Toasted pecans, lightly glazed with brown sugar and butter, and warmly spiced with cinnamon, cumin, cardamom and cayenne, are a pretty irresistible snack. For some reason, I always associate spiced nuts with the holidays, especially Christmas and New Year’s Eve, but you can enjoy spiced nuts any time of the year. How long it takes: 15 minutes, allow another 30 minutes for cooling Equipment you’ll need: skillet, large shallow pan or tray for cooling, parchment paper Servings: makes 4 cups, about 16 servings Pecans are not just a snack. Spiced nuts are a wonderful (and nutritious) addition to salads, yogurt, oatmeal, or pancakes.
About these spiced pecans
These spiced pecans have amazing flavor. First of all, toasted pecans merely on their own are phenomenal. Add butter, brown sugar, and a medley of warm spices and you’re pretty much in off-the-charts amazing flavor territory. They are easy to make. You’d think something that tastes this good would be difficult to make but they are super easy. Spiced pecans only take about 15 minutes and you don’t even have to turn the oven on. Pecans are good for you. Pecans have lots of vitamins and minerals, and very little saturated fat. According to the Georgia Pecan Commission, pecans have “so many health benefits, they are referred to as nutrition in a nutshell.” The plus side to eating nuts is that you get a lot of bang for your buck; a small amount is filling and will leave you satisfied. A quarter cup of these pecans (which is a pretty good-sized serving) is just 239 calories.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Pecan Halves: You’ll need a pound of pecans which is about four cups. Look for the freshest pecans you can find. Stale pecans don’t taste good; the oil in nuts tends to become rancid over time. Halves, rather than pieces, are best for snacking. Butter: Use unsalted butter if you can. If you only have salted butter, halve the amount of salt added. Brown Sugar: Either light brown sugar or dark brown sugar will work. I prefer light brown sugar for this recipe because the flavor doesn’t overpower the spices. Cinnamon: This warm spice is always so good on roasted nuts. We love cinnamon roasted almonds (with no sugar!) and even chickpeas can be roasted with cinnamon for a really tasty, healthy snack. Cumin: Cumin is more often seen in savory dishes but it’s so good combined with other warm spices in a sweet snack like this. Ground Cayenne Red Pepper: Cayenne pepper gives a nice little surprising tingle of heat. You don’t need much; just a subtle touch of fire is enough. Cardamom: Cardamom is probably the least familiar of the spice quartet to some of us. It’s often seen in Indian or Middle Eastern cuisine, and you may recognize it as one of the ingredients in chai tea. You can buy cardamom in pods, seeds, or ground; ground cardamom is the most mildly flavored. Salt: There’s exactly the right balance between sweet and salty in these spiced nuts. Water: Helps distribute the sugar.
How To Make These Spiced Nuts
Make the spice mixture. Mix the salt and ground spices in a small bowl and set it aside for now. Measure out the brown sugar and set it aside too. Get the pan ready. Line a shallow baking sheet or tray with parchment paper. It doesn’t have to be oven-safe because you won’t be baking these nuts on the pan, just spreading them out to cool. Toast the pecans. Next, put the pecans into a medium sized skillet. I like to use a nonstick skillet so the butter/sugar mixture sticks to the pecans and not the pan. Toast the nuts over medium heat for four to five minutes, stirring nearly constantly. The pecans should be lightly browned and smell toasted. Don’t try to rush them by toasting them on high heat. It’s better to go lower and slower when toasting nuts. Add the butter and spice mixture. Add the butter, stirring until the butter is melted and the pecans are coated. Sprinkle the roasted pecans with the spice mixture, tossing lightly to distribute the spice. Add sugar and water. Add the brown sugar and water and stir well. Continue stirring and cooking for three to five minutes or until the sugar melts and the mixture is thickened slightly, glazing the pecans. Cool the pecans. Spread the toasted pecans on the prepared pan, using a fork to separate them. Allow the spiced pecans to cool completely before storing them.
How To Use Spiced Pecans
Appetizer: Serve spiced nuts in a fancy dish at your next party. Add them to your charcuterie or cheese board. They go so well with cocktails like a vanilla bourbon fizz, an apple cider mule or an orange G & T with cinnamon. And yes, they also would go down pretty well with a craft beer or your favorite wine. Salads: Spiced pecans add pizzazz to most salads. Try them on this shaved Brussels sprouts salad with grapes and Parmesan. Add them to a simple green salad with fresh sliced strawberries and homemade poppy seed dressing. Breakfast: Why not add spiced pecans to warm oatmeal or Greek yogurt, along with fresh fruit? That will start your day off in a pretty awesome way! Pancakes or waffles drizzled with maple syrup and topped with spiced pecans are amazing too. Desserts: Sprinkle spiced pecans on vanilla ice cream, homemade vanilla pudding, or pound cake with homemade hot fudge or caramel sauce. So good! Gifts: I actually give most of these away because there is no doubt in my mind I would eat the entire batch. Place the nuts in a jar with a pretty ribbon tied around the top and give them to your favorite people. (P.S. Homemade caramel corn makes a great gift too!)
Make it your own
Substitute walnuts or raw almonds for the pecans. Don’t have brown sugar? Use white granulated sugar instead. Be creative with spice combinations. Pumpkin pie spice or apple pie spice mixes are super yummy.
Storage Tips
Cool pecans completely before storing them in an airtight container. If they aren’t completely cool, condensation will form on the inside of the container and they will get soggy. Spiced pecans will keep for a week or so on the counter, a month in the fridge, and a few months in the freezer. Quick-Start Guide!
