Maple nuts for beginners

[mathprofdk]

I just did my first few batches of maple nuts based on the advice in another thread here, and I thought I'd share some pics. (Got a new camera, so this was a fun excuse to use it.)

In case there are other beginners out there who are wondering about this, it's pretty much the easiest thing to do with syrup. I even used some buddy syrup for a couple batches. It made the house smell, but the nuts were tasty!

https://picasaweb.google.com/105617821852821251413/CandiedAlmonds

Cheers,
DK

[Sweber]

This was the best way to show this! Thanks

[GramaCindy]

Very Nice! I am hoping to make some Maple Pecans for Christmas, the only problem is I only have an 8oz. bottle to work with. How do I know how much syrup and nuts to use????

[whalems]

Grammacindy, I use 8 oz. syrup and 2-3 cups of nuts. Boil syrup to around 240* pour over nuts that have been warming in the oven and stir. hope that helps, Mike

[CBOYER]

i made some almond yesterday, i use 6 oz syrup for 2 cups, boil syrup at 236 -238 F,mixed them until they are looking dry (Whiter than on mathprofdk pictures). dont loose anything, scrape the pan after, this give you some dry sugar.

[GramaCindy]

Grammacindy, I use 8 oz. syrup and 2-3 cups of nuts. Boil syrup to around 240* pour over nuts that have been warming in the oven and stir. hope that helps, Mike
OMG….I just got done with my first batch! HOLY MOTHER OF GOD!!!!!

[GramaCindy]

I used 8+oz of light and heated it up to 246* dumped in about 1 1/4 lbs of nice pecan halves…took off of heat and stirred until the sugar forms….Very cool to see that happen. Oh boy!!!!!!! Wish I could post a pic but it isn't working for me right now.

[CBOYER]

Very Nice! I am hoping to make some Maple Pecans for Christmas, the only problem is I only have an 8oz. bottle to work with. How do I know how much syrup and nuts to use????
i think you will need to find some more syrup:lol:

[GramaCindy]

https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/Xu_4ctAYwfdwqA1uMRmHUdMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=d irectlinkAfter trying some right off the stove, now I know I need more syrup. I will definitely make more of these after this spring's harvest!
i think you will need to find some more syrup:lol:

[buckeye gold]

That is one of the best demonstration post I have ever read, you nailed it. I sold syrup and nuts at a farmers Market this summer and the nuts sold as well if not better than syrup. Actually as I think about it they sold better, because I had more repeat customers. The only thing I do different is I have the nuts in a separate pan and pour the syrup over the nuts and I do not warm the nuts, they cool and crystallize faster that way in my opinion. I find that you need at least 235 degrees for best results, but things like altitude and barometric pressure influence it as well. A safe bet is to go to 238 and that ought to work in most Maple areas.

I had told people I would do Christmas baskets with Syrup/nuts but I am now sold out of syrup, and can't fulfill those request. I was contemplating buying syrup, but would have to raise my prices and I am Leary of doing that. I saved enough syrup to take care of family. I guess if someone close to southern Ohio had some syrup they want rid of at a good deal I might be interested? In the mean time I'm waiting for January.

Man I love to eat the nuts warm from the pan.

Happy Holidays

[jasonl6]

I had told people I would do Christmas baskets with Syrup/nuts but I am now sold out of syrup, and can't fulfill those request. I was contemplating buying syrup, but would have to raise my prices and I am Leary of doing that. I saved enough syrup to take care of family.

Happy Holidays

You never want to run out of syrup even if you have to buy it. Once someone starts buying from you and you are out they will not be back 90% of the time. Always Always have syrup. You should have a dealer that will sell it to you at a little above wholesale and you will still break even. Those customers are your bread and butter always have a product for them (tell them you will bottle some up over the weekend if you don't have any on hand and get some to them on Monday morning).

[Thad Blaisdell]

I stopped at Wolly world today for a battery, and walked by the nuts...... grabbed a bag and came home and made these. AWESOME. Now I have to buy more nuts.

[mathprofdk]

That is one of the best demonstration post I have ever read, you nailed it.

