Spiced Pecans are so addictive, I have to triple the recipe whenever I make them. My husband is addicted to nuts so I make a special stash just for him. These crystalized nuts tease the appetite with cocktails and satisfy the end of a meal as dessert. Sprinkle them on ice cream or toss them in a salad. Nothing wrong with snacking on them for a little sugar boost in the afternoon either! I used to sell these Spiced Pecans when I had a home baking business. They were always in demand.
Use my spice combination the first time you make these. After that, adjust the spices to suit your taste! For another delicious nut recipe, click on the link for Glazed Almonds.
Hint: Skip to the 45 second mark of the video to get right to the recipe!
Spiced Pecans
By Published: June 15, 2015
Yield:
- 2 1/2-3 cups
Cook time:
- 15 mins
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups shelled unsalted pecans
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pure Vanilla extract
Equipment
- 1 large saucepan
- 1 wooden spoon
- 1 candy thermometer
- 1 large cookie sheet lined with baking parchment
- 2 forks
Directions
- Combine sugar and water in saucepan. Insert candy thermometer into mixture. Bring to a boil. Stir constantly to make sure that all the sugar crystals dissolve. Boil until the syrup forms a thin thread when dripped from a wooden spoon. The thermometer should read 230 °/thread.
- Stir in all the spices at once. Remove from heat and add the Vanilla. Stir quickly. Add all the nuts at once and stir vigorously until they are all coated with the spiced sugar syrup which will begin to crystallize.
- Using a wooden spoon, scrape the nuts out of the saucepan and onto the lined cookie sheet. Spread them out in an even a layer as possible. Let the nuts cool for a few minutes before separating them with the two forks. Allow the spiced nuts to cool completely and harden. Store in an airproof container.
