Rich, roasted, burnished, buttery, salted pecans are a cocktail hour staple in the South. Growing up, I remember grabbing handfuls of salted butter baked pecans when the grownups were occupied with their toddies and happy hour conversations. Pecan halves were slow roasted with butter, salt and sometimes with an added splash of Worcestershire sauce. Delicious!
This Valentine season, I wanted to make an updated version of roasted pecans for my special Valentine. He loves flavors that are spicy, sweet and laced with a healthy dose of heat! Spicy and Sweet Pecans are flavored with an addictive mix of dark brown sugar, cayenne, allspice, Garam masala, kosher salt and vinegar. The nuts are tossed in frothy egg whites (instead of butter) to keep the nuts from being too over indulgent. The resulting snack is crunchy, crispy and quite difficult to resist. The perfect treat for my special someone!
Try Sweet and Spicy Roasted Pecans as a quick snack, in a salad, over a cheese ball or add them to our Breakfast Oatmeal Cookies. They are so yummy, that I plan on making them my go-to hostess and holiday gift for 2015. Really, these nuts are that good!
Spicy and Sweet Pecans
Makes about 4 cups
4 cups pecan halves
2 large egg whites
1 Tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon Garam masala (we used McCormick)
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Put the pecans into a large bowl. Set nuts aside. In a small bowl, add the egg whites and vinegar. Stir the egg white mixture with a fork until the egg whites are frothy. Set egg white mixture aside. In a separate small bowl, add the sugars, salt, garam masala, cayenne and ground allspice. Stir the mixture until the ingredients are well-blended. Set sugar mixture aside.
Line the bottom of a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Set pan aside. Pour the frothy egg whites over the pecans and toss the nuts with a spoon until they are uniformly coated with the egg white mixture. Pour 1/3 of the sugar and spice mixture over the nuts. Toss the nuts until evenly coated with the sugar. Add another 1/3 of the sugar mixture and again, toss the nuts until they are well coated with the sugar. Add the final 1/3 of the sugar mixture to the pecans and toss the nuts until they are evenly coated with the sugar. Empty the pecans on to the baking sheet and spread them out in an even layer.
Bake the nuts for 15 minutes. Remove the pecans from the oven, and toss the nuts and spread them out again in an even layer. Continue baking the pecans for 15 to 20 minutes, or until they are browned and fragrant. Remove the Spicy and Sweet Pecans from the oven. Cool the nuts on the baking sheet. When the nuts are cool, remove the nuts from the pan (breaking apart any clumps of nuts, if necessary) and serve immediately or store in glass jars. Nuts may be frozen in an airtight container and thawed at room temperature prior to serving.
Recipe ©Sally James Mathis
Photography ©Taylor Mathis
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