This Oklahoma Nut Candy Recipe Is Sweet And Simple To Make
The best Oklahoma nut candy recipe is chewy, sweet, with deep caramel notes and a taste that falls somewhere close to the legendary Turtles pralines. Delicious as a special treat or dessert, these candies are also perfect as a holiday gift for your loved ones.
According to Ksenia Prints of At the Immigrant's Table, making candy at home can be a particularly fun challenge. Yes, it's a bit finicky and the potential for error is always there, but it's hard to beat the enjoyment of customizing flavors to suit your tastes, and it's pure pleasure to whip up bespoke treats you can use as DIY gifts.
Take this Oklahoma nut candy recipe, for example. The original recipe for Aunt Bill's Brown Candy first appeared in 1928 in the regional newspaper The Daily Oklahoman, and became a favorite across the country almost immediately. The original version vaguely calls for "nut meats," with the understanding that pecans were the preferred nut. Our version uses a mix of walnuts and pecans to give the chewy candy a touch of depth and complexity. We also cook the sugar low and slow, to really bring in the brown color and the deep caramel flavor. The result is a winning combination of homemade caramel and toasted nuts in a chewy, creamy coating.
Gather the ingredients for this Oklahoma nut candy
To make this candy, you'll need a mix of equal parts of pecans and walnuts, granulated sugar, heavy cream, unsalted butter, vanilla extract, and baking soda.
Step 1: Prep the pan
Line a 9x13-inch pan with parchment paper and butter lightly. Set aside.
Step 2: Toast the nuts
Toast the pecans and walnuts in a dry skillet until fragrant, about 5 minutes.
Step 3: Add sugar to a saucepan
In a small heavy saucepan, pour in 1 cup of sugar and cook over low heat while stirring often.
Step 4: Caramelize the sugar
Cook until the sugar is completely melted and dark brown, about 20 minutes.
Step 5: Combine the cream and sugar
As the sugar cooks down, add the remaining sugar and cream to a Dutch oven with a heavy bottom. Simmer over low heat until the sugar has dissolved.
Step 6: Add the caramelized sugar to the cream
Add the caramelized sugar to the Dutch oven while continuously stirring.
Step 7: Cook the candy mixture
Bring the heat up to medium and cook the mixture until it reaches 244 F, known as the soft ball stage.
Step 8: Add baking soda
Remove from heat and stir in the baking soda until completely combined.
Step 8: Add the butter and vanilla
Add the butter and vanilla. Stir until the butter has melted and the mixture is smooth.
Step 9: Rest the mixture
Let the mixture rest for 20 minutes.
Step 10: Stir in the nuts
After the mixture has rested, stir in the toasted nuts and mix until the sheen has gone.
Step 11: Pour into the pan
Transfer to the prepared pan.
Step 12: Chill until hardened
Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.
Step 13: Cut and serve
Cut into bars to serve.
What can I pair with nut candy on a holiday dessert platter?
Best Oklahoma Nut Candy Recipe
Our Oklahoma nut candy recipe is a winning combination of homemade caramel and toasted pecans and walnuts in a chewy, creamy coating.
Ingredients
- ½ cup pecans
- ½ cup walnuts, chopped
- 3 cups granulated sugar, divided
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ¼ cup unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅛ teaspoon baking soda
Directions
- Line a 9x13-inch pan with parchment paper and butter lightly. Set aside.
- Toast the pecans and walnuts in a dry skillet until fragrant, about 5 minutes.
- In a small heavy saucepan, pour in 1 cup of sugar and cook over low heat while stirring often.
- Cook until the sugar is completely melted and dark brown, about 20 minutes.
- As the sugar cooks down, add the remaining sugar and cream to a Dutch oven with a heavy bottom. Simmer over low heat until the sugar has dissolved.
- Add the caramelized sugar to the Dutch oven while continuously stirring.
- Bring the heat up to medium and cook the mixture until it reaches 244 F, known as the soft ball stage.
- Remove from heat and stir in the baking soda until completely combined.
- Add the butter and vanilla. Stir until the butter has melted and the mixture is smooth.
- Let the mixture rest for 20 minutes.
- After the mixture has rested, stir in the toasted nuts and mix until the sheen has gone.
- Transfer to the prepared pan.
- Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.
- Cut into bars to serve.
Nutrition
| Calories per Serving | 178 |
| Total Fat | 8.6 g |
| Saturated Fat | 3.8 g |
| Trans Fat | 0.1 g |
| Cholesterol | 16.3 mg |
| Total Carbohydrates | 25.9 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 0.4 g |
| Total Sugars | 25.4 g |
| Sodium | 9.8 mg |
| Protein | 0.9 g |
What are some other famous nut candy recipes?
Besides Aunt Bill's Brown Candy, there's plenty of other specialty candy that you can only find in some regions of the United States. Pecan Pralines are thought to have originated in New Orleans, Pearson's nut goodies hail from Minnesota, buckeyes are found and made in Ohio, while Goo Goo Clusters are popular in Tennessee.
Texas is also home to pecan logs, which are chewy nougat centers rolled in caramel and coated with pecans. California, the state with the biggest sweet tooth, claims ownership over almond roca, a candy combining butter toffee coated in chocolate and crushed almonds. You'll also find a variety of candy- or chocolate-covered peanuts, which go by different names depending on where you travel, from goobers to Boston baked beans.
There are also other regional variations on more common candies, like cashew clusters and peanut brittle. It's interesting to note that wherever you go in the U.S., citizens are happy to claim ownership over a unique spin on familiar candies. After all, regional pride just tastes sweeter.
What variations can you make to this nut candy?
While we think this Oklahoma nut candy recipe is truly the best, as it offers the perfect chewiness, the deepest caramel flavor, and the most nuttiness from the combination of pecans and walnuts, there are changes you can make to give it your own spin. These start with how you cook the sugar, and continue with additions and mix-ins.
The first change you can make is to veer away from the Brown Candy moniker in the title, and avoid cooking the sugar for long. This can shorten the cooking time and also make it lighter in color and less caramel-flavored. To do this, skip step 3 entirely and combine all three cups of sugar with the cream from the start.
You can also change the nuts, opting for full pecans as is typical of the original variation, or adding in macadamias for a luxe richness, or toasted almonds or hazelnuts for extra crunch. And finally, you can play with the texture of the candy. If you stop cooking when you reach 240 F, you'll wind up with softer, chewier pieces. If you keep cooking till you're over 248 F, you'll end up with firmer candy with more bite.