Can I just say that my house smells amazing? Honestly, I thought I was just making candied pecans. But here I am basking in the after smells of cinnamon and sugar roasting in the oven for 40 minutes. And there’s not much better than setting out to make a boxful of candied pecan halves as gifts and ending up with free house smells in the process. It’s like a little piece of heaven! Candied pecans are perfect to make during the holidays because they make wonderful gifts for loved ones. They are dairy and gluten-free, making it a perfect for gift giving. As an added bonus you get aromatherapy out of them for at least a week! Step aside simmer pot, we’ve got cinnamon and sugar entering the chat. These candied nuts make a lovely addition to salads – try my pear and pomegranate salad and swap the walnuts for these candied pecans. They would be UNREAL on a pear salad. Other ways to serve candied pecans? Toss on a candied sweet potato casserole for a little added crunch or do what I do, eat them by the fistful 😉
Ingredients for Candied Pecans
Let’s talk ingredients for these candied pecans. You need a total of 8 ingredients. And a lot of these are pantry staples.
Pecan Halves: You’ll want to use 3 heaping cups of pecans halves, which is in the ballpark of 12 ounces total.Large egg: Separate the egg white from the yolk. Keep the yolk for something else and beat just the egg white for this recipe. A quick tip, separate the egg while it’s cold from the fridge. The egg white separates much more easily when it’s cold!Granulated Sugar: You’ll need equal parts granulated and light brown sugar for this recipe.Light Brown Sugar: We’ll use equal parts granulated sugar or cane sugar and brown sugar. Make sure to use a ⅓ of a cup of packed brown sugar.Vanilla Extract: A splash of vanilla gives these the most delicious scent.Cinnamon: I like to use 2 teaspoon ground cinnamon for this recipe. Feel free to use a bit more if you’d. like.Ground Nutmeg: A pinch of nutmeg adds a delicious aroma. You can swap this for a number of other spices, see below for the full list of substitutions. Kosher Salt: or use fine sea salt or table salt. Make sure to use a bit less as table salt will pack a bigger sodium filled punch! I use ½ teaspoon salt if it’s kosher or flaked sea salt.
How to Make Candied Pecans
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Recipe can be easily doubled or tripled. Remember, if you’re baking sheet is small, use two baking sheets but make sure the pecans are in a single layer.If you do not want the candied nuts to have a vanilla flavor, it can be omitted. See post of other flavor ideas!
