Kids Love This Sweet, Crunchy, Simple Treat
Sweet and crunchy with a hint of spice, candied pecans are a versatile snack and can easily steal center stage among a table of party snacks. Or, throw a handful of candied pecans in a small bag and put it into a child's lunchbox for a quick and filling midday treat. A serving of candied pecans in a bag tied with festive ribbon makes an excellent small holiday gift or party favor.
Making a batch of candied pecans is simple: You can let a slow cooker do most of the work for you, returning periodically to stir and check on their progress. This recipe keeps the sugar content relatively low, to let the nuts' natural sweetness prevail.
Total Time: 4 to 5 hours | Prep Time: 10 minutes | Serves: 24
Ingredients:
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 1/2 tablespoons cinnamon
- 1 egg white
- Cooking spray
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 6 cups pecans
- 1/2 cup water, if needed
Directions:
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together the sugar, brown sugar and cinnamon until evenly mixed.
- In a small bowl, add the vanilla extract to the egg white. Beat together until slightly frothy.
- Coat the bowl of a 4 1/2 quart slow cooker with cooking spray or insert a slow-cooker liner. Add the pecans to the bowl.
- Pour the egg white and vanilla mixture over the pecans. Stir to ensure an even coating.
- Add the cinnamon and sugar mixture, stirring the coated pecans again for an even coating.
- Cover the slow cooker and cook on low heat for 3 hours.
- Stir the pecans every 20 minutes. As cooking progresses, the pecans may begin to dry out. If necessary, add a little water, up to about 1/2 cup total, the last few times you stir.
- Remove the pecans from the slow cooker and spread them on a baking tray to dry and cool.
- Store candied pecans in an airtight container.
Tip
After you've made this recipe, you can adjust the proportions of sugar and cinnamon to your taste. This recipe keeps the sugar level relatively low, but you can increase it if you feel the result isn't sweet enough. If you find the recipe overpoweringly sweet, add a teaspoon of salt to the sugar and cinnamon mixture. You can also replace or mix the pecans with any other sweet nut, such as almonds, walnuts or cashews.
