Spiced pecans

[Popcorn]

So for a holiday party I am responsible for putting together a fairly massive cookie tray. I'd like to add something savory as well and have sort of settled on spiced pecans. But I don't have a recipe... I've looked around on the web and found a bunch of different options, but I thought I'd check here first and see if anyone has a tried and true recipe that they can recommend.

many thanks

[Kim Shook]

This is an adaptation from an Ina Garten recipe and calls for cashews, but I think it would be wonderful with pecans. We thought that the amounts of the red pepper and the brown sugar could have been increased (and I have a very tender mouth), but the amount of the rosemary was right. I added the salt to the butter before melting to dissolve it. Very easy recipe.

Spicy Rosemary Cashews

1 – 1 ½ lb. lightly salted cashews

2 T. chopped fresh rosemary

½ t. cayenne

2 t. dark brown sugar

2 t. kosher salt

1 T. melted butter

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Bake nuts on ungreased baking sheet for about 10 minutes, until warmed through. Meanwhile combine remaining ingredients in a large bowl. Add warm nuts and toss until the nuts are thoroughly coated. Serve warm or store in tightly covered container.

Spicy Rosemary Cashews

[RuthWells]

So for a holiday party I am responsible for putting together a fairly massive cookie tray.  I'd like to add something savory as well and have sort of settled on spiced pecans.  But I don't have a recipe...  I've looked around on the web and found a bunch of different options, but I thought I'd check here first and see if anyone has a tried and true recipe that they can recommend.

many thanks

←

There's a recipe from Fine Cooking that I like, and in fact just used last night. It makes a spicy/sweet combo that is very addictive. I'm going by faulty memory, here, but I think the proportions are 4 cups pecans, 4 Tbs melted butter, 1/2 tsp salt, 1 tsp white pepper, 1 tsp allspice, 1 tsp nutmeg, 1/4 tsp cayenne, and 1/2 cup maple syrup. Toss the nuts with the spices, drizzle with the melted butter and toss well. Spread flat on a lined cookie sheet and toast in a 300* oven for 9 minutes or so (give them a stir once or twice). Then drizzle the syrup over top and toast for another 10 minutes. Take the pecans out of the oven and let them cool on the sheet for 20-30 minutes (this is why you need the cookie sheet to be lined -- the maple syrup hardens up a LOT). Scrape the nuts off the sheet and break up any large clumps.

[nwyles]

My wife does a version of these buts uses the microwave. I make them in the oven but I must admit ( akthough I would never tell her ) that the microwave version works out better, cleaner and never burned.

[tammylc]

Zingerman's makes some peppered pecans that are sensational. I'm ever so pleased that Ari published the recipe in the Zingerman's Guide to Good Eating

12 tbsp butter, room temp

2 1/4 c sugar

3 tbsp freshly ground black pepper

1 1/4 tsp fine sea salt

2 tbsp cinnamon

1 1/4 tsp ground allspice

1 1/4 tsp ground cloves

1/4 tsp ground ginger

pinch ground cardamom

2 large egg whites

2 lbs raw pecan halves

Heat oven to 325.

In a large bowl, stir together butter, sugar, pepper, salt and spices. Add egg whites, mix well. Add pecans, mix thoroughly to coat. Spread in a large roasting pan. Roast for 18 to 25 minutes or until toasted through, turning every 5 minutes or so with a spatula. Remove from oven and continue turning every 5 minutes until they reach room temp. Will keep in airtight containers for 4-6 weeks.

[scratchline]

I make a pecan recipe that always gets raves--there are never any left, and I make them for gifts too. They are both spicy and sweet. Dangerously addictive.

You can find the recipe on epicurious.com as "Crisp Spiced Nuts." You will note in the cooks' comments section that various people recommend increasing the total amount of nuts to 6 cups, which is a very good recommendation that I always follow. (Too much batter otherwise.) Other suggestions include increasing the cayenne (also a good idea, depending on your desired level of heat). I generally make this recipe with pecans only, instead of 3 kinds of nuts. Here's how the recipe reads on epicurious:

2 large egg whites

1 1/2 tsp salt

3/4 cup sugar

2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

2 TBSP paprika, preferably Hungarian sweet

1 1/2 tsp cayenne

1 1/2 cups whole blanched almonds, about 1 1/2 lbs.

ditto hazelnuts

ditto pecans

3/4 stick (6 TBSP) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

Preheat oven to 325. In a bowl with an electric mixer beat whites with salt until very foamy and gradually beat in sugar, Worcestershire sauce, paprika, and cayenne. Stir in nuts and butter, combining well, and spread in a large shallow baking pan. Bake nuts in middle of oven, stirring every 10 minutes, until crisp and golden, about 30-40 minutes. Spread nuts on a sheet of foil, and cool. Break up nut clusters.

