Jacqueline Hunt's Candied Pecans

Millions of people will gather during the holidays to enjoy time with loved ones and a delicious holiday dinner. We reached out to our volunteers to get some of their favorite recipes to share with you. With cooking being the number one cause of home fires, check out these Red Cross fire safety steps: https://rdcrss.org/41hXvgS

Here is one of Jacqueline Hunt’s favorite holiday recipes to share, candied pecans. “You can get cute, inexpensive holiday tins at the dollar store to fill with these pecans and people love them. I usually make about 6 pounds of candied pecans each Christmas to leave as small gifts.” 


CANDIED PECANS 

This simple recipe for candied nuts only calls for 7 ingredients. They are perfect for topping various salads, entrees, and desserts. And they also make a delicious gift!

PREP TIME: 10 MIN
COOK TIME: 40 MIN
TOTAL TIME: 50 MIN

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon cayenne
4 cups (12 ounces) pecans halves, unsalted
1 egg white, whisked

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.

2. Add the granulated sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt and cayenne to a large bowl or ziplock bag. Toss or whisk until evenly combined. Set aside.

3. In a separate bowl, add pecans and egg whites, and gently toss until combined and the pecans are evenly coated. Add in the sugar mixture and toss until combined.

4. Spread the mixture out in a single layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet. (If your baking sheet is not that large, you may need to split the batch onto two baking sheets.) Bake for about 40 minutes, removing the nuts and giving them a stir every 20 minutes, until the pecans are fragrant, and the sugar coating is cooked. (The sugar will harden more once the pecans are out of the oven.)

5. Remove from the oven and let the baking sheet cool on a cooling rack until the nuts reach room temperature. Transfer them to a sealed container and store until ready to use.