Easy Candied Pecans
Few things smell better than candied pecans toasting in the oven.
This sweet treat always takes me right back to the carnivals and Amish markets of my childhood, where we’d pay top dollar for tubs of caramel corn and paper cones of sparkly, sugar coated pecans.
Little did I know that I could make those same treats at home for a fraction of the price (but in my defense, I was young, and they were really hard to resist).
My easy recipe is beautifully spiced with just the right amount of sweetness, and truly so very easy to make. Chances are, you already have all the ingredients you need in your pantry! Oh, and did I mention they make great gifts? Just wrap them up in a pretty jar or treat bag, tie it with a bow, and you’ve got a simple, but delicious homemade gift.
Let’s get started!
What You Need
You only need a few basic ingredients to make homemade candied pecans:
- Egg white. We need just one egg white (no yolk!) to help the sugar and spices stick to the pecans and give them their perfect exteriors. If you feel bad throwing away your yolk, you could always use the extra as an excuse to mix up a batch of star bread, crescent rolls, or snickerdoodles 😉.
- Vanilla extract. Use your homemade vanilla extract if you have some!
- Pecans. You’ll need two cups of pecan halves. This recipe works well with pretty much any kind of nut though, so if you aren’t a fan of pecans or just want to mix things up, give it a try!
- Sugar. We’ll use a combination of granulated sugar and light brown sugar to make the candy coating. The blend of two sugars balances the flavor perfectly.
- Spices. I add cinnamon and allspice to my pecans, but you can just do cinnamon if that’s what you like. Some people also add a little bit of cayenne pepper to their candied nuts.
- Salt. Just a little bit of salt rounds everything out. Table salt works just fine–no need to get fancy!
Remember, this is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why. For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post!
How to Make Candied Pecans
- Vigorously whisk together your egg white, water, and vanilla for about 30 seconds/until the surface is nice and foamy.
- Add the pecans to your egg white mixture and toss them until all of the nuts are coated.
- Separately whisk together spices, salt and sugars and then pour over the pecans and stir until all of the pecans are covered with the mixture.
- Spread pecans in an even layer on your baking sheet. Bake until pecans appear dry, stirring with a spatula every 15 minutes.
