Healthy Recipes Healthy Ingredient Recipes Healthy Nut & Seed Recipes Healthy Hazelnut Recipes Caramel-Dipped Hazelnut Spikes Be the first to rate & review! This sugar garnish creates a wow factor on any dessert and is a great way to give the art of sugar confections a try. By Laura Kanya Laura Kanya Instagram Website Laura Kanya is a freelance recipe developer and tester based in Vermont. She has been active in the food industry for more than two decades in a variety of roles, including pastry chef, chef instructor, executive chef and director of operations in restaurants, resorts, catering, retail operations and food production companies. EatingWell's Editorial Guidelines Published on October 5, 2021 Print Rate It Share Share Tweet Pin Email Photo: Leigh Beisch Active Time: 25 mins Total Time: 25 mins Yield: 14 spikes Ingredients 14 hazelnuts, skinless and toasted 1 ½ cups sugar ½ cup water Directions Prepare an ice bath and place next to the stove. Place a heavy cutting board at the edge of the counter with a piece of parchment or newspaper on the floor directly below. Insert a long wooden skewer in each hazelnut. Combine sugar and water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Place a small metal bowl over the top to prevent crystals from forming. Boil until thickened and medium amber in color, about 12 minutes. Place the pan in the ice bath to thicken the caramel, about 3 minutes. Working quickly, dip each hazelnut into the caramel: if it's cool enough, it will form a thick string that will drip down from the hazelnut. Place the end of the skewer under the cutting board to hold it in place so the drip can harden. When the caramel has cooled, use scissors to trim the end, if desired. Remove the nuts from the skewers. If it's humid, serve immediately; otherwise, they can hold for up to 3 hours. Tip If the caramel hardens, you can reheat it over low heat. Also, for easy cleanup, fill the saucepan back up with water and bring to a boil. This will melt all the hardened sugar on the sides of the pan. Rate it Print