Spiced Caramelized Pecans
December 7, 2008 by Linette Gerlach
Filed under Barbecues, Holiday Parties
I was at my sister’s house all day yesterday helping her bake some Christmas cookies (actually, I rolled one batch of cookies in salt, when I was supposed to roll them in sugar, so I’m not sure how much help I was).
In addition to cookies we made some totally delicious caramelized pecans. I think these would make a wonderful holiday party snack.
Here is the recipe for Grandma Polly’s Spiced Caramelized Pecans:
- 1 pound of pecan halves
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup butter (1 stick)
- 1 T cinnamon
- dash cloves
- dash allspice
- dash salt
Mix together all but the pecans together in a large sauce pan. Heat stirring constantly until the mixture reaches the softball stage on a candy thermometer, about 234-238.` Mix in the pecans until they’re completely coated. Spread the pecans out into a single layer on a cookie sheet sprayed lightly with no stick cooking spray. Let the mixture cool, then break it apart.
You can store the pecans for several weeks in an air tight container. Make a few for your Christmas gatherings, and a few more for your New Years Eve party. Make them now, and pull them out right before the party for your guests to munch on.
Image (c) L Gerlach
I served these to my brunch group today and everyone raved. They are scrumptious!
I’ve made these before, but I needed to refresh my recollection about the proportions. When they cooled, I thought that they were too greasy…..too much butter. I decided that the next time I make them, I’d cut the butter in half. Now I see that there is an error in the recipe: it calls for 1/4 cup of butter, which it describes as “One Stick”. Therein lies the problem. 1/4 cup would be correct. That’s HALF a stick of butter. A stick is 1/2 cup. So use 1/4 cup, or 1/2 stick of butter and they will turn out great. I made mine with ginger and a hot, smoky chipolte chili powder. The smoky heat is wonderful against the sweetness of the nuts and sugar. I can also recommend using 1/2 brown sugar and 1/2 white. It will take a little longer to reach the right crack, but the flavor is good. Finally, as to technique, melt your butter and saute’ your dry spices, then sprinkle in the sugar before the butter browns. Stir it to mix until it starts to bubble. Then, drizzle your water around the pan. Don’t just toss it in the middle…you will get spattered! Finally, before you coat them, toast your pecans for a few minutes in a medium oven, just until they start to smell toasty. The dry roasting of the nut intensifies the flavor and guarantees you a crispy final product when the caramel cools.
Jean~ Glad they were a hit.
Jaye~ Yes, sorry 1/2 stick, I made them the same time I was typing this up, and I was doubling the recipe when I made them. I guess I doubled that part here accidently:-(
The chipolte seasoning sounds interesting, I’ll have to give it a try sometime.