Thanks! I'm so glad people are finding it useful. Once I figure out how to make some of the different types of candy (haven't tried yet), I'm hoping to make some more posts.

Interesting point about the second pan - any particular reason? Is it just about cooling faster, as you wrote? I suppose that makes sense - get the syrup out of the hot pan.

I'm just a backyard producer, so these are just for gifts. But man, they went quick at the office!

~DK

[maple connection]

Wow!! I made 1 pound of almonds with 8 oz. of syrup and I have two boy and a wife that can't eat them fast enough.
Thanks for sharing the great receipe. This is a great snack while we put out all the Christmas decor.

[unclebuck]

Never made these yet but after reading this post my mouth is salvitating need to get some almonds and peacans
Nice pictures

[arch e spile]

I made a batch today with hole walnuts very easy to do. My wife & boys enjoyed them they are gone need to make some more.

[Dennis H.]

I made a batch each of peanuts and almonds.

The peanuts were salted in shell so the peanuts ended up haveing some salt on them by the time I had them shelled.
The almonds on the other hand were roasted but unslated.

After maple coating them I should have added some salt to the almonds!!

And the biggest lesson I learned is that you can't save enough to make peanuts in the shell worth the hassle!

[MapleME]

I just tried a batch of almonds, and boy are they GREAT! My family has a thing for "salty and sweet". I used the two pan method for two reasons. I needed a tall thinner pan to boil only 2 cups of syrup (I did a double batch) but stirring the final thick mixture in a tall thin pot is not as easy as a low wide pot plus it cools faster with more cool surface area. So I just put the almonds in the second wide pan and poured the syrup on. Just before it was at temp, I sprinkled a little corse sea salt on the almonds, came out really nice. Thanks for sharing this!

[maple maniac65]

Just made some using a 1/2 gallon of Grade B and 2 pounds of walnuts, 1 pound of pecans and 1 pound of almonds. Awesome

[RUSTYBUCKET]

Mathprofdk -

Care to share where you picked up that thermometer ?

[mathprofdk]

Just a bump, because it's about that time!

And sorry for not replying, Rustybucket. I must have missed your post. And unfortunately, I can't remember!

~DK

[morningstarfarm]

have made a ton of these in the last couple weeks...suggestion...try smoked almonds...cant seem to make enough and they have a hard time getting to the shelf...

[Pumpkin Village Maple]

Your right about the peanuts. My family calls me every week to ask for peanuts not about how are you?:D
They are very easy to make and I'm down to 7 gallons of syrup. Going up to 200 buckets just because of those dam peanuts. (That's my excuse anyways!!:lol:)

[McClintick Maple]

I just tried these. I have taffy nuts, not crystalized coated ones. Did I miss an assumed step of cool syrup after boiling before mixing with nuts, like when making molded candy?

Samantha

[mathprofdk]

No cooling is necessary. The two things that come to mind are that the syrup may not have gotten up to the right temperature, or you may have stopped stirring too soon. What happens is that as you stir, it will cool and start to get "tacky" - you'll see little stringers of syrup as you stir and pull the nuts apart. Then as you keep stirring, they get stickier and stickier, until it finally crystallizes and you have candied nuts. That usually takes about 2-5 minutes. At least, that's how it goes for me.

Another issue I had recently was that I didn't have enough nuts and ended up with a syrup:nuts ratio that was too high, and it took forever for the syrup to crystallize and coat the nuts.

I hope this is helpful. I'm no expert, so maybe others on here will have some suggestions, too.

[Ed R]

I tried these last weekend and ended up with taffey nuts as well. I went by temp on the first try. Second attempt I got out my computer and looked at the pictures posted and I went by the look of the boil and perfection!!

[McClintick Maple]

Ed D, what temp didn't work for you? I used 242*, same as what I've been doing for molded candy. Going by look of the boil is new to me, but then again, everything in this realm is still new to me.

