Recycled Recipes from Vintage Boxes: Sugared Walnuts

Candies contain a high percentage of sugar, thus adding a real contribution to the supply of energy-giving food. They have a legitimate place in the well balanced menu, but should be eaten with discretion. — Washburn’s Gold Medal Flour
Sorting through my collection of recipe boxes, I found several variations on the traditional Christmas sugar cookie recipe and the ever famous fruit cake. I was tempted to try some of the cookie recipes, but definitely bypassed the fruit cake recipes without a second thought. It must be a generation “thing”, because my parents and grandparents enjoyed their recipes each year after year. I found a recipe for sugared walnuts. We all have some “food” memory and the sugared walnuts were mine. The warm scents of spices and sugars melted with toasted walnuts reminded me of my grandmother’s kitchen at Christmas.
Each year, my grandfather collected walnuts from his single walnut tree. He’d crack the hard shells with a hammer, used only for this special purpose, and spend evenings sorting the meats from the shells over sheets of newspapers. The shells were set aside for some forgotten purpose, and the meats were stored in oversized glass jars until my grandmother was ready for them. Then she’d scoop out the nuts and bake them in a candy coating. Her recipe? Nonexistent, but I found some variations in my boxes that came close.  

Sour Cream Sugared Nut
½ cup sour cream
1/1 teaspoon cinnamon                                               
1 ½ cup sugar
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla                          
¼ teaspoon ginger
4 cups of walnuts
¼ teaspoon cloves
Mix sour cream and sugar in a saucepan. Cook to 220 degrees F. using a candy thermometer, stirring constantly. Add walnuts, spices and vanilla. Stir rapidly until mixture has coated nuts and begins to sugar. Spread on tray and separate nuts. Cool thoroughly. Can be stored in airtight container for 3-4 months.

Spiced Nuts
1 egg white
2 teaspoons cinnamon
4 cups of nuts
½ teaspoon cloves
2/3 cup sugar
½ salt
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
Beat one egg white until foamy. Add nuts, tossing to coat. Combine sugar, cinnamon, cloves salt and nutmeg. Toss mixture with nuts to coat. Spread nuts on a greased baking sheet in a single layer (I used parchment paper). Bake in a 250 degree oven 45 to one hour. Cool slightly and break apart. Cool completely and store in airtight container.

I found several variations on this recipe. One added ¼ teaspoon of allspice instead of nutmeg. Another added 2 tablespoons of cold water and mixed it with the beaten egg white.

Helpful Hint from the ’80s: No nuts? Oatmeal browned in a small amount of butter or margarine makes an economical substitute for chopped nuts in cookie, cake and pie recipes.
Note: Obviously not recommended for glazed or sugared nut recipes listed above.