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Southern•Appetizer•Easy

Chef Joel🥑 Keto🥦 Low-Carb🥕 Vegetarian🌾 Gluten-Free🥛 Dairy-Free🩺 Lower-Carb / Diabetes-Conscious

Cayenne Brown Sugar Candied Pecans

Name: Cayenne Brown Sugar Candied Pecans
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 60 min
Total time: 70 min
Yield: 12 servings
Cuisine: Southern
Ingredients: 1 large egg white; 1 tbsp water; 1 lb (about 4 cups) pecan halves; 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar; 1/4 cup granulated sugar; 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt; 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon; 1/2 to 1 tsp cayenne pepper; 1/2 tsp smoked paprika; 1 tsp flaky sea salt, for finishing

Chef-created by Chef Joel

Crisp, glassy pecans in a thin brown sugar and cinnamon shell with a slow cayenne warmth, slow-baked so the coating crackles instead of sticking.

📝 Notes: These keep for 2 weeks in an airtight tin, so make them the weekend before Halloween. For a big party, make two pans and swap their oven positions at each stir. Start with 1/2 teaspoon cayenne if kids are snacking, and set out a second bowl with the full teaspoon for the grown-ups. The common mistake is turning up the oven to hurry them along: you'll get bitter, scorched sugar. A tin of these is my go-to thank-you for the neighbor who hands out full-size treats.

⏱ Prep 10m🔥 Cook 60m🕒 Total 70m🍽 12 servings

#halloween#holiday#vegetarian#gluten-free#dairy-free#make-ahead

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Servings

Units

Oven temp

👨‍🍳 Cooking mode

Ingredients

1 largeegg white
1 tbspwater
1 lb (about 4 cups)pecan halves
3/4 cuppacked light brown sugar
1/4 cupgranulated sugar
1 1/2 tspkosher salt
1 1/2 tspground cinnamon
1/2 to 1 tspcayenne pepper
1/2 tspsmoked paprika
1 tspflaky sea salt, for finishing

Nutrition / serving

290

Calories

Protein

Carbs

Fat

Fiber

Approximate values.

Cost estimate

$13.80

Total (12 servings)

$1.15

Per serving

Approximate, based on the US national average ($0.90–$1.50/serving range). Pecans are the whole cost; fall is when they're cheapest.

My notes

Method

1
Heat the oven to 250°F with a rack in the middle, and line a rimmed sheet pan with parchment. A low oven dries the coating into a crisp shell; at higher heat the sugar burns before the nuts toast through.
2
Whisk the egg white and water in a large bowl until frothy and loose, about 30 seconds. You want foam, not stiff peaks: foam spreads into a thin, even coat.
3
Add the pecans and toss until every nut looks glossy and there's no liquid pooling in the bottom of the bowl.
4
Stir together the brown sugar, granulated sugar, kosher salt, cinnamon, cayenne and smoked paprika, breaking up any lumps of brown sugar with your fingers. Sprinkle it over the pecans and toss until they're evenly coated.
5
Spread the pecans on the pan in a single layer. Bake for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes; stirring breaks up the clumps and gives every nut an even color.
6
They're done when the coating looks dry and matte and the kitchen smells toasty. They'll still feel a little tacky while hot and turn crisp as they cool. Sprinkle the flaky salt over them while they're warm so it sticks.
7
Let them cool completely on the pan, about 30 minutes, then break apart any clusters and store them airtight.