Candied Pecans

At Christmas time I like to make these candied nuts and give them as little presents. Easy to make and irresistible. People love them. You can use almonds as well or a mix of the two. I thank Curt for sharing this recipe with me.

You don’t have to wait for Christmas to make them. Create your own party nuts by adding some cayenne pepper to make them spicy. Reduce the amount of cinnamon a tad and omit the nutmeg. Add bourbon to the egg whites instead of water. Use whatever spices you like!

 INGREDIENTS:

• 1 lb of pecan halves or whole almonds
• 2 egg whites beaten with 1 tablespoon of water 
• 1/2 tablespoon or more vanilla extract
• 1-1/2 cups of sugar (How much sugar depends on how sweet you want them. You can substitute light brown sugar just make sure you pack it down into the measuring cup when measuring.)
• 1 tablespoon of cinnamon (use a full TBSP)
• 2 teaspoons of salt
• (option) 1 teaspoon nutmeg 
• (option) for spicy nuts add 1 teaspoon or more of cayenne)

          DIRECTIONS:

1. In a large bowl, whip egg whites and water to frothy; add vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt (and any options) and mix. 
2. Add nuts and mix until nuts are well coated. 
3. Add sugar and toss well to coat. 
4. Next, the fun part: cover a LARGE cookie sheet with non-stick foil or parchment paper or a Silpat non-stick baking mat. It’s going to get sticky. 
5. Spread the nut mixture evenly onto the sheet pan. 
6. Pre-heat oven to 275 degrees F. 
7. You will bake the nuts for 1 hour, turning with a spatula every 15 minutes. Each time lift the bottom of the mixture to the top and spread out.

Mixture will still be gooey when done, but dries hard when it cools. Just break it apart.

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