Some little things might have been the slightly higher humidity at the time and the darker syrup I used. Mostly I think I just wasn't prepared for how hard it would be to stir 2 lbs of nuts during the gooey stage to get past it to the crystalize stage. I was afraid it would harden in the pan and I wouldn't be able to get it out so I started laying it on the cookie sheet too soon. My husband took over the stirring and putting onto another cookie sheet while I tried to spead out the taffy on the first. Then we left it and were gone for several hours. When we got back the end of the batch proved lovely! The first part was darn good too. I managed to package enough of the best as a thank you gift to the one who gave us the nuts, enough of the pretty good for a couple family gifts, and my husband assures me it will not be a problem to eat the mistakes of the experiment.

My pan and therometer depth require 2 cups syrup to start, thus the batch size. Next experiment is to take not so pretty molded candy pieces, melt them in the microwave, add to smaller quantity of nuts and see how that turns out. Unless someone here can already tell me and strongly advises against it.

[Dennis H.]

This is how I do it and I haven't had an issue yet.

I use 6oz of syrup per pound of nuts.
I put the nuts on a cookie sheet and place in oven at 190.
While the nuts are warming in the oven I boil the syrup.
I boil the syrup to 240 degrees as to the Taylor candy thermometer that I use.
Once the syrup gets to 240 I dump all the nuts into a large SS bowl.
I then pour the syrup over top of the nuts and start to stir. Once they are coated I will sprinkle on salt if needed.
I continue to stir. It will be still glossy and gooey, keep stirring.
You will start to see it turning to a dryer look, keep stirring.
I keep stirring until there is very little glossy look on any nuts. They should now be loose and not in large clumps.
There will still be a few small clumps of i'd say 4-5 peanuts.

I then pour this all back onto the cooking sheet and place back into the oven.
I turn the oven off and let them in there to cool.

I have to say maple coated nuts is one of the easiest things to make, and they taste great to boot!

[Ed R]

If I remember right it was 244-245 when the boil consistency changed. Correct temp may change due to atmospheric conditions.

[mathprofdk]

From what I can tell, you just weren't stirring long enough, Samantha. And as you found out, two pounds can be pretty hard to stir. If you want to speed it up, try pouring the syrup over the nuts in a bowl and stirring there.

Also, the temperature does not need to be precise. I've made great maple nuts going only to 235.

[Dave Y]

I disagree about the temps not needing to be precise. I make a couple hundred pounds of coated nuts a year and if the syrup temp is not at least 242 the syrup will not sugar. I guess that any syrup that sugars at 235 is higher and the thermometer is off. Many kitchen grade thermometer are often wrong.

[220 maple]

Dave Y,
I always take my syrup for coating nuts to 255 otherwise it will not sugar, I was completely out of Fancy and needed some to make some candy for a Christmas order, I recently purchased some and it will not sugar, I always boil syrup for candy to 242.5, the second try I went to 270 and it will not turn to candy? Any ideas?

Mark 220 Maple

[mathprofdk]

I would encourage anyone reading this thread to be careful who you take advice from. I'm clearly the beginner here, so read my posts with care!

That's really interesting, Dave. I was having trouble when I was trying to make candy, and I wonder if it was just my candy thermometer. I may need to buy a second to use as calibration. Very interesting that I've been able to get to sugar every time with the nuts - in fact, this is the only thing that I can't screw up!

~DK

[Dave Y]

I would suggest to anyone making confections to use a long stem digital thermometer. you should have more than one. 220 there is a possibility that there wasn't enough invert sugars in your syrup or your point of boiling water is higher. These are the temps i use to make different products. Coated nuts 242-245degs. Maple Cream 24degs above the point of boiling water at that time. Candy 32-34degs above the point of boiling water at that time. Please keep in mind boiling water is not 212degs unless you are at sea level. you should find out what the point of boiling water is before you start to heat syrup for cream or candy. You can use your store bought thermometers if you know where water reads boiling with your thermometer. Two other notes on nuts. If you pour syrup over the nuts and they do not sugar on you do not dispare. Take your pan of nuts and put them in the oven and heat the whole thing up to 250degs. Then take them out and stir them they will sugar. Be careful as the pan will be hot. Secondly after you have your nut finished put them in the oven at 200degs for 2 hrs. this will cure the nuts and sugar and give them a long shelf life. I have kept nut for a year doing this.

[Ed R]

Dave, Thanks for the additional info.

[Dave Y]

I forgot granulated sugar, I bring it to 260degs.