[Other cooks say: use more cayenne, use less butter, use more nuts (about 6 cups)]

Have a good party! I'm making these for a cocktail party tomorrow...

[Marmish]

I make a pecan recipe that always gets raves--there are never any left, and I make them for gifts too.  They are both spicy and sweet.  Dangerously addictive.

You can find the recipe on epicurious.com as "Crisp Spiced Nuts."  You will note in the cooks' comments section that various people recommend increasing the total amount of nuts to 6 cups, which is a very good recommendation that I always follow.  (Too much batter otherwise.)  Other suggestions include increasing the cayenne (also a good idea, depending on your desired level of heat).  I generally make this recipe with pecans only, instead of 3 kinds of nuts.  Here's how the recipe reads on epicurious:

2 large egg whites

1 1/2 tsp salt

3/4 cup sugar

2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

2 TBSP paprika, preferably Hungarian sweet

1 1/2 tsp cayenne

1 1/2 cups whole blanched almonds, about 1 1/2 lbs.

ditto hazelnuts

ditto pecans

3/4 stick (6 TBSP) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

Preheat oven to 325.  In a bowl with an electric mixer beat whites with salt until very foamy and gradually beat in sugar, Worcestershire sauce, paprika, and cayenne.  Stir in nuts and butter, combining well, and spread in a large shallow baking pan.  Bake nuts in middle of oven, stirring every 10 minutes, until crisp and golden, about 30-40 minutes.  Spread nuts on a sheet of foil, and cool.  Break up nut clusters.

[Other cooks say: use more cayenne, use less butter, use more nuts (about 6 cups)]

Have a good party!  I'm making these for a cocktail party tomorrow...

←

I make these too. They are very good. I use the mixed nuts from Costco, but the pecans taste the best.

[Jaymes]

I have tried many similar recipes, but like mine best with a generous sprinkle of chili/chile powder.

[K8memphis]

Oh wow how cool. I'm really excited. I tried a recipe out of a book & they were ok but not super. I decided next time I'd try an egg white deal also from my book. However, I'll surely use this recipe instead

Thank you!

[Steven Blaski]

Martha Stewart's Hors d'Oeuvres Handbook has lots of tasty spiced nut recipes, including one for pecans (that doesn't involve egg whites).

[jsmeeker]

Made a small batch of spicy glazed pecans over the weekend. I used to make these every year with my mom many years ago. I didn't have the recipe for it, but had a general memory on how to do it. I poked around the internet and then here. I found this topic on Glazed Pecans and knew I was on the right track. Make a hot sugar syrup in a big pot, season it as desired, toss in pecans and stir them up and cook for a minute or two. Then dump onto sheet pan with a silpat and slip into a 350 degree oven for about 10 minutes or so.

Here is my recipe. Measurements are a best guess

2 oz water

3 oz sugar

3/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

1/4 tsp. smoked paprika

pinch salt

1.5 cups raw pecan halves.

Comine sugar and water in sauce pan. Bring to boil to dissolve sugar. Add spices and sugar. Swirl pan to combine. Cook until mixture begins to get syrupy. Add pecans. stir to combine and coat, and continue to stir for about a minute.

Dump coated pecans onto silpat lined sheet pan (I'm sure parchment would be fine, too), spreading them out to form a single layer. Slip into 350 degree oven. Bake for about 10 minutes. Keep an eye on them. When they start to bubble, given them a stir. Keep them in a single layer.

Don't let them burn. When they look toasty, remove them from the oven. I then given them a final stir and re-spread them on the pan. Let cool. You can them take them off the pan. You can knock loose excess glaze coating.

Tasty.. and super addictive.

I need to buy more pecans and make more.

[Snadra]

I have made the Spicy and Sweet Walnuts from eGullet's JAZ a number of times, and it's now known as walnut crack in our household. I'm sure it would work equally well with pecans, and could be adjusted to any number of different spice combinations. Very simple method and highly recommended.

[jsmeeker]

Very crack like!!

In the glazed pecan topic, people were concerned with glazed pecans that would get sticky and chewy instead of having a hard glaze. I didn't have that issue, though it's not too humid here in Dallas in the winter time.

[andiesenji]

I like salt-glazed pecans - no sugar.

I use a big skillet, have the oven preheated to 275.

I generally do a quart of pecan halves.

In a large skillet - 12 inches - fill 2/3 full with water and put over high heat, Add kosher salt until it will no longer dissolve - and the water is boiling vigorously. (You will have a supersaturated solution.)

