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Sugared Pecans

Posted by Elise on Dec 19, 2005

Filed under Candy

Sugared Pecans

Sugared pecans must be one of the easiest candies to make. No worries about melting sugar, humidity, or candy thermometers. Just coat the pecans with an egg white solution, and then again with some sugar and spices, pop them in the oven and make for half an hour. The only problem? They are so addictive. A friend of mine made me promise not to bring any over to her; the last batch that came her way never made it to her kids! Muchas gracias to Heidi H. for the recipe.

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Sugared Pecans Recipe

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Ingredients

  • 1 egg white
  • 1 Tbsp water
  • 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 8 oz pecans - about 2 cups
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Method

1 Preheat oven to 300°F.

2 Put sugar, cinnamon, salt, ground cloves, and ground nutmeg in a plastic bag, shake to mix.

3 Put egg, water, and vanilla in a bowl. Beat until slightly foamy, add pecans and coat well. Lift pecans out of bowl with a slotted spoon and put into the bag of sugar and spices. Shake pecans in bag making sure they are well coated.

4 Bake 30 minutes on a baking pan lined with silpat or lightly greased aluminum foil. 15 minutes into the baking, stir up the pecans with a fork. Let cool completely before serving.

Makes about 2 cups.

Indexed: Candy, Pecan

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19 Comments

You can also put orange extract in with the spices for a hint of orange flavor. Or if you want them with a little kick, add cayenne pepper instead. Heidi H.

Posted by: Heidi on December 20, 2005 7:02 AM

I made these this afternoon and served them with dulce de lece ice cream. What a delicious and easy treat!

Your recipes are great - they often appear on my table.

Posted by: Anonymous on December 20, 2005 7:14 PM

Add to salad with baby greens, feta cheese, and sliced strawberries. Top with balsamic vinegarette. Yummy

Posted by: Barbara on November 21, 2006 9:53 PM

I can't stop making these. They are delicious!

Posted by: Alyssa on September 5, 2007 6:12 PM

Tried these today - didn't have Pecans, though (husband is deathly allergic), but I did have Cashews. Turned out great :)

Posted by: Susan on November 16, 2007 10:31 AM

These were heaven! I should have steered clear with the warning of "addictive", but I had been wanting to try something different with my abundance of Texas pecans this season. These will definitely be made again!

Posted by: Rhonda on November 24, 2007 11:59 AM

I just had these from a stand in D.C. They were selling them for $6.00 for a tiny bag. Wow these are good!

Posted by: Cheryl on December 10, 2007 11:38 AM

I just made these tonite. DH and BIL ate 1/2 the first batch, so DH is in the kitchen now making more! They're definitely a hit in this house.

Posted by: Kat on December 19, 2007 7:09 PM

My comment is a question I can't seen to find the answer to. I want to make these, put them in a jar, decorate and give for Christmas presents. My question is how far in advance can I do this and still maintain the delicious quality/taste?

I don't know, Gloria. They never last beyond a day here, we eat them up so fast. ~Elise

Posted by: Gloria Masterson on October 16, 2008 11:57 AM

These are fabulous and utterly addictive! My house smells wonderful too. I am making them for my friend's wedding as favors (I'm the MOH). One great thing about this recipe is the pecans don't stick together once they're cool. The first recipe we used, while delicious, made such sticky nuts that they became a giant mass even after painstakingly separating them for cooling -- not so nice for wedding favors. But I'll make this recipe again and again, especially during the holidays for inexpensive gifts. Oh, and I made two changes: I used Southern Comfort in place of the water, and I increased the vanilla to 1 teaspoon. Yum. Thanks for another great recipe, Elise!

Posted by: Alison on August 11, 2009 5:45 PM

Used these as my first try for candied pecans. Great flavor!

Posted by: Randi Lynne on April 20, 2010 6:13 PM

These are amazing. They are part of my new favorite salad. I make an apple cider mustard vinaigrette with
½ cup olive oil
just over a ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
1 tbs Dijon mustard
1.5 tbs honey
salt & pepper

I then dress the salad with goat cheese, Gala Apples, red onion and these awesome pecans. I have had people lick their bowls. Wonderful. Thanks for the great recipe!

Posted by: starlite on May 30, 2010 7:17 PM

Can agave nectar be used as a substitute for the sugar?

Good question. I have no idea. ~Elise

Posted by: Leah Marie on September 9, 2010 9:39 PM

Is there a good substitute for the egg whites? A friend wants to make them and she is a vegetarian, and she doesn't eat eggs.

The egg whites allow the sugar to stick to the pecans. You could make a version of candied pecans with a caramel coating. Just sub out walnuts for pecans in our candied walnuts recipe. ~Elise

Posted by: Beth on October 4, 2010 8:39 AM

My husband is diabetic, so I make these with Splenda for baking, they are great.

Posted by: Doris Ryan on November 30, 2010 2:10 PM

I've made two batches of these so far. The first for my sisters-in-law when they came to stay with us over Christmas, and the second for them to take back to Spain for my mother-in-law. They arrived in Spain last night and apparently my mother-in-law is already halfway through the jar I sent her. They're just that good!
The first batch was especially divine when broken into pieces and sprinkled over Häagen-Dazs Vanilla Bean ice cream. So good!
For the second batch, I added about a 1/4 teaspoon of ground cayenne to give it a bit of a zing and that just took it another level.
Thank you, Elise! And happy new year!

Posted by: Anju on January 4, 2011 6:52 PM

Nuts are being washed...
Now doused with aromatic spices...
Soaking up some rays in the oven...
(spoiled lil Pecans)
I'm not sure about the cloves & nutmeg
I look forward to trying these babies when they
Cool down... still waiting... Smelling sooo good!
OMYGOSH! those are tasty lil treasures. If HOLIDAY were a
Flavor... I just tasted it. Yummmmmm!
So, some of those sweet nuggets asked to go chunky dunk in
A pool of dark chocolate ... I let them... Waiting for them to dry
Off in the chilled locker room... Can't wait to nibble on their lil tootsies when they come out! Hmm I'm gonna check on them right now.
WoW --
DOUBLED OVER IN PLEASURABLE TASTE BUD HEAVEN!
Thank you my sweet virtual chef friend! My children owe you their gratitude, not sure i'd be in this good of a mood without this experience!

Posted by: PM eS ing on January 31, 2011 5:53 PM

These are divine! I did not have enough pecans so I used almonds also!

Posted by: Angel Maree on November 1, 2011 10:19 PM

Can I do this with mixed nuts or any other types of nuts....walnuts etc.
thank you,
Carol.

Sure! ~Elise

Posted by: Carol on December 14, 2011 4:34 PM

I apologize for the inconvenience, comments are closed. ~Elise

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