Spicy Candied Maple Pecans

Spicy candied pecans with maple and rosemary

5 from 3 votes

These were one of the most requested items on the appetizer menu when I was the Chef of Lucia’s in Minneapolis, but don’t be scared-they’re very easy to make. I’ve adapted the recipe to use maple, but I make it with brown sugar too. They’re spicy, so if you’re on the fence about heat cut the cayenne in half. Makes enough to feed 12 people as a snack and will dissapear quickly.

Prep Time5

Cook Time20

Total Time25

Course: Appetizer, Snack

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Maple, Maple sugar, Spiced Nuts

Servings: Servings

Calories: 316kcal

Author: Alan Bergo

Cost: 10

Equipment

1 Large baking sheet
Parchment paper
1 3-4 quart metal mixing bowl
Pot holders

Ingredients

16 oz whole pecan halves, raw (roughly 4 cups) or a blend of equal parts almonds, cashews, walnuts and pecans or hazelnuts
½ generous teaspoon cayenne pepper
½ tablespoon kosher salt
¼ cup maple syrup or 4 tablespoons brown sugar and 1 tablespoon water
1 Tablespoon chopped rosemary
2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 300 F. Spread the nuts out on a sheet tray and toast for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, simmer the remaining ingredients in a small saucepan on medium heat, whisking together until the maple and butter are melted and amalgamous, Simmer gently for 3-4 minutes.
The syrup should be slightly thickened. If you scale the recipe, you have to account for excess water from additional maple syrup by cooking it longer.
Remove the very hot nuts from the oven. Carefully and thoroughly toss the nuts with the syrup mixture. Spread the nuts on a baking sheet lined with parchment in a single layer.
Return the nuts to the oven and cook 25-30 minutes more, stirring once or twice to ensure even cooking, until the nuts are nicely toasted and smell wonderful.
Cool the nuts, then keep at room temperature in a sealed container-a glass jar looks nice.

Notes

Many different nuts can be used here. When I was flush with a low food cost it would be cashews, pecans, almonds, walnuts and hazelnuts. When the budget was tight the mixture would be cut with peanuts or pumpkinseeds.

Nutrition