I have never been a big fan of nuts. I know that some of them are healthy and I know that many people love chowing down on some plain old nuts, but I find them a little boring. I do, however, appreciate coated nuts like jordan almonds, toffee butter cashews and french burnt peanuts. Most of the coated nuts bring extra sweetness and crunch to the party (negating the health benefits, I’m sure) and those extra flavors and textures will cause me to jump on the nut party bus from time to time.
Now, although they are not technically coated, these spiced candied pecans are another level. I made them to garnish my sweet potato pies last week and ended up eating approximately my body weights worth. They are crunchy, sweet and magic… as in, you are never actually done eating them. You just feel guilty and put them away for a while and once you can’t wait any longer, you finish all of them. Sound like something you’d like to try?
Well, then let’s get them started…
I found this recipe by Trisha Yearwood and think it is a really simple way of getting great results every time. I added some spices to the original recipe, but you can always stick with cinnamon and still create a delicious treat!
For every 2 cups of pecans you want to spice and candy, you will need 1 extra large egg white (or 2 small egg whites), 1/2 cup of granulated sugar, 1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon of cloves, 1/4 teaspoon of all spice, 1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg and 4 tablespoons of melted butter.
Line a small sheet pan with foil and pour 4 tablespoons of melted butter into the pan.
In a medium bowl, combine your egg white (if it is not a really big egg, use two), the granulated sugar and spices. Add the pecans and toss until they are all well coated in that syrupy goodness.
Spread them in a single layer over your sheet pan and place them onto the center rack of a 350 degree oven and bake them for 20-25 minutes.
Use a fork to toss them around a few times and as soon as they are looking crunchy and a little darker than they were, transfer the sheet pan onto a cooling rack.
*Note: Be sure to quickly rinse off the utensil you use to stir the pecans during baking. That candy coating tends to harden up like cement within just a few minutes, so rinsing it off while it is still hot and pliable is highly recommended!
Let the pecans cool for about 15 minutes before serving them (taste testing doesn’t count).
These spiced candied pecans are fantastic! The coating is crunchy, the flavor is sweet with lots of warm spices and they are great as a snack, a garnish or lunch….
Enjoy!
Spiced Candied Pecans
Ingredients
- 2 cups pecans, whole or rough chopped
- 1 extra large egg white (or two small egg whites)
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon all spice
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 4 tablespoons butter, melted
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees
- Line a small sheet pan with foil
- Add 4 tablespoons of melted butter into the pan
- Combine the egg white, 1/2 cup of granulated sugar and spices in a medium bowl
- Add the pecans and toss until they are all well coated
- Spread the coated pecans in a single layer over the sheet pan
- Bake in a 350 degree oven for 20-25 minutes, tossing occasionally
- Allow the spiced candied pecans to cool for 15 minutes before serving
