Maple Walnut Butter Recipes

MAPLE-CANDIED WALNUTS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Melt butter in large skillet over medium heat. Stir in maple syrup, vanilla, cinnamon, and 3/4 teaspoon salt. Bring to a simmer (mixture should be frothy), about 3 minutes. Add walnuts, and toss to coat using a rubber spatula. Cook, stirring, until sauce is syrupy and bubbly, about 3 minutes.
• Transfer walnut mixture to a parchment-lined baking sheet, and spread into a single layer. Bake until walnuts are caramelized, about 10 minutes. Transfer sheet to a wire rack. Stir, and let stand until cool and hardened, about 30 minutes.

MAPLE WALNUT BUTTER

Steps:

• Place the walnuts in the workbowl of a food processor; cover and process until the nuts are ground and begin to form a paste.
• Add the butter, maple syrup, and cinnamon; cover and process until smooth and well blended, stopping the motor and scraping down the sides of the bowl once or twice.
• Store the butter in a covered container in the refrigerator; bring to room temperature before serving.
• This will keep for at least 1 week.

ALMOST-FAMOUS MAPLE-BUTTER BLONDIES

Steps:

• Make the blondies: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with foil, leaving an overhang on two sides; butter the foil. Pulse 1/2 cup walnuts in a food processor until almost fine (do not overprocess). Whisk the ground nuts, flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl.
• Beat 10 tablespoons butter and the brown sugar with a mixer on medium speed until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the bowl with a rubber spatula. Beat in the vanilla. Gradually beat in the dry ingredients until just combined. Fold in the white chocolate and the remaining 1/2 cup walnuts.
• Spread the batter in the prepared pan and bake until the blondies are light brown around the edges and spring back when pressed, about 30 minutes. Cool slightly on a rack.
• Meanwhile, make the topping: Place the maple syrup and butter in a small saucepan over medium heat and cook until the mixture bubbles and thickens, swirling the pan, about 6 minutes. Add the cream and continue to cook until the mixture is the consistency of caramel.
• Use the foil to lift the blondies out of the pan, then cut into large bars. Serve warm topped with ice cream, the maple-butter sauce and the walnuts.

MAPLE-WALNUT CAKE

Steps:

• Make the frosting: Whisk the egg whites and maple sugar in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water (do not let the bowl touch the water) until the mixture is warm and the sugar dissolves, about 5 minutes. Remove the bowl from the pan and beat with a mixer on high speed until stiff, shiny peaks form, about 5 minutes. Beat in the butter a few pieces at a time, then continue beating until smooth. (Don't worry if the mixture looks separated at first; keep beating and it will come together.) Beat in the maple extract.
• Assemble the cake: Poke holes all over the tops of the 2 cake layers using a toothpick. Spoon the reserved walnut syrup over the cakes, letting it soak into the holes.
• Coarsely chop the walnuts. Transfer 1 cup frosting to a medium bowl; fold in the chopped nuts. Put 1 cake layer on a platter and spread the walnut frosting on top. Top with the second cake layer. Cover the whole cake with the remaining maple frosting. Decorate with more walnuts.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter two 9-inch-round cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper; butter the parchment and dust the pans with flour, tapping out the excess.
• Whisk 3 cups flour, the baking powder and salt in a bowl until combined. Beat 2 sticks butter and the sugar in a large bowl with a mixer on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Reduce the mixer speed to medium; beat in the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the bowl as needed. Beat in the vanilla. (The mixture may look separated at this point.)
• Mix 1/2 cup water with the cream in a liquid measuring cup or bowl. Beat the flour mixture into the butter mixture in 3 batches, alternating with the cream mixture, beginning and ending with flour, until just smooth.
• Divide the batter between the prepared pans. Bake until the cakes are lightly golden on top and the centers spring back when pressed, 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer to racks and let cool 10 minutes, then run a knife around the edge of the pans and turn the cakes out onto the racks to cool completely. Remove the parchment. Trim the tops of the cakes with a long serrated knife to make them level, if desired.

MAPLE GLAZED WALNUTS

Steps:

• Preheat a dry skillet over a medium-high heat. Add the walnuts, maple syrup and salt. Cook, stirring frequently, until syrup is caramelized and nuts are toasted, about 3 minutes. Let cool.

MAPLE BUTTER

Steps:

• In a bowl, beat butter until smooth. Gradually add syrup, continuing to beat until smooth. Freeze in small portions.