Maple Chipotle Candied Walnuts

Can you tell us more about maple sugar? The recipe mentions ground maple sugar. What do I look for when shopping for maple sugar?

Maple sugar is a great ingredient when creating raw candied nuts since the sugars melt and crystalize, while giving a nice crunchy finished to the nuts—as opposed to using a wet sweetener such as date paste, syrups etc. Maple sugar can be found in many health food shops in the baking isle. It occasionally comes in large crystals so you would need to blend for a powdered product. I love having this ingredient on hand for raw desserts, crusts, or just topping oatmeal in the morning, in replace of brown sugar. Hope that is helpful. Cheers.

I have also been able to find maple sugar at Costco of all places. Cheers!

Could I use the oven instead of dehydrator? If so, at what temperature and for how long?

You could use and oven, but it is trickier and less consistent. Use a warm oven set to very low (170F) and try for 45-60 minutes. Check and then see how much longer you want to let them "toast". The risk is in too much heat and scorching the nuts. ~Ken

What's the benefit of soaking/softening the walnuts first? Is this true for other candied nuts as well?

For flavored/candied nuts, the process of soaking first gives the coasting a better chance of adhering and then creating a crunch after dehydrated. While soaking is not 100% necessary, it is a good method for candied nuts when using a dehydrator. ~Ken

It can be difficult to find maple sugar even in Quebec, Ontario or the maple producing states, Vermont, Main, New York etc. you can make your own easily from pure syrup. You boil syrup to between 32 - 40 degrees above boiling point of water. If anyone is interested in the steps to do this post a reply and I can walk you through the process. I make 70 pounds a year and it's the only sweetener I use except for fruit pastes.

Great info Merna! Thanks for sharing. ~Ken

Would there be any difference in using Coconut Sugar instead of Maple?

Hi Jenna and thanks for your question! I would encourage you to definitely try using Coconut Sugar instead of Maple - I've attached the following link which outlines more goodness about Coconut Sugar! Enjoy and thanks for learning with Rouxbe Jenna! Chef Kirk http://www.eatlivegrowpaleo.com/2012/05/in-praise-of-coconut-sugar.html

I have a lot of pecans on hand and wonder if I could use then here instead of walnuts?

Oh, yeah!! Pecans work wonderfully well with this preparation. Enjoy!

Thank goodness because I forgot it was walnuts and bought 4 pounds of pecans instead!

Do you think a Stevia Blend sugar, such as "Truvia" would work in place of the maple sugar?

Carla, yes, any granular sugar will be fine.

This looks great, I have never used a dehydrator before. I was thinking of using the above recipe of walnuts on top of a cashew cream will Walnuts stay crunchy or will they oxidize and lose their crunch, any idea ?

Vineeta, the nuts will lose their crunch with prolonged contact with moisture (they still taste really good, though!), so I recommend adding/garnishing/serving in that manner right at service time.

Did anyone use the dehydrator sheets or did you put the nuts directly on the racks?

Hi Elyse! You could do either. I have tried both ways and usually just put these on the racks. I use the teflex sheets for messier/ stickier items like tortillas, fruit roll ups, coconut puree, etc. Happy dehydrating!

I have date sugar in my pantry, could I use it instead of maple sugar? I know it's less sweet but maybe it will work? Thanks!

Hi Xiomara: From my own experience, I often interchange the date with maple sugar. Date sugar contains fiber and antioxidants, so there is that component. It works well, and has that nice caramel-like flavor. Good luck with your baking!

Fantastic recipe I look forward to making again. How long could I expect these walnuts to stay crisp in a sealed container in the refrigerator?

Hi Donna: yes, these nuts are delicious. Think of candied nuts that you see at the market, they are stored at room temp. If the nuts are stored in the refrigerator, there is moisture, which would take away the crunch of the nuts. Generally, make them when they will be served. If needed, store them in an air tight container, at room temp. They make great gifts, by the way. Hope this helps. Thanks, Char

Hello, Char: Thank you for your reply. That makes sense. However, I'm not quite sure which way to go as the last sentence of the recipe states "Store walnuts in a sealed container and refrigerate to retain crispness." Should the recipe be corrected?

Donna-- Thanks for writing, you are a recipe sleuth! I will take this to the recipe writers' attention. Thanks for getting back to me. Much appreciated. -Char

I just found out my oven has a dehydrate setting, now the question is do I need a special type of pan to allow for air circulation? Was planning on using a sheet pan with parchment, but just found an old broiler pan with some slits in it, I may try that. The dehydrator trays look almost like air filters. Thank you!