[wagnerppw]

My 2 cents - just made a batch of these - took my syrup to about 236 degrees or a little higher - was hard to tell as I had to keep tipping my pan so the syrup was deep enough to get an accurate read on the thermo. Water boils here at 209-210. As soon as I took the syrup off the heat and before tossing in the nuts, I added about a tablespoon of butter, a dash of salt and a few shakes of cinnamon. These things are amazing! I plan on using some as Christmas gifts and wasn't sure if I should make glazed nuts or this granulated kind. So I made both. These kicked butt - so much better than the glazed. Thanks for sharing. :)

[bcarpenter]

Dennis, thanks for the info below. I just made these using your post and they are fantastic! We used cashews and almonds approximately 50% each, 16 oz of nuts, and 6oz of our syrup. Temp on my thermometer was close to 250 when I pulled it off the stove and I never would have believed the sugaring until I experienced it myself.

Thanks again for the write up.


This is how I do it and I haven't had an issue yet.

I use 6oz of syrup per pound of nuts.
I put the nuts on a cookie sheet and place in oven at 190.
While the nuts are warming in the oven I boil the syrup.
I boil the syrup to 240 degrees as to the Taylor candy thermometer that I use.
Once the syrup gets to 240 I dump all the nuts into a large SS bowl.
I then pour the syrup over top of the nuts and start to stir. Once they are coated I will sprinkle on salt if needed.
I continue to stir. It will be still glossy and gooey, keep stirring.
You will start to see it turning to a dryer look, keep stirring.
I keep stirring until there is very little glossy look on any nuts. They should now be loose and not in large clumps.
There will still be a few small clumps of i'd say 4-5 peanuts.

I then pour this all back onto the cooking sheet and place back into the oven.
I turn the oven off and let them in there to cool.

I have to say maple coated nuts is one of the easiest things to make, and they taste great to boot!

[DonMcJr]

" Maple nuts for beginners " ...isn't that what all beginner maple Surgarers turn into? LOL Couldn't help myself!

[Moser's Maple]

Mark,
not all maple syrup is fit for candy making. your light amber's invert sugar could be off which would not allow it to crystallize. The same goes for maple candy, cream, and granular sugar.
Now's here's just something to remember. If any of you plan on selling your maple coated nuts.....by FDA standards you are now a processor and you are required to have an inspected 20C kitchen. this isn't the same as a certified kitchen which alows you to do 100% maple products. A 20C would required water evaluation, a 3 bay wash sink, adequate ventilation for allergians, and a sepaerate area for the nuts to be stored so there is no cross contamination of nut oil, dust, etc.... for those who have a nut allergy.
Jake Moser
758 pounds molded maple candy last year (all done by hand)
over 400 lbs sold on ebay (mosersmaple1904)
award winning maple confections
2012 World Maple Festival Grand Champion Maple Syrup

[jake22si]

yum, that is perfect

[hfitch]

just made some of these with roasted, salted almonds.......yum - o!!! I don't think I'd want to use unsalted nuts. I think the sweet/salty combo is just perfect!

[dufftj]

Made two batches 1 cup syrup to 2 cups nuts pecans and almonds. 1/8th teaspoon corse sea salt per batch. Got distracted ( :rolleyes: I know never look away while boiling syrup) and the candy thermoneter was reading 250ish! Dumped it over my nuts (the ones in the mixing bowl:)) tossed in the salt and started to mix...Strange crackling noises and all of a sudden candidied nuts! Very easy, and really good! Thanks for posting this recipie! Oh ya and scraped the sides of the mixing bowl and spoon for a snack bag filled with salty sweet crusties, sprinkeled two tablespoons on my cereal and enjoying it right now!

Tim

[SeanD]

I just made a couple of pounds of almonds based on the info here. Thanks! I tried one at 245 and one at 242 and had success with both. I think the salted almonds were a bit better, but the rest of the family says it was a wash.

The only trouble I had was the first batch was VERY hard to stir and the bowl and the spoon got a thick coating of sugar that became rock hard. It was so hard to move that I was breaking nuts in the process. I did not heat the nuts nor bowl. Would that make a difference?

