Nuts « Categories « Zoom Yummy – Crochet, Food, Photography

Candied Walnuts …and ‘Oh! Nuts’

September 3, 2010 by zoomyummy

candied walnuts recipe with step-by-step images

Recently, one very sweet person approached me offering a wonderful chance to grab and taste a few products from a company called ‘Oh Nuts’.

So I grabbed them and tasted them and now I’m in heaven…

candied walnuts recipe with step-by-step images

There were yummy Dried Mango Slices.

candied walnuts recipe with step-by-step images

There were Dried Turkish Apricots.

Mmmm…

Me love apricots!

candied walnuts recipe with step-by-step images

And then there were walnuts.

Immediately I knew that me and these walnuts could make really great friends.

In other words, I decided to make some candied walnuts.

Yay!

Have you ever tried that?

Well, you definitely should. It’s so much fun and the taste …mmm …that taste is just unbelievably scrumptious.

candied walnuts recipe with step-by-step images

To prepare candied walnuts you need 1 1/2 cups (50 grams) walnuts, 1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar and a pinch of salt.

It’s this simple.

1. First, toast the walnuts in the oven at 350 F (175 C) for about 5 minutes.

candied walnuts recipe with step-by-step images

2. Then pour the sugar into a saucepan.

candied walnuts recipe with step-by-step images

3. Stir the melting sugar with a wooden spoon. Try to break any lumps that would form.

candied walnuts recipe with step-by-step images

4. Keep melting the sugar until it’s liquid and it has reached this beautiful amber color.

I always get amazed when this magic happens.

candied walnuts recipe with step-by-step images

5. Then throw the nuts into the caramel.

Yes, that is caramel what we’ve got in the saucepan.

Isn’t that amazing?

6. Stir it all together quickly to cover all the nuts with the sugar mixture.

candied walnuts recipe with step-by-step images

7. As soon as the walnuts are coated, spread them out on a baking sheet.

You can line the baking sheet with parchment paper.

7. Use two forks to separate the walnuts from each other.

Try to work quickly at this stage since there’s only about 30 seconds until the caramel hardens.

candied walnuts recipe with step-by-step images

8. Sprinkle the nuts with salt and let cool completely.

Enjoy, dear friends …and visit ‘Oh Nuts’ to get your own delicious walnuts, apricots, mango or anything else that makes you happy. These nice people offer loads and loads of wonderful stuff!

See you soon.

Love,

Petra

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Banana Bread

February 9, 2010March 5, 2014 by zoomyummy

What comes to your mind when you think of banana bread?

To me it’s BEAUTIFUL.

And FRAGRANT.

And IRRESISTIBLE.

And a piece of sweet art.

The kind of food that makes me feel really good.

I missed this art in my life lately.

And that is unacceptable.

So I just created it…

~~~

To make wonderful Banana Bread you need:

1 cup (115 grams) walnuts or pecans (optional)

1 3/4 cups (230 grams) all-purpose flour

3/4 cup (150 grams) granulated white sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

3 ripe large bananas, sliced

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

~~~

1. Preheat an oven to 350 F (175 C).

2. Place the nuts on a baking sheet and bake for about 8-10 minutes.

They will become wonderfully tender and fragrant.

3. These are our dry ingredients.

Pour them into a larger bowl and mix them.

4. After you toasted the nuts chop them coarsely,…

… add them to the flour mixture,…

… and give it all a good mix.

5. These are our wet ingredients – the sliced bananas, lightly beaten eggs, melted butter and vanilla extract.

6. Mash the bananas.

7. Add the eggs, the butter and the vanilla to the bowl.

Mix, mix, mix.

8. With a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, lightly fold the wet ingredients (banana mixture) into the dry ingredients just until combined.

The batter should be thick and chunky (try not to over mix here – the bread could end up being tough and rubbery – and we don’t want that).

9. Butter and flour (or spray with a non-stick spray) the bottom and sides of a loaf pan.

Fill it with the lovely batter.

10. And bake for about 55-60 minute (or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the bread comes out clean).

Mmmmm, this smells wonderful…

Place on a wire rack to cool and then remove from the pan.

11. Enjoy dear friends…

… and remember that there are many more lovely posts for you to see here.

(This recipe was adapted from joyofbaking.com.)

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Thumbprint Cookies

December 14, 2009 by zoomyummy

Thumbprint Cookies – you may also know them as Polish Tea Cakes or Butterballs.

Combining all things people love so much – butter, nuts and jam – they are classic and favorite cookies for any occasion.

