How to Make Toffee‐Covered Nuts

Co-authored by Jessica Gibson

Last Updated: September 15, 2021

If you're looking for the perfect sweet and salty snack, mix up some toffee-covered nuts. Combine mixed nuts with a sweetened butter syrup and cook it over the stove until the nuts caramelize. You could also make simple toffee pecans by toasting the nuts in a brown sugar syrup. Or try spiced toffee peanuts that are quick to toss together and roast in the oven.

Ingredients

Butter Toffee Nuts with Sea Salt

2/3 cup (160 ml) water
2 cups (400 g) sugar
6 tablespoons (84 g) butter
1 1/2 cups (190 g) raw pecans
1 1/2 cups (190 g) raw walnuts
1 cup (125 g) raw peanuts
1 cup (135 g) raw pine nuts
1 tablespoon (12 g) flaky sea salt
2 teaspoons (4.5 g) freshly grated nutmeg

Makes about 8 cups (1.1 kg)

Toffee Pecans

1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter
1/2 cup (100 g) light brown sugar
1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar
1 tablespoon (18 g) coarse kosher salt
1 teaspoon (5 ml) vanilla extract
3 3/4 cups (470 g) raw pecans

Makes 8 to 10 servings

Toffee-Coated Peanuts

1/4 cup (50 g) sugar
2 tablespoons (28 g) butter, melted
2 tablespoons (30 ml) corn syrup
1 1/4 teaspoons (3 g) ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon (1 g) salt
1/4 teaspoon (0.5 g) ground nutmeg
2 cups (250 g) unsalted dry roasted peanuts

Makes 3 cups (400 g)

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Making Butter Toffee Nuts with Sea Salt

1
Grease a baking sheet. Get out a large, rimmed baking sheet. Spray it with cooking spray or rub a little vegetable oil across the bottom of the pan. Set the sheet aside.^{[1]
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2
Mix together water, sugar, and butter. Measure 2/3 cup (160 ml) of water into a large, deep skillet on the stove. Stir in 2 cups (400 g) of sugar and 6 tablespoons (84 g) of butter.^{[2]
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3
Heat the butter mixture for three to four minutes. Turn the heat on to medium-high and stir the mixture so the sugar dissolves and the butter melts. This should take three to four minutes. The mixture will become syrupy.^{[3]
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4
Stir in the raw nuts. Measure all of the nuts into the skillet with the syrup and stir until the nuts are completely coated in the syrup. You'll need to mix in:^{[4]
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- 1 1/2 cups (190 g) raw pecans
- 1 1/2 cups (190 g) raw walnuts
- 1 cup (125 g) raw peanuts
- 1 cup (135 g) raw pine nuts
5
Cook and stir the nuts for 12 to 15 minutes. Keep the skillet over medium-high heat and stir the nuts until the syrup begins to look dried and powdery. This should take 12 to 15 minutes.^{[5]
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6
Cook and stir the nuts for 10 more minutes. Keep stirring and cooking the nuts so the coating begins to caramelize. The nuts should look shiny and rich brown in color.^{[6]
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7
Turn off the heat and season the nuts. Once you've removed the skillet from the heat, stir in 1 tablespoon (12 g) of flaky sea salt and 2 teaspoons (4.5 g) of freshly grated nutmeg. Stir the nuts well to ensure they're evenly spiced.^{[7]
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8
Spread the nuts on the prepared pan and let them cool. Transfer the butter toffee nuts to the greased baking sheet and use a wooden spoon to spread the nuts evenly. Cool the nuts completely before you serve them.^{[8]
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- Use caution when handling the hot nuts since the hot sugar can easily burn you.
- You can store leftover nuts in an airtight container at room temperature. Use the nuts within several weeks or they may become sticky.

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Making Toffee Pecans

1
Prepare a baking sheet. Get out a large, rimmed baking sheet and lay a sheet of parchment paper on it. Set the sheet aside while you make the pecans.^{[9]
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2
Melt the butter over low heat. Put 1 cup (226 g) of unsalted butter in a large pot on the stove. Turn the heat to low and stir the butter occasionally until it melts.^{[10]
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3
Stir in the sugars, salt, and vanilla. Turn the heat up to medium-low and stir in 1/2 cup (100 g) of light brown sugar, 1/2 cup (100 g) of granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon (18 g) of coarse kosher salt, and 1 teaspoon (5 ml) of vanilla extract.^{[11]
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- The sugar mixture should be thick.
4
Stir in the pecans. Add 3 and 3/4 cups (470 g) of raw pecans. Stir them into the sugar mixture until they're completely coated.^{[12]
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5
Stir and cook the pecans for five to seven minutes. Keep stirring and cooking the nuts until the sugar caramelizes. The pecans should become dark brown. This should take five to seven minutes.^{[13]
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6
Spread the pecans on the sheet. Carefully scoop the toffee pecans onto the prepared baking sheet. Use a fork or spoon to separate the nuts so they don't stick together as they cool.^{[14]
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7
Cool and serve the nuts. Let the pecans cool completely before you remove them from the baking sheet. Serve them or store them in an airtight container. You can keep them at room temperature for three to five days.^{[15]
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Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Making Toffee-Coated Peanuts

1
Preheat the oven and prepare a baking dish. Turn on the oven to 300 °F (149 °C). Get out a 10 x 15-inch (25 x 38-cm) baking dish and coat the bottom with a little vegetable oil or cooking spray. Set the pan aside.^{[16]
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2
Stir together the toffee mixture. Get out a large mixing bowl and melt 2 tablespoons (28 g) of butter in it. Add 1/4 cup (50 g) of sugar, 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of corn syrup, 1 1/4 teaspoons (3 g) of ground cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon (1 g) of salt, and 1/4 teaspoon (0.5 g) of ground nutmeg. Stir the mixture until it's completely combined.^{[17]
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3
Stir in the peanuts. Measure 2 cups (250 g) of unsalted dry roasted peanuts into the bowl with the toffee mixture. Stir the peanuts well so they're evenly coated.^{[18]
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4
Spread the peanuts on the sheet and bake them for 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer the toffee-coated peanuts to the greased baking dish and spread them evenly across the pan. Put it in the preheated oven and bake the peanuts until they're a rich, dark color. This should take about 20 to 25 minutes.^{[19]
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- You may want to stir the peanuts once during the baking time to ensure that they cook evenly.
5
Cool and serve the toffee-coated peanuts. Carefully remove the baking dish from the oven and set it on a wire rack to cool. Once the peanuts are totally cool, you can serve them or store them in an airtight container at room temperature. Use the nuts within a week or two.^{[20]
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