Dump the pecans into the boiling, salted water, stir for 30 seconds, turn off the heat and dump the pecans into a colander in the sink.

Shake the colander to remove as much water as possible, then spread the pecans on a sheet pan and put into the oven.

Set timer for 18 minutes. Remove pan from oven, transfer a few to a saucer so they cool rapidly and test them.

If they aren't quite crunchy enough, put them back into the oven for no more than 5 minutes.

Remove and allow to cool on the pan then transfer to an airtight container.

Edited November 28, 2011 by andiesenji (log)

[blue_dolphin]

I have made the Spicy and Sweet Walnuts from eGullet's JAZ a number of times, and it's now known as walnut crack in our household. I'm sure it would work equally well with pecans, and could be adjusted to any number of different spice combinations. Very simple method and highly recommended.

I've made JAZ's recipe with pecans several times and it's just as crack-like as with walnuts!

[gfweb]

I pour simple syrup over pecans on a sheet pan and dust with allspice, chipotle, and salt. Bake at 400 till dry.

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[Lior]

I also make Jaz's recipe with all sorts of nuts and I am addicted.

[MelissaH]

I have made the Spicy and Sweet Walnuts from eGullet's JAZ a number of times, and it's now known as walnut crack in our household. I'm sure it would work equally well with pecans, and could be adjusted to any number of different spice combinations. Very simple method and highly recommended.

I've made JAZ's recipe with pecans several times and it's just as crack-like as with walnuts!

Yup, pecans work just fine. I find I like this procedure much better than those calling for an egg white. Don't forget to salt afterwards.

MelissaH

[heidih]

Yup, pecans work just fine. I find I like this procedure much better than those calling for an egg white. Don't forget to salt afterwards.

MelissaH

By salt - are we talking fine like a Morton's table salt or Kosher. If Kosher the coarser Morton's or the more fine Diamond Crystal? Also if you can pin down the level of salting it would be great. I am planning some for the holidays. Thanks!

[merstar]

These are both great:

Spicy Cocoa Roasted Almonds

http://www.mykitchenaddiction.com/2010/01/spicy-cocoa-roasted-almonds/

Orange Chipotle-Spiced Pecan Mix

http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/orange-chipotle-spiced-pecan-mix-10000001853934/

[MelissaH]

Yup, pecans work just fine. I find I like this procedure much better than those calling for an egg white. Don't forget to salt afterwards.

MelissaH

By salt - are we talking fine like a Morton's table salt or Kosher. If Kosher the coarser Morton's or the more fine Diamond Crystal? Also if you can pin down the level of salting it would be great. I am planning some for the holidays. Thanks!

I keep Diamond Crystal in my kitchen, so that's what I use. As far as level, that I think is up to you. Taste, taste, taste!

MelissaH

[JAZ]

By salt - are we talking fine like a Morton's table salt or Kosher. If Kosher the coarser Morton's or the more fine Diamond Crystal? Also if you can pin down the level of salting it would be great. I am planning some for the holidays. Thanks!

I keep Diamond Crystal in my kitchen, so that's what I use. As far as level, that I think is up to you. Taste, taste, taste!

MelissaH

For the walnuts, I prefer fine salt -- I think it goes on more evenly -- but I have used Diamond Crystal when I've been out of table salt. Maybe it's because of the sugar, but I find I always use more than I think I'm going to need; I salt the nuts pretty heavily and then taste. I almost always give them another light sprinkle before I think they're right.

[Quesmoy]

I make a very simple season nuts recipe (of course pecans are my favorite).

4 tablespoons butter with

3 tablespoons Worcestershire

1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon sea salt

dash hot sauce (I use Tabasco)

1 lb. Raw Pecan halves

Melt butter and combine in a medium bowl all ingredients except pecans. Once combined stir in pecans and coat thoroughly. Place in a single layer on a cookie sheet and place in a 300° oven for about 20 min. (stirring about every 5 min.), or pecans are brown and slightly crispy.

[SylviaLovegren]

I make a very simple season nuts recipe (of course pecans are my favorite).

4 tablespoons butter with

3 tablespoons Worcestershire

1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon sea salt

dash hot sauce (I use Tabasco)

1 lb. Raw Pecan halves

Melt butter and combine in a medium bowl all ingredients except pecans. Once combined stir in pecans and coat thoroughly. Place in a single layer on a cookie sheet and place in a 300° oven for about 20 min. (stirring about every 5 min.), or pecans are brown and slightly crispy.

I make something very similar and love it. Good with almonds, too.

[baroness]

The kitchn blog had a recent round-up of gift-worthy recipes - Click HERE! - including Ina Garten's Chipotle & Rosemary Spiced Nuts.