And you know what? They are also really easy to make – just have a look!

~~~

To prepare the Thumbprint Cookies you need:

1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature

1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated white sugar

1 large egg

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup (140 grams) all-purpose flour

1/8 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup (100 grams) walnuts (or hazelnuts or almonds or pecans)

1/2 cup jam (any flavor you like)

~~~

1. Preheat an oven to 350 F (176 C).

2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place the nuts on the sheet.

3. Toast the nuts for about 10 minutes.

4. Remove the nuts from the oven and let cool.

Then chop them finely and place them into a bowl.

Nice!

5. Now let’s make the dough.

In the bowl of your electric mixer mix the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

6. Separate the egg and add the egg yolk to the batter.

Add the vanilla extract.

And then add the flour and salt to the batter and beat until just combined.

7. On a lightly floured surface form a log from the dough and cut it into about 12 – 15 equal pieces.

8. Form a ball from each piece and refrigerate for about 30 minutes (the balls will be easier to work with when refrigerated).

9. In a bowl whisk the egg white until frothy.

10. Dip a ball into the whisked egg white…

11. … and then roll in the nuts lightly.

Place the balls onto the prepared baking sheet spacing about 1 inch (2,5 cm) apart.

12. And now the funny part!

Take one well-built thumb and make an indentation into the center of each cookie.

13. Using a teaspoon, fill the cookie with the jam (if you want to make it more neat you can use a pastry bag or – like me – a small plastic bag with one corner cut off).

14. Bake for about 13-15 minutes.

Remove from the oven, place on a wire rack and let cool.

If you are planning to make these cookies in advance, you can bake them without the jam filling (in that case, reduce the baking time by a few minutes). They can be stored for about one week and filled with jam the same day as serving.

This recipe makes about 15 cookies.

Enjoy!

(To see more of my posts click this or “Home”.)

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Brownie Tart

November 1, 2009 by zoomyummy

This Brownie Tart recipe is very unique and interesting because it changes casual brownies into an elegant dessert.

The trick is done by exchanging the usual square baking pan for the more formal tart pan.

And that is not all!

There are polka dots of delicious ganache that cover the surface of the tart.

Trust me, eating this dense, moist and fudgy chocolate wonder is pure bliss!

~~~

To make the Brownie Tart you need:

1 cup (110 grams) walnuts, toasted and chopped

14 tablespoons (200 grams) unsalted butter, cut into pieces

3 ounces (85 grams) semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped into small pieces

1/2 cup (45 grams) unsweetened cocoa

1 cup (200 grams) granulated white sugar

3 large eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

3 ounces (85 grams) cream cheese

1/2 cup (70 grams) all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

To make the Ganache you need:

2 ounces (55 grams) semisweet chocolate, chopped

1/3 cup (80 ml) heavy whipping cream

~~~

1. Preheat an oven to 350 F (176 C).

2. Toast nuts for 8-10 minutes until lightly browned and fragrant.

Let cool and chop into pieces.

Set aside.

3. Reduce the oven temperature to 325 F (165 C).

4. Grease or spray you fluted tart pan with a nonstick vegetable oil and then line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper.

5. In a metal bowl, placed over a saucepan of simmering water, melt the butter.

6. Add the chopped chocolate and stir until smooth.

Then remove from the heat.

7. Add the cocoa, …

8. … and the sugar.

9. Then add the eggs (one at a time) beating well after each addition.

10. Beat in the vanilla and then stir in the cream cheese.

11. Add the flour and salt and mix until incorporated.

12. Stir in the nuts.

13. Pour the batter into the tart pan and spread it evenly with a spatula or the back of a spoon.

Bake for about 30-35 minutes.

14. While the tart is baking you can make the ganache.

Place the chopped chocolate into a small bowl.

Heat the cream in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring just to a boil.

Immediately pour the boiling cream over the chocolate.

15. Stir until smooth.

16. Remove the tart from the oven and let cool for about 20 minutes.

Then remove the tart from the pan.

With the end of a wooden spoon that is well greased (I dipped it in vegetable oil) make holes into the top of the tart.

It is good to twist the wooden spoon while inserting it. Thus you prevent the tart from tearing.

17. Using a small spoon (or a pastry bag, or a small plastic bag) fill the holes with the ganache.

Let the tart cool completely and then cover and refrigerate.

18. Well, only one half happened to get refrigerated in our household.

Yummy!

This recipe was adapted from here.

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