By Emily Davis
Well, it’s officially that time of year. Leaves are changing, the air is crisp and the need for holiday treats is upon us. My family is from the South, and a true delicacy for us during Thanksgiving is candied pecans. This recipe is simple, easy and can be thrown together in a dorm kitchen!
What you’ll need:
- 1 lb bag of halved pecans
- 1 egg white
- 1 tbsp. of water
- 1 cup of white sugar
- 1 tsp. of salt
- 1 tbsp. of cinnamon
Optional:
- Extra cinnamon
- Brown sugar
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 250 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Pour pecans into a large bowl and set aside.
- Mix the sugar (if you choose to include brown), salt and cinnamon together in a bowl and set aside. Feel free to mess around with the measurements; I personally like to add more cinnamon!
- In a small bowl (or cup, whatever you have on hand), combine the egg white and water and whisk until the mixture is frothy. Note: I use a whisk, but using a fork works fine too. It doesn’t have to be perfectly frothy, just keep going until it’s more froth than liquid.
- Pour the whisked egg and water over the pecans in the large bowl and mix around until the pecans are coated. This helps the dry ingredients stick and creates the “candied” effect on the pecans.
- After the pecans are coated, add the dry ingredients mixture to the bowl and stir until everything is evenly coated.
- Pour coated pecans onto a cookie sheet and spread evenly.
- If you find that you have extra sugar at the bottom of the bowl, either discard or sprinkle over pecans once they are on the baking sheet.
- Put pecans into oven and cook for one hour, stirring them around every 15 to 20 minutes. This ensures that they bake evenly and don’t clump together. This isn’t a hard and fast rule, but I would recommend stirring at least once while they cook. Just pop open the oven and push them around a bit!
By cooking them at a low heat for an hour, the sugar caramelizes on the pecans and once they are ready you are left with a crunchy, sweet treat! Enjoy!
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