I scraped a bunch of the hardened sugar out between batches and sprinkled it back in with the second batch. The benefit was that the second batch in the same bowl and spoon candied much faster and got a much more even coating.

In the end I had to chisel out the sugar with a butter knife. I put the bowl and spoon in the freezer to see if it would make it more brittle and easier to chip out. It was hard work and time consuming, but I got between a 1/3 and 1/2 a cup of sugar that would otherwise go to waste.

Any other clean up strategies people use?

Sean

[drpud]

Hi all
A little late to the game but made a batch of almonds yesterday based on Dennis' recipe and they came out awesome. Only 1 problem, they are supposed to be for Xmas but don't think they're gonna last :lol:
Paul

[red maples]

Always make more than you need!!!! can't stress important step enough!!! :rolleyes:

[Super Sapper]

I needed to make 3 pounds for a Christmas gift and figured that I might as well do some more and see if there was interest. I made 7 pounds last night of almonds, cashews, and pecans and brought 4 pounds to work. I was out before noon with an order for 2 more pounds.

[unc23win]

Thanks for the Recipe I made 2 pounds of almonds everyone loves them.

[optionguru]

Had to revive this thread for this season. We had a small run last week and made about 1/3 of a gallon. The whole family was looking forward to the first breakfast of the season with real syrup. After breakfast yesterday we decided to make some maple almonds and mixed nuts as well. 3 batches later and LOTS of quality control tasting we are now in dire need of another sap flow because we used up most of our syrup. This is one of the easiest things to do and they are great. Thanks for the perfect picture tutorial.

[dblact38]

wow made a pound of almonds lastnight the kids loved them. They want them for breakfast lol easy making thanks

[Parkerssugarhouse]

I made a batch of these today, it was so easy and they taste amazing ( I had to go put them in my truck so I would stop eating them) how long do these last on the shelf, it seems like they should last just about forever but some input would be great. Thanks


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[Bruce L]

Tried my first batch of maple nuts today, did it with almonds and some "failed" candy that didn't turn out quite right in the molds.Tastes great, only suggestion I am getting is that the nuts seem a little soft.Is that because I didn't preheat them in the oven long enough before I poured the syrup over them?They were probably only in the oven for maybe 15 minutes to get up to 190 degrees.

[Super Sapper]

If the nuts were not roasted they will be softer. I usually get the unroasted pecans because they are less expensive and will roast them prior to coating them. Put them in the oven at 300 for 20 minutes and they should be good to go for coating. The other nuts I use are usually already roasted when I get them. You can also put them in the oven for a while at 200 when you are done.

[nace]

im gonna try this with black walnuts even though its very difficult to get large pieces of nutmeat because the shells are so hard. I will definitely make some candy though!

[Parker]

Just tried making this with my hobart a 200,,,made something like peanutbutter,,tastes great but not quite what i was after,,,,will try it by hand next time

[Parker]

Works alot better doing them by hand and is very fast

[DocsMapleSyrup]

Can maple nuts be frozen? If left at room temperature, is there a shelf life to candied nuts? Will they mold in a platic bag? With Christmas coming up, I'm thinking about gifts but it would be nice if I could get those ready ahead of Christmas.

[buckeye gold]

I will mix the syrup on the nut with a dough hook in a kitchen aide mixer. Soon as they are coated I stop and finish them by hand. As for shelf life, I've kept them a couple months with no problem.

[SeanD]

I'm always amazed at how long they keep. Whenever I have extra left over from a batch I'm retailing, I'll throw them in a ziplock and put them in the cabinet for snacks. I've come across some I've forgotten about for months and they are still great. Nuts can be stored in a cool, dry place. You don't need to freeze them. You'll be fine for Christmas gifts - and beyond.

Sean

[Super Sapper]

I am doing tins for Christmas now as I have orders for 98 so far. If they are sealed they will last for months. My brother opened a bag he had that was a year old and said it was still good.

[berkshires]

I just wanted to thank everyone who participated in this thread. Just made a batch of maple almonds, and WOW are they good. And so easy! These will make great little gift bags.

Thanks again!

[DocsMapleSyrup]

Much appreciated replies. Thanks.

