Perfectly Candied Pecans

JanuaryBride's Note:

This is EXACTLY what I had been looking for. I have made a ton of candied nut recipes and nothing quite works for me. . .this one makes the cut! Feel free to use walnuts instead of pecans. They are heavenly as a snack, ask a housewarming gift or simply on top of a salad. This is a twist on a couple different recipes already here on Zaar.

• Total Time: 12 mins
• Prep Time: 5 mins
• Cook Time: 7 mins

Ingredients:

Serves: 4

Yield: 1.0 cup

• ¾ teaspoon granulated sugar (the more coarse sugars tend to make for a less sweet nut somehow)
• 1⁄8; teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 pinch nutmeg
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup
• 1 cup pecans

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Mix sugar, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg in a small bowl and set aside.
3. Saute butter and maple syrup in a large pan, and bring to a boil.
4. Remove from heat. Add nuts and toss to coat.
5. Transfer nuts to a rimmed baking sheet lined with aluminum foil.
6. Sprinkle with sugar mixture over top of the nuts and toss gently to coat; DO NOT MIX too much because the sugar will dissolve and won't stick to the top of your nuts.
7. Spread out the nuts so that they are not touching one another.
8. Toast in oven for 5 minutes.
9. Let nuts cool completely on sheet.

Reviews

[Catnip46]

Although these were easy to make I also was not crazy about them. Not sweet enough, I think I'll try them one more time but double all the ingredients except the pecans. Also instead of sprinkling the sugar over the nuts I will just add the pecans to the sugar mixture so they get coated good. Not sure one really has to bake them as this seems to melt the sugar off the nuts.

[smellyvegetarian]

Oh, I thought these were terrific! I loved the touch of maple, and the salt is just enough to make a perfect sweet/salty combo. I made a smallish batch with walnuts to top Pear & Walnut Salad With Balsamic Vinaigrette, and as such made a few changes in prep. Instead of boiling the butter/syrup in a pan I put it in a small pyrex bowl and put the bowl in the oven while the oven preheated. Once it was done preheating the butter and syrup had melted together and I was able to proceed from there as written. Thanks so much for a real keeper! Made for Veg*n Swap #20.

[WI Cheesehead]

I tagged these in the Fav's of 2009 game. I doubled and used walnuts and almonds, Earth Balance (dairy allergy). Easy to make, however, I wasn't wild about them. Not sweet enough. I could only taste the nutmeg. They weren't bad, just not something I would make again.