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Candied pecans are one of the easiest ways to dress up a salad or vegetable dish and they add some amazing flavor and crunch too.
I was not a nut eater as a kid, not even peanuts. But as a young adult I discovered candied pecans. What’s not to love about a nut coated in sugar!? I decided I was a nut eater and could pretty much eat any nut as long as it was candied.  I have since learned how to enjoy a nut in it’s natural state too!
How to make candied pecans?
The process of making sugared nut only takes about five minutes and 3 ingredients. It is so easy you are going to end up sugaring every nut in your house! The recipe works for any kind of nut. My favorite nuts to sugar are pecans, almonds and walnuts. All you need is a frying pan, 1/4 cup sugar, 1 Tbsp butter and your choice of nuts, about 1 cup. You an use whole nuts or chopped nuts, both will work.
- Add your butter and sugar into a frying pan and allow the butter and sugar to melt and combine together and begin to bubble and turn golden brown. It will just begin to caramelize.
- Add in 1 cup of nuts and stir to coat nuts in melted sugar mixture and to keep it from burning. Stir constantly until nuts are completely covered in melted mixture and sugar has caramelized.
- Pour coated pecans onto a piece of foil. Use your spoon to move pecans around so that they are in a single layer. Allow to cool. After they have cooled, break apart as needed and place into an airtight container until ready to use.
Do candied pecans need to be refrigerated?
No, they don’t need to be refrigerated. They will keep for up to a month in an airtight container.
Can candied pecans be frozen?
Definitely, just cool completely and place in an airtight container and freeze for up to two months.
How do I use Candied Pecans?
I love using sugared nuts on my salads like my Strawberry Spinach Salad or Celestial Salad. They would also be delicious chopped up on top of vegetables such as Roasted Asparagus. And you can always just eat them like candy!!
I also like to add a little spice into my candied nuts.  My favorite spice to use is cinnamon but I also love the spicy flavor of the nuts in my Strawberry Avocado Salad that uses cinnamon, cumin and paprika. You can get totally creative with your seasoning. The rosemary and thyme in these Candied Walnuts is also amazing.
To add a little extra spice to your sugared pecans add about 1/4 – 1/2 tsp of spice per cup of nuts.
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Candied Pecan Recipe
Candied Pecans
Ingredients
- 1 cup nuts whole or chopped
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 Tbsp butter
Instructions
- Melt butter and sugar in a frying pan, stir until it begins to bubble and darken around the edges.
- Add in nuts and stir to entirely coat nuts with mixture. The sugar may seize up a bit but that is o.k. - continue stirring and it will melt.
- Continue stirring as sugar caramelizes and coats nuts.
- Remove from heat when nuts are coated with sugar mixture. Spread in a single layer on a piece of foil and allow to cool.
- Store in an airtight container.
Nutrition Facts:
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