American · Starter · Easy
Spiced Pecans
Warm, crunchy pecans coated in brown sugar, cinnamon, and a whisper of cayenne. Set out a bowl when guests arrive and watch it disappear before the turkey is carved.
The whole recipe in 60 seconds
Spiced Pecans, in 5 ideas
- An egg white coating bakes up crisper and lighter than butter alone.
- Package leftovers in little jars for guests to take home.
- Crumble them over sweet potato casserole instead of marshmallows.
- They keep for two weeks in a tin, so make them well ahead.
- Chop a handful over vanilla ice cream for an easy extra dessert.
What you need
Ingredients
- 1 egg white
- 1 tbsp water
- 1 lb pecan halves
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
- 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 3/4 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
How to make it
Directions
- Heat the oven to 300°F and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment.
- Whisk the egg white and water in a large bowl until frothy and foamy.
- Toss the pecans in the foam until every piece is coated.
- Mix the sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, and cayenne, then sprinkle over the pecans and toss again until evenly dusted.
- Spread the pecans in a single layer on the baking sheet.
- Bake 35 to 40 minutes, stirring once halfway, until the coating looks dry and the nuts smell toasty.
- Cool completely on the pan. They crisp up as they cool.
Line the pan without fail. The sugar coating sets like candy as it cools, and parchment saves you a long soak and scrub later.