Spiced Pecans

by Riley on June 24, 2012 · 16 comments

I am that person.  The person that loves it when holiday decorations are up before Halloween is even over.  The person that yearns to hear those catchy holiday tunes in the middle of the summer.  Truth be told, holiday albums remain on my iPod all year long.  Sometimes you need a little holiday cheer, even if it is ninety degrees outside.  Once a year just isn’t always enough.

Spiced nuts seem to be available in masses at every table at almost every holiday get together.  There are probably hundreds of variations.  You can swap out different spices and various types of nuts to fit your personal taste.  That is what I love about these nuts.  They aren’t just for the holidays.  Today, I needed something sweet.  I love to coat pecans in a sweet mixture of sugar, cinnamon, and allspice with just a touch of cayenne pepper.  These nuts are slow-roasted at a very low temperature, resulting in a pan of warm, soft, and sticky caramelized pecans.

Spiced Pecans

Yield 6
Meal type Appetizers

Ingredients

  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 2/3 cups sugar
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1lb pecan halves
  • 2 egg whites
  • 3/4 teaspoons ground allspice
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 225°F. Whisk the egg whites in a large bowl. Add the pecans and stir to coat. Add the sugar, cinnamon, salt, allspice, and cayenne and toss until well combined.
2. Spread the pecans out in a single layer on a large rimmed baking sheet. Bake for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes, until golden brown.
These spiced pecans will stay fresh for a couple of weeks when stored in an airtight container.  If you have a few left over, they are great tossed in a fresh green salad with some dried cherries and crumbled feta cheese.

{ 16 comments… read them below or add one }

1 TastefullyJulie June 24, 2012 at 2:02 PM

Those look amazing! Spiced nuts actually remind me of summer because they sell them at all the outdoor festivals. They smell heavenly!

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2 Helene June 24, 2012 at 3:04 PM

A must try recipe. I go nuts for any seasoned nuts.

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3 Riley June 24, 2012 at 3:06 PM

Let me know what you think, Helene! This is one of my favorite recipes.

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4 Hery June 25, 2012 at 11:35 AM

Looks very tempting ^_^ hope I could have some, a bit too lazy to cook recently

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5 Lauren | Sweet Splendor June 25, 2012 at 11:40 AM

Looks delicious! Perfect for snacking during the day at work!

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6 Jen @ Savory Simple June 25, 2012 at 12:53 PM

I’m right there with you on holidays! They make the cold winter months so worth it.

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7 kitchenriffs June 25, 2012 at 1:48 PM

I loved spiced nuts! And I’ve got a pound in the freezer that I plan on turning into spiced nuts in a few weeks (if I can resist them that long!). Your recipe looks quite good; but then, I’ve never met a spiced nut I could resist. Thanks for this.

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8 Viviane Bauquet Farre June 26, 2012 at 9:17 AM

Riley, these are such a fantastic snack for summer activities – baseball games, picnics, barbecues, &c. Great job!

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9 Lydia (The Perfect Pantry) June 26, 2012 at 9:46 PM

I have the munchies tonight, and now all I can think about are spiced pecans! Great recipe. I’m pinning.

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10 anh@anhsfoodblog.com June 26, 2012 at 11:02 PM

A perfect snack! Thanks for sharing!

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11 Amanda June 27, 2012 at 2:25 AM

In Australia, listening to Christmas songs in the heat of summer is normal! I love the idea of spiced nuts and given it’s winter here at the moment and freezing – your post is right on time. I’ll have to give them a go.

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12 sally @ sallys baking addiction June 27, 2012 at 11:21 AM

Spiced nuts are a timeless classic – sooo simple and yet so delicious. I usually can’t get enough of them! I love the way they make my kitchen smell. :)

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13 Sue/the view from great island June 27, 2012 at 1:44 PM

These look amazing, I would love to use these on salads, but mostly probably would finish off the whole batch before they even had a chance to cool down.

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14 Riley June 27, 2012 at 2:40 PM

I had the same problem Sue. I got some pictures and then they were gone!

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15 Heidi @ Food Doodles June 27, 2012 at 4:51 PM

Oooh, these look delicious. I especially love the idea of putting them in a salad, that sounds so yummy!

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16 Marie June 28, 2012 at 3:01 PM

These look amazing. I may just have to make some for summer salads.

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