Maple Walnuts

I've inherited a nut obsession from my mother; she would freely admit nuts may 'be the death of her' and knowing that there has for twenty nine years, been a stacked kilner jar by the fridge, I'm willing to agree. Pre dinner, during dinner, post dinner, all seem completely normal moments to abandon self restraint and bring out the jar. 

Then I discover you can sprinkle with sugar, toss in maple syrup and bake in a hot oven for a few minutes to make the nuts even more of a snacking problem. Still, this has got to be better than a Mars bar, right? 

Maple Walnuts 

Ingredients 

 

200g walnuts

2 tbsp. demerara sugar

2 tbsp. maple syrup

A pinch of salt

Method 

1/ Preheat the oven to 200C, fan 180C, gas 6. Line a baking sheet with non-stick parchment.

2/ Combine the pecans, demerara sugar, maple syrup and pinch of salt in a small bowl and spread into one thin layer on top of the parchment. Make sure all the nuts are quite close together; any lonely ones may get burnt.  Drizzle any remaining mixture onto the nuts.

3/ Cook the pecans for 6-8 minutes before removing from the oven, turning with a spatula, and cooking for a further 5-6 minutes (checking regularly to make sure they don’t burn!) Remove from the oven, allow to cool and set aside.

4/ Store in an airtight container for up to 4 weeks using a delicious topping for cereal, desserts or even chopped into salads.