Some of my favorite snacks are a combo of sweet and salty. You don’t have to choose between the two. And because your palate doesn’t get overwhelmed by either flavor, you can eat more at a time. Which could be a bad thing, I guess…
Candied pecans are ridiculously easy to make on the stove. All you need to do is get your pecans a bit toasty, add butter and maple syrup, and wham: you’ve got candied pecans.
These are wonderful for just popping into your mouth. Or you can add them to a salad to make it more fancy. Or top a cake or brownies with them. Or eat with vanilla ice cream. Mmhmm.
Maple Candied Pecans
recipe by Erica Kastner | makes 2 cups | PRINT
Ingredients:
- 2 cups pecan halves (can use pieces as well)
- 1 tablespoon salted butter
- 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- salt to taste
Directions:
Preheat a 12-inch cast iron skillet over medium heat (if you don’t have a 12-inch skillet, you can make half a batch and cook in a smaller skillet). Add the pecans and cook until they begin to get toasty, about 5 minutes, stirring frequently to ensure even toasting.
Add the butter and allow to melt. Stir to coat the pecans. Add the maple syrup, stir, and turn the heat down to medium-low. Cook until caramelized, about 3 minutes. Season to taste with salt.
Remove pecans to a plate to cool. They will crisp up as they cool. Taste and add more salt if necessary.
Store in an air-tight container for a few days, or longer in the refrigerator or freezer.
Do you think brown sugar or honey would work as well? I'm not a fan of maple syrup. Blasphemy, I know…
Oh dear. I better not make this unless I'm sure I'll have plenty of 'help' 🙂 This sounds/looks absolutely delicious! I love sweet and salty. Usually I can't stand things that are just sweet. One exception: maple candy. All I needed to see was maple candied and I clicked on the link. And then I saw pecans, and it got better 🙂 Anyway. I will definitely have to make this. I love the idea to serve them on a cake or other dessert. Mine probably won't last that long, though 🙂
I would think that brown sugar or honey would work as well, though you might have to experiment with the cooking time to get it caramelized. 🙂
My toddler definitely helped me to eat these. 😀 I would definitely have eaten them with ice cream, except I'm trying to cut back on sweets the last month of pregnancy. 🙂