Swedish Nuts --- the perfectly sweet/salty and light/airy coated NUT! | Make It & Love It (2024)

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July 21, 2014 - By Ashley Johnston 18 Comments

This post was written by my foodie sister Robin, who is now sharing all of her favorite recipes and kitchen tips regularly on the new “Make It and Love It – in the KITCHEN” portion of this blog. Try a few of her recipes…your belly will thank you! -Ashley

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Hi guys…..it’s Robin again! And I’m sharing a fun snack that I like to make when friends are over. Or, if I want a sweet high-protein snack around my kitchen. It’s super quick and different from other hard coated candied nuts you’ve probably tried.

So, I am a sucker for the combination of sweet and salty. Add some texture into the equation — and I’m sold. That’s why these nuts never last long on my counter. And no, these aren’t your standard candied nuts that you find at holiday time. You know, with the hard candied sugar coating. Nope, these are so much better and lighter and mmmmmm, they just take “candied nuts” to the next level (and aren’t so hard on your teeth.)

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To be honest, I’m not sure what makes them “Swedish”…..so if you know, tell me! Or if these are actually “German” nuts or “Greek” nuts — yeah, I won’t be hurt. But I’ll still probably call them “Swedish” nuts. Ha! Because I discovered these in college when a friend brought these to a party…..and that’s what she called them. But let me tell ya, I couldn’t keep my hands away from them. :)

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The coating on these nuts is incredibly light and airy…..I’m not even sure how to explain it. It’s so different from your standard candied nut…….and so much butter. They have the perfect sweet and salty flavor, with a nice subtle buttery flavor. And the pre-roasting of the nuts, give them the perfect crunch. No joke, you won’t be able to keep your hands off them!

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The nice thing about these, is that you can add your own variations to make it your own. You can add cinnamon/nutmeg/ginger to the coating mixture or top the finished nuts with a chocolate or caramel drizzle. These can also be used in a salad over some greens with bleu cheese, pears, and a vinaigrette. Oh yum!

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Ok so let’s get this recipe started —

Shopping List:

• 3 ½ cups of any raw nuts (I used 1 ½ cups almonds and 2 cups pecan halves)
• 1 cup sugar
• ¼ tsp salt
• 2 stiffly beaten egg whites
• ½ cup butter

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First of all, you want to roast your nuts by themselves. Doing this will give you a lighter nut that will be easier to chew. There is a subtle flavor change compared to the raw nuts coming right out of the bag. I feel it gives the nuts a flavor boost. Simply fill your sheet pan with the nuts spreading them out evenly.

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Roast them in a 325 degree (F) oven. This will take around 15 minutes. I like to check on them around 7-8 minutes and mix them around a bit. You will notice that they are slightly darker. That is good and let them cool.

Beat your egg whites until they become stiff. Then, gradually add in the sugar and the salt.

When you have added all the sugar you notice that you can see and feel the sugar crystals like you see here. What you have is a lumpy meringue. Don’t you worry, that will be all taken care of in the end.

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Fold the cooled nuts into the meringue so that all the nuts are coated in meringue. (Don’t over-mix or you’ll flatten the egg meringue.)

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Completely melt the butter on your sheet pan by popping it in the oven for a few minutes.

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Spread the nutty meringue mixture evenly over the melted butter like you see here. Bake in the oven at 325 degrees for 35 minutes.

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You want to stir the nuts every 10 minutes so that they get an even roast and the melted butter gets distributed evenly on all sides of the nuts.

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Here is the first stirring:

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Second stirring:

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Third stirring:

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Finished! You will notice there is no butter remaining in the pan and that the coating is a great amber color. Just beautiful! Oh man — and they smell wonderful!!!

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Let them cool completely and then place in a serving bowl for a quick snack or treat. This makes about 4 cups.

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Enjoy!

-Robin

[print_this]

Swedish Nuts — Recipe Card:

makes 4 cups

• 3 ½ cups of any raw nuts (I used 1 ½ cups almonds and 2 cups pecan halves)
• 1 cup sugar
• ¼ tsp salt
• 2 stiffly beaten egg whites
• ½ cup butter

Place your nuts on your baking sheet and roast in a 325 degree (F) oven for 15 minutes, stirring halfway through. Let them cool. Beat your egg whites until they become stiff (creating a meringue). Gradually add in sugar and salt. Fold the nuts into the meringue until all the nuts are completely coated. (Don’t over-mix or you’ll flatten the meringue.) Place butter on baking sheet and place in oven until melted. Pull out and evenly distribute nuts onto baking sheet. Bake in the oven at 325 degrees (F) for 35 minutes. Stir every 10 minutes for an even roast and to evenly distribute the butter on all sides of the nuts. Let cool and serve.[/print_this]