Maple Spiced Pecans
Local pecans are tossed in maple syrup, salt, black pepper, and cayenne, and roasted in the oven to crisp perfection to make a sweet and savory treat.
I am talking about a true spicy and savory combo. I love a little heat with toasted pecans, it adds so much complexity along the toasted spices and is a treat that I promise you will not be able to stop eating. I am adding these to a white chocolate and maple cookie for this week’s cookie Thursday recipe, stay tuned!
Why I Love This Recipe
Flavor- There is a little heat from the cayenne and a slight smokiness from the black pepper in this recipe that pair well with the flavor of maple syrup and pecans. Toasting all the ingredients together, help bring out the flavor of the spices and the nuttiness of the pecans. It is the perfect combination of sweet and savory.
Texture-I cannot think of a time where toasted pecans weren’t delicious. Toast your nuts people! It brings out the flavor of the pecan but more importantly, in my opinion, is the texture of the pecan is crunchier and less chewy. I love pecans in all forms but the crunch of a toasted pecan that has a very thin layer of crisp caramelized maple syrup coating it, is a texture that is incredibly delicious. And addictive.
Simple Recipe-this recipe is only 5 ingredients and require about 15 minutes of your time. It’s so easy to put together and the results are a wonderful sweet and spicy crunchy treat.
Shelf Stable-These make wonderful gifts when packed in mason jars with a little bow and a note. I love giving these out during the holidays or for house warming gifts.
Ways to Use
There are endless opportunities to showcase spiced pecans and here are some of my favorites:
-COOKIES of course!
-On top of spiced cake with cream cheese icing.
-Bread pudding
-Ice cream, on top of butter pecan or a good vanilla is my fave.
-Add it to oatmeal for breakfast with sliced bananas and fruit.
-Straight from the pan into my mouth.
-On top of a hearty arugula salad.
-Makes a great game day or night snack.
-Put them in a dish to serve on a charcuterie board. Aged cheeses like gouda would pair well.
-Mix these chopped up into fresh goat cheese with rosemary and thyme, scoop into a dish and top with olive oil and honey and serve with crackers or bread. I make this every holiday and it is always raved about!
Ingredients You Need
I have made these pecans for years and I don’t measure anything out anymore, I now measure all my spices with my heart. Take the measurements in this recipe for what they are, merely GUIDELINES to how you will prefer the spice level of your spiced pecans. You can also add any flavors that you prefer. I have made this recipe with cinnamon, paprika, allspice, you name it, so please adjust, alter, and have fun making this recipe your own!
-Pecans-use local pecans to your area if you can. They will have better flavor. I like to use pecan halves since I use these pecans in several different recipes in my kitchen, but pecan pieces work great too.
-Salt-I use Maldon Sea salt in this recipe. I also like to use kosher salt. If you are using table salt decrease the amount to ¼ tspn since the fine grains will make it salty.
-Black Pepper-I use freshly ground black pepper.
-Cayenne Pepper-if you aren’t a fan of spice, you can omit this. Also, if you are a big fan of spice, you can double this. I tend to be a little heavy handed with cayenne because I like a warm bite to these pecans.
-Maple Syrup-this is the sweet, delicious glue that holds everything together. As it bakes with the pecans it creates a beautiful thin and crisp coating that wraps around the pecans and seals in the spices. You can substitute honey, but I prefer the flavor of maple in this recipe.
Let’s Toast Some Nuts
I start by preheating my oven to 350*F before I mix my pecans and spices together.
In a large bowl I add the pecans, maple syrup, salt, pepper, cayenne, and give them a good toss. I want all of the pecans coated in the spiced maple syrup mixture so that they all have any even coating of spices.
I pour the pecans onto a parchment lined baking sheet and I spread them out so that they are in a single layer with no overlaps. This will help all of the pecans toast evenly.
I bake these for 10 minutes. Around minute 6-7 I toss them lightly with a wooden spoon so that they are toasting evenly, then put them back for the remaining bake time.
I allow the pecans to cool completely before I break up any bits of toasted maple syrup that have stuck to parchment.
Storage
It’s important the pecans are cool before storing in a mason jar with a lid or a tightly sealed container. If they are still warm when they are stored, they will clump and stick together and will cool in that shape. It can be hard to break them apart at that point.
Do not store these in the fridge. This will ruin the crisp maple coating and make them soggy. They are best stored in a cool dark place like a cupboard or pantry. They will last for several months like this. I have also shipped these without any issues.
If gifting, I opt for a small decorative mason jar, a 4-ounce or 8-ounce quilted jar, package the pecans to the top, screw the top on, then add a decorative bow. I have also tied a note to the jar using a piece of cardstock and some baking twine. It’s a nice and simple gift that always gets compliments since they have a little kick of heat from the cayenne. Yum.
This just may be the simplest recipe I have on my blog at the moment. These are a wonderful addition to fall baking and are also a key ingredient to my maple pecan cookies coming Thursday, stay tuned!
If you try this recipe and love it as much as I do, please tag, follow, and like @sunshinetxcookies on Instagram and Facebook. New posts every Thursday so be sure to follow me for more delicious cookie recipes. Happy Baking!
Spiced Pecans
Ingredients
- 1 cup pecan halves this is around 3-4 ounces of pecan halves. I used local pecans for optimal flavor.
- 1½ tbsp maple syrup
- ¼ tspn sea salt
- ⅛ tspn black pepper
- ⅛ tspn cayenne pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350*F
- In a bowl combine all of the ingredients and stir until all the pecans are well coated in maple syrup and spices. You can adjust the levels of spices if you want a spicier pecan.
- Spread out on a parchment lined baking sheet making sure the pecans are spread out in an even layer.
- Bake in the oven for 10 minutes. Stir halfway through bake time.
- Take out of oven and allow to cool completely before gently breaking apart (the maple syrup may have stuck some of them together). Store in a tightly sealed jar or container.
