Name: Honeyed Sesame Walnuts Recipe
Total time: 1 h 15 min
Yield: Makes about 7 cups
Ingredients: 1/4 cup honey; 1/4 granulated sugar; 1/4 cup grapeseed or other neutral oil; 1 teaspoon ancho chile powder; 2 teaspoons kosher salt; 1 1/2 pounds walnuts (about 7 cups); 1/4 cup sesame seeds, plus more; 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more

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By Genevieve Ko

Dec. 12, 2019

Crackly sweet walnuts coated with sesame seeds are the best part of a classic Cantonese shrimp stir-fry. Those nuts are hard to make — they’re boiled, then deep-fried, then tossed in bubbling caramel. This version tastes the same but is far easier. A long, slow bake in the oven helps the honeyed glaze and seeds cling to the nuts, which become light and crisp. Just be sure to stir them often as they cool so that they don’t clump together.

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¼ cup honey

¼ granulated sugar

¼ cup grapeseed or other neutral oil

1 teaspoon ancho chile powder

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 ½ pounds walnuts (about 7 cups)

¼ cup sesame seeds, plus more

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more

Heat the oven to 275 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.

Whisk the honey, sugar, oil, chile powder and 1 teaspoon salt in a large bowl. Add the walnuts and sesame seeds and toss to evenly coat. Spread in an even layer in the pan.

Bake, stirring every 20 minutes, until golden brown and glazed, about one hour. Immediately sprinkle evenly with the black pepper and remaining 1 teaspoon salt.

Slide the parchment off the pan onto a cooling rack and cool, stirring the nuts often to keep them separate, until crunchy and room temperature.

Variations:

Spicy Honey Sesame Walnuts: Increase the ground ancho chile powder to 1 tablespoon.

Make Ahead:

The nuts can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week.

Genevieve Ko

Genevieve Ko is the former cooking editor for the Los Angeles Times. She is a cookbook author and has been a food writer, editor and recipe developer for national food media outlets. Ko graduated from Yale after a childhood in Monterey Park.