Spiced Pecans
Covered in a sticky sweet cinnamon orange glaze with a kick of cayenne, these spiced pecans are definitely delicious and decidedly dangerous.
Whenever I go into Cabelas or any of those outdoor superstores, I always get a bag of cinnamon pecans. The smell is just too good to resist, and there’s just something about eating them out of those paper cones.
I bought a bag of pecans for a crust I was making and had quite a bit of them leftover, so I decided to make them into spiced pecans. Originally, I started with just brown sugar and cinnamon. But like things typically go in my kitchen, I had to add just a little more of this and that.
This and that ended up being vanilla, orange zest and cayenne. A sprinkle of salt balanced everything out, making these spiced pecans a true sensory delight. Crunchy, spicy, salty, sweet! After everything (except the pecans!) melts together in the skillet, it will start to bubble.
Be sure to take the time and cook the pecans long enough to really coat them well. The brown sugar sauce may look gritty or cloudy at first, but as you continue to cook the pecans, it will cover them and become shiny. Additionally, the pecans themselves will toast as they heat up, making them even more nutty and delicious.
Storage
Although these pecans are shelf stable, they’ll only last for about a week sealed up at room temperature. Refrigerating them buy you a few more weeks, and you can freeze them indefinitely.
Print
Spiced Pecans
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cooling Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 2 cups 1x
- Category: Snacks
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Description
Crunchy, spicy, salty and sweet! You’ll love these spiced pecans.
Ingredients
- 6 TB brown sugar
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 TB water
- 2 tsp orange zest
- 2 cups raw pecan halves
Instructions
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Combine the brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, cayenne, vanilla extract, water and orange zest in a large skillet.
- Whisk over medium heat until the brown sugar has dissolved, and the sauce begins to bubble, about 1 minute.Β
- Stir in the pecans and evenly coat them in the sauce. Continue to cook, stirring constantly, until the pecans smell nutty and the coating becomes shiny, about 2-3 minutes. Transfer the coated pecans to the prepared baking sheet, spreading into an even layer, and allow to cool and set up before breaking them apart.
- Spiced pecans store at room temperature for a week in a sealed container, and will freeze indefinitely.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/4 cup
- Calories: 200
- Sugar: 3.3 g
- Sodium: 146.3 mg
- Fat: 19.6 g
- Saturated Fat: 1.7 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 6.7 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 2.5 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
Recommended for this recipe:
Buy Now β
