Caramelised Cinnamon Walnuts

Makes 3 cups.

Takes 5 minutes (+ overnight to soak and 24 hours to dehydrate/12 min to bake).

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 12

Total Time 17

Servings

Calories 132kcal

Soak your walnuts for at least 4 hours, or overnight.
Drain and rinse well, until all the colour has come out (this removes the bitterness and phytate nutrient inhibitors). Shake and drain well - I normally leave them in the sink for 5-10 minutes to drain out while doing something else, otherwise you can dab them with a tea towel to dry (this will speed up your dehydrating/baking time). You still want a bit of moisture on them so the cinnamon mixture will stick.
Add in a bowl with the cinnamon, vanilla powder, coconut sugar and sea salt, and stir for a good minute until all of the walnuts are well covered and there is no more cinnamon mix in the bottom of the bowl.
To dehydrate, place the walnut mixture in a single layer on a baking sheet (teflon/silicon or regular baking paper), and dry for 12-24 hours at 41°C (106°F) until they’re super crunchy to bite. To oven bake, place in a single layer on an oven tray and fan bake for 12-15 minutes at 150°C (302°F) until just crunchy and dry.
Leave to cool completely until they're fully dry and crunchy, then place in a glass jar in the fridge in hot weather, or in your cupboard if it’s relatively cool.

These are only just subtly sweet, which is how I like them - most caramelised nuts you find are doused in sugar. If you'd prefer a slightly sweeter option however, you can increase the coconut sugar to 3 or 4 tablespoons.
These also work really well with hazelnuts, simply sub out the walnuts in the same quantities.
It’s important to wait until these are completely cool before pouring into a glass jar. If they are still warm, the moisture will be trapped inside the jar and make them go slightly soft (which you don’t want!).
These will happily store in the fridge or a cool cupboard in a tightly sealed glass jar for a few months. Note that all nuts (and seeds) are best used as fresh as possible, as over time their oils will oxidise. By drying them out (via dehydration or roasting) until they’re completely dry and crunchy, we can minimise this as much as possible so it’s worth waiting that little bit longer til they’re truly done.