Holiday Candied Pecans
Author and Photographer: Riley Hamilton
My mom makes giant batches of these candied Texas pecans every winter and packs them in mason jars as gifts for our teachers and neighbors to go along with Christmas cards. They also work great as just sweets to snack on while making other holiday food. The most important thing is to make sure the recipient is not allergic to nuts! If there are no allergies in the mix, these are sure to be a hit. My three siblings and I always gobble up at least one jar each before she can give them out!
Recipe: Candied Pecans
Prep Time: 15 mins
Cook Time: 30 mins
Serving Size: Six 6 oz jars (my mother quadruples the recipe every season!)
Ingredients:
1 cup raw cane sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 pound pecan halves
1 egg white (at room temperature)
1 tbsp water
Ingredients
Set-Up
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 300℉
Mix the sugar, salt, and cinnamon in a small bowl and set aside
In a large bowl, beat the egg white and water until frothy, when soft peaks form
Add pecans to the large bowl and stir
Add the sugar mix and stir to completely coat the pecans
Spread the coated pecans onto a foil-lined baking sheet, scraping excess mixture to further cover the sheet
Bake for 30 minutes,* stirring/flipping nuts halfway through
Let cool completely before eating
*This cook time could depend on your oven’s efficiency. You want them roasted, but not burnt! Try cooking for 25 minutes total at first, and then add time as needed if the nuts still seem soft.
These pecans are a taste of the holiday season to me, since my mother has been making them ever since I can remember. They are so simple to make, and the cinnamon-sugar paired with the nutty soft pecans is just delectable. They pair perfectly with a cup of hot cocoa, when you are snuggled up in a blanket on a winter evening, or, they can just be used as a sweet respite from finals’ grind. Either way, I am glad to finally share this family recipe with others.