black cat, Minou. Follow her writings, recipes, publications and photography at theroamingkitchen.com.

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25 Reviews

shoepershopper September 25, 2022

Yummm!!! I used these as a topping for some roasted Brussels sprouts, onions and apples for a Rosh Hashanah side dish. This is the PERFECT fall topper (or snack!) I'm definitely going to be using these for a topper for my Thanksgiving stuffing, topping on butternut squash soup and even some yummy fall salads. Thank you so much. Definitely don't forget to stir the walnuts as they cook. So glad I re-read the instructions half-way through the cooking process.

Karen B. August 24, 2022

What a great combination of flavors.

Jharna H. November 24, 2016

Making these now, they smell amazing! Planning to serve them as part of a cheese platter, and as an accompaniment to a Maple Brown Sugar Pumpkin ice cream I made last night.

Connie B. January 19, 2016

These are fabulous! The only addition I made was a heavy sprinkling of cayenne pepper stirred in with the sugars. So good, it's really hard to stop eating!

Cristina S. January 20, 2016

That sounds like a great addition!

cosmiccook July 22, 2015

I take it the egg white should be beaten only a little; before soft peaks?

calangus February 5, 2015

Can this be made with dried sage? i almost always have dried sage in my cabinet.

chez_mere February 5, 2015

That should work fine if you reduce the amount to about 1/2 a Tablespoon and add it to the mix by rubbing it into the sugars with you fingertips instead of frying it in the butter

pen_drifter December 21, 2014

These are so fantastic. I'm using them as Winter solstice gifts this year.

Katie November 22, 2014

How long will these stay fresh once made?

Cristina S. November 23, 2014

Hi Katie, I haven't tested that, but I imagine at least 1 week.

Bevi October 27, 2014

Yum! Am making these for gifts for sure!

Cristina S. October 28, 2014

Thanks, Bevi! I hope you will!

Karen March 10, 2014

Yummy!
I need my toddler to eat more walnuts, these are a. hit!!!
I am going to try ground mustard instead of the ginger.

vrunka November 27, 2013

Oh, man, these are great. And easy, too. I saw the recipe highlighted on Food52 less than an hour ago and now I'm sitting in the kitchen trying not to eat them all.

Cristina S. November 27, 2013

Ha, excellent! I haven't made these in a while, but I think I will pull them out for the holidays.

Alicia V. May 3, 2013

Could I do this with Pecans? Walnut allergy... :(

Cristina S. May 4, 2013

Hi Alicia, I'm not sure how sage and pecans will taste together, but no harm in trying! Also, for pecans, I'm crazy about this recipe: http://www.nytimes.com/recipes/1014381/Sweet-Spiced-Pecans.html

mdm January 11, 2013

So delicious! Made a ton over the holidays, thank you!

Cristina S. January 11, 2013

I'm so glad you liked them!

chez_mere November 29, 2012

Any ideas for how almonds would be?

Cristina S. November 29, 2012

Hm. I might not use sage for almonds. I might try brown sugar, cinnamon, or even cayenne. I think I've seen honey and rosemary. Let me know how it turns out!

CharlotteR April 4, 2012

I made these this weekend and they were very well received. Next time I will double the sage and reduce the white sugar to around 1/2 cup. Thanks for the good and easy recipe - the sage and walnuts are a tasty combination.

hardlikearmour January 5, 2012

These look gorgeous!

Cristina S. January 5, 2012

Thanks! I am trying very hard not to eat them all! :)