Spiced Pecans are pecan halves coated with a spicy syrup and then roasted in the oven until brown. Makes great hostess gifts.
One of the things I most look forward to in the fall are pecans. Picking up pecans and smelling a wood fire burning in the distance is a pleasant childhood memory. At one time, pecan trees grew in abundance throughout the South. Folks in the rural South, many times, had trees in their yards. If they didn’t have a pecan tree, they knew someone who did. The trees aren’t quite as plentiful now. Pecan trees don’t grow well where we live in Central Florida where we lived so I can’t depend on a local source nor we can we grow them in our yard. Considered an indulgence by some because of the hefty price, I consider them a worthwhile investment. Of course, you can’t have Spiced Pecans without pecans. So, we’ve got to find us some pecans.
When pecans are ready to be eaten, they fall to the ground. Pecans aren’t picked off the tree, they’re picked up from the ground. Then comes the tedious task of cracking the pecans and picking out the meat. If you’re lucky, you can get papershell pecans which have a much thinner shell making them easier to crack.
As far as the association of wood fires with fall, it seemed somebody always had a burn pile going during that time of the year. To this day, I love the smell of a wood fire.
Spiced Pecans are a great nibble food. I’ll set them out after breakfast on Thanksgiving and let people nibble on them until it’s time for Thanksgiving Dinner. When you first eat one, you’ll think they’re spiced with cinnamon. After a few seconds, you’ll get just enough of a slight kick from cayenne to keep them interesting. They won’t send you running out the door screaming for mercy. The spice from cayenne is subtle so don’t be afraid to serve these to any of your guests. If any of my guest run out the door after eating them, I hope they are going out to build a wood fire. That would make me even more thankful on a wonderful Thanksgiving Day.
If an air fryer is your absolute favorite way to cook, Air Fryer Pecans is just the recipe for you.
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Spiced Pecans
yield: 2 cups
Coat pecans with a spicy syrup and then roast in the oven until brown. Adjust the amount of cayenne pepper to control the heat. The amount called for in the recipe results in what I would describe as medium low heat. Spiced Pecans make nice hostess and Christmas gifts.
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
3 tablespoons water
2 cups pecans halves
Add all ingredients to a heavy pan except pecan halves. Stir and bring to a boil. Boil for 2 minutes stirring constantly. Sneeze three or four times. I’m not sure if sneezing is necessary but I can’t make these without the cayenne pepper making me sneeze. I wouldn’t take any chances, if I were you. Just gone on and sneeze.
Remove from heat and add pecans halves. Stir well until they’re all coated. Pour onto a baking sheet that has been heavily greased or use a Silpat baking mat.
Separate the pecan halves as best you can using two forks sprayed with a non-stick spray.
Bake at 350 degrees for 12 to 15 minutes or until the pecans start to brown.
Remove from oven and let cool. Store in an airtight container.
Spiced Pecans
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 tablespoons water
- 2 cups pecan halves
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to a heavy pan except pecan halves. Stir and bring to a boil. Boil for 2 minutes stirring constantly. Sneeze three or four times. I'm not sure if sneezing is necessary but I can't make these without the cayenne pepper making me sneeze. I wouldn't take any chances, if I were you. Just gone on and sneeze.
- Remove from heat and add pecans halves. Stir well until they're all coated. Pour onto a baking sheet that has been heavily greased or use a Silpat baking mat.
- Separate the pecan halves as best you can using two forks sprayed with a non-stick spray.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 12 to 15 minutes or until the pecans start to brown.
- Remove from oven and let cool. Store in an airtight container.
Our Thanksgiving menu is growing! In addition to Spiced Pecans as an appetizer, our menu will include:
Upside Down, Inside, Outside Turkey
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sherrie dollar says
they sound good, but they are so very expensive. i bought a bag today for pumpkin rolls and they were 10.99 for only 3 cups. even the bag boy commented on the price. lol
Jackie Garvin says
Sherrie,
It’s sad to me that the price of puh-kahns has gotten out of reach for a lot of people. My grocery store carries Georgia Pecan Company pecans and they cost about $10 for the package which has 3 1/2 cups. We have relatives from South Alabama coming for Thanksgiving who usually can bring me some pecans. The crop was so bad this year, they can’t find any. Let’s hope for a better pecan season next fall. 🙂
Mary says
Jackie – I love puh-kahns – love’em, love’em!!!!!!! When I was a little girl we had a pecan grove & I loved to go pecan pickin. I also loved the smell of fall leaves burning – what memories! Love your recipes and will make sure I sneeze (2 or 3 or 4? times). Happy Thanksgiving and May God Bless You and Yours!!!
Jackie Garvin says
Happy Thanksgiving to you, Mary! 🙂
Ann says
I love puh-kahns too!! Grew up with them growing all around our house, in fact, that is how we used to make our Christmas spending money – picking up pecans. I never had to worry about having any, I always just went to Mama’s and got some more! Hurricane Ivan put an end to that! It destroyed all my parents’ puh-kahn trees! The last two years we have picked up pecans in Georgia on our way home from North Carolina and my husband picks them out. I am so lucky – they were $7 for two cups yesterday at Wal Marts. I have a recipe similar to yours, but it also has chili powder in it. I am making some for Thanksgiving and a pie! Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours! I will be in Mobile – I’ll say hey to everyone for you!
Jackie Garvin says
Happy Thanksgiving to you and your loved ones, Ann. Have a good time in Mobile and say hello to the home folk for me. 🙂
Jean says
You are pronouncing them correctly!!! PEE KANS indeed…..Not right!
There is no bad way to fix puh-kahns. Good in everything!! I could eat my weight in them…but…that might not be good!
Jackie Garvin says
Jean,
I’ve always loved puh-kahns, too! They’re still my favorite nut. I’m so thankful that I can still afford to buy the little rascals. 🙂
Swapna Gupta (@septerr) says
I just made these, they are awesome and so simple and easy! I will be making christmas gifts out of these spiced pecan jars 🙂 Thank You!
Jackie Garvin says
Swapna,
I’m so happy you like these. I’ve got my pecans all ready to start cooking up some batches, myself. You are going to make some lucky gift recipients very happy.
Merry Christmas, Swapna!
h sterg says
These looks great but pecans are hard to come by in my neck of the world. Would walnuts or almonds work the same?
Jackie Garvin says
H Sterg,
We’re all having a challenge trying to find enough pecans this year. Walnut and almonds would work just fine. 🙂 Almonds might be better because they have about the same amount of sweetness as pecans, whereas, walnuts are a tad bitter.
angie says
We are very lucky , we do live in the deep south and have 9 large pecan trees and several more growing behind our house, there are still a lot of pecan groves in our area but as was said so many are now disappearing . This year was a horrible year for pecans but last yr was awesome. I feel very lucky having those trees and lol, the limbs that constantly fall out of them make that burn pile or some good wood for smoking meat !!!!
Jackie Garvin says
Angie,
Enjoy those pecans. We got some in South Georgia this year but they are certainly scarce.