maple cinnamon pecans

Crispy, sweet, nutty, and slightly salty with warm notes of maple and vanilla — a.k.a the perfect snack. I am obsessed with candied pecans — and I’m not surprised considering that this recipe is loaded with cinnamon!

Personally, I find the candied nuts from the store way too sickeningly sugary, and always feel icky about all of the preservatives that they dump on them. These homemade nuts are sweet, salty, flavorful and have no refined sugar, so you can feel good about snacking on them. Plus, pecans are known to be full of nutrients that help lower cholesterol and help protect the body and mind.

These are great to give as gifts in pretty bags, toss into salads, sprinkle over ice cream, or (my personal favorite) eat straight off the baking sheet. This will be a great recipe to have up your sleeve when holiday season comes around.

This recipe also encourages creativity, as you can vary both the spices and the type of nut, so go nuts! (no pun intended). Be sure to tell me any new flavor combinations that you dream up, I would love to hear!

With love, Erica

Ingredients

2 cups pecan halves
1/4 cup real maple syrup
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon butter
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
2 dashes salt

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Spread pecans out on a baking sheet. Place the pecans in the oven and toast for 8-10 minutes.

Remove pecans from oven and set aside to cool. In a small saucepan combine the maple syrup, vanilla, butter, cinnamon and salt. Stir until combined and butter is melted.

Remove saucepan from heat and add pecans to the pot. Toss to coat all the nuts with the syrupy mixture. Spray a baking sheet with spray oil, such as PAM. Spread pecans on greased baking sheet. Return to oven and roast at 300 degrees F for 20-25 minutes.

Spread parchment paper on a cookie cooling rack or counter. Place nuts on top of the parchment, spreading so they don’t stick to each other while they cool. When cool, package as you’d like or simple place in a bowl on the counter for snacking.