Candied Pecans

Our grocery store in Texas (HEB!!) had a stellar bulk food section. One of my favorites was the candied pecans....Soooo good. You could munch 'em straight out of the bag or crunch them up and use 'em as a salad topping. Sadly, there's no HEB in Anchorage. So when the candied pecan craving hits, I gotta make my own. This recipe is super easy and the nuts are hard to put down: a good sign if you're looking for a new recipe, a bad sign if you're trying to look cute in your Halloween costume.

Sugar ‘n’ Spiced Pecans

Adapted from Simply Recipes

1/2 c granulated sugar
3/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1 egg white
1 T water
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 c pecan halves

Preheat oven to 300ºF and line a large cookie sheet with aluminum foil. Lightly grease aluminum foil with cooking spray or canola oil.

In a medium bowl, combine sugar, salt, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg and mix well. In a separate, smaller bowl, whisk together egg white, water, and vanilla extract until it become foamy, about 2-3 minutes. Add pecans to the egg white mixture and toss until all pecans are coated. Using a slotted spoon, lift coated pecans into the sugar mixture. Use a fork to gently stir the pecans into the sugar mixture until all pecans are coated. Be careful not to over mix or the sugar will begin to flake off of the pecans.

Spread pecans evenly over the lined cookie sheet and bake for 15 minutes. Mix and turn pecans with a fork and bake for an additional 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool to room temperature. You may have to break apart some of the pecans, as they may be stuck together with additional sugar.

Store pecans in an airtight container for up to two weeks. After that point, they will begin to soften. 

3 years ago: Mrs. Albright

2 years ago: Emily's Baby Shower

1 year ago: 2 Peas in a Pod