Since the hubs is a hunter-gatherer, we tend to be frequent visitors at the Bass Pro Shops located in Altoona, Iowa. Our daughter loves to go look at the big fish, of course, and then we tend to end our trips at the little fudge shoppe. She loves to look at all the colorful fudge, try a flavor or two, and then pick out what she wants to bring home. I mean, there's nothing wrong with raising a kid who can appreciate delicious homemade fudge, right?
But what gets me while we are in there are the wax paper cones full of sweet, cinnamon smelling pecans and cashews.
The smell is just out-of-this-world.
I've got myself practically drooling here as I type this and think of them.
Making candied nuts at home isn't hard at all!
Truly!The most painful part is paying the price for the nuts themselves :(
It kind of my makes my heart hurt just thinking about how expensive a 4 cup bag of pecan halves costs right now.
Which is why I picked up several one or two during the after-Christmas clearance sale.
For real.
When all that Christmas stuff gets marked down, all the baking goodies that they stock up on for the season drop in price also!
This is a huge score, because I saved 50% on each bag of pecans I bought.
So what to do with all those pecan halves?
I mean, Pecan Pie is definitely a good choice...but to really get the winter season in full swing ,baking up a batch of these will make your house smell simply divine and make everyone's tummy happy while enjoying a nice movie snuggled up on the couch with a mug of hot cocoa.
See? I created the perfect evening for you right there!
It is easy to double this recipe, just remember it is important to use parchment paper under the pecans while they are baking.
All that sugary-goodness can bake right onto your baking sheet if you aren't careful.
Oven temperature is also important!
Cooking at too high of heat can burn your pecans (the squirrels will still love you though...just ask our fat squirrels who found my ever-so-slightly-too-browned-pecans in my trash and scattered them all over).
I just pictured them sniffing out those pecans and all that sugar and cinnamon just lured them in despite them being a tad over-cooked. I'm sure they were so thankful.
*Side note* I LOVE FAT SQUIRREL SEASON
I like to add a bit cayenne pepper to mine, just to spice them up a tad. It truly doesn't add a "kick", but it gives them a more rounded flavor.
You can totally omit the cayenne if you prefer.
Other pecan recipes to try:
Candied Pecans
by
Prep Time: 10 min
Cook Time: 40 min
Ingredients (4 cups)
- 4 cups pecan halves
- 1 egg white
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Instructions
Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
In a bowl whisk together the egg white and water together.
Add in the pecans and stir until each is coated completely.
In a separate bowl combine the sugars, cinnamon, and cayenne pepper.
Pour the sugar mixture over the pecans and toss until each pecan is covered in sugar.
Spread the coated pecans out on 2 parchment-covered baking sheets.
Bake for 20 minutes, then stir the pecans around on the baking sheets, making sure they aren't sticking.
Return to the oven and continue to let bake for another 20 minutes.
Move the pecans around again before letting them cool completely.
After they have cooled, serve and store leftovers in an airtight container.
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