[ACfarmerNH]

Great thread.. saw it yesterday and had to make up some maple cashews today. Love the aroma as the maple syrup is approaching the 240 mark.

[SeanD]

Yeah, it's a great way to get that special maple smell back in the house in the off season. I'll add a tip for anyone who is making a variety of nuts. I make my first batch with a hard nut like an almond, then I'll make the meatier/softer nuts. The first batch takes a little longer to crystalize and the nuts take a bit of a beating. After that, the mixing bowl seems to be primed and the taffy crystalizes faster, so it takes less stirring, so the nuts don't break up as much. I've found when I start with a pecan or walnut first, I ended up stirring longer and breaking more nuts into pieces.

Sean

[KV Sappers]

Can maple nuts be frozen? If left at room temperature, is there a shelf life to candied nuts? Will they mold in a platic bag? With Christmas coming up, I'm thinking about gifts but it would be nice if I could get those ready ahead of Christmas.

Yes they can be frozen. I've frozen them and when I want some I just pull some out of the freezer and eat them right from the freezer. Don't have to defrost them.

[Helicopter Seeds]

I made some last year, so delicious, but the nuts themselves seem to be expensive, so adding cost of making and the syrup, I wonder what a reasonable price point is for a small, say 4 oz jar.

Anybody have a good inexpensive source to buy them? Especially pecans or walnuts.

[SeanD]

BJs has the best prices in this area.

[Helicopter Seeds]

Thank You SeanD.

Best I found today was $4.99 for an 8 oz bag of pecan halves at Ocean state job lot. They also had walnuts at $3.99/ lb. I bought a few to get me started anyway.

I have been rinsing my filters in preheat sap, then refiltering the sand out. The concentrate I have is not finished, but definitely darker, so I will use this for nuts.

I am going to try the red copper pan also, supposed to be tougher than Teflon, and the sugar sticks to regular.

[SeanD]

Try the nuts before you candy them. I bought some walnuts at OSJL a few years back and I had to spit them out they were so bad.

[michael marrs]

I did not read the whole thread, ( way too long, and I am too lazy). after you mixed nuts in syrup, did you roll them in some kind of sugar. or is that the sugar from the syrup? thanks, and very nice pictorial

[Sugarmaker]

I am too lazy to go back and read the whole thing again too! But the sugar is from the syrup.
We just fired up the Maple peanut line today. And granddaughter M said she didn't like the "business" it was too much work!:)
I was using some late season dark syrup. It coated the nuts but it was touch and go for a little while as it looked like a gooey PayDay bar!
Regards,
Chris

[michael marrs]

thanks sugarmaker, I decided I needed to go back and read the hole thing, cause I just came back from wallmarts, and bought 20oz. of almonds, and 6 oz. pecans

[michael marrs]

I have a question . Some had added salt, and cinnamon to your almonds, I thought all the salt and cin. would end up in one place. Did any of you add this stuff to the syrup for a better mix? And thank you for this post!!!

[michael marrs]

we made some last night with 6 oz. to a lb of nuts, we mixed almonds, cashews, and pecans and right before I poured the syrup over nuts, I added a 1/2 t. cinnamon. should have added full teaspoon. but we were going to send them to our kids, one in Cal. on in N.C. along with their syrup. we will have to make another batch, these were going fast last night

[Page Meadow Maple]

Used the step by step photos to make my first maple roasted nuts : pecans, almonds and peanuts. They were fantastic. I did put them on parchment paper on a cookie sheet after coating in the pan. Roasted for 8 minutes at 350 degrees to crisp them up.

16332

[johnpma]

Job Lot or PriceRite has been where we have been getting our nuts. I had a guy in town ask me to make maple almonds for him to sell at his farm stand. He thinks we could sell them for $6.99/lb seems cheap to me......I suggested small bag quantities for $5.00

[unc23win]

Wow $6.99 a pound is very cheap. I've seen most any coated nuts for around a $1 an ounce snack size.

[sappytapper]

I'll be giving this a shot when I get home this evening to bring to dinner with me later on. I've made mostly dark amber but I imagine this will still work for me if i bring it up to 32 deg over boiling water. Guess we'll find out!