Recipes

Sweet & Spicy Pecans, a Texas Tradition

By  | 
Tony Maples Photography

 

My mother’s daddy was a Texas farmer and rancher for many years. He had grit and an obvious love for alliteration. But when it came to snacking, he had one of the best recipes I have ever come across to satisfy your sweet and spicy cravings. These pecans are soooooo good. How good? Well, let’s just say you’re gonna want to go ahead and make a quadruple batch! And forget about taking them to a party, they’re too good to share.

PaPa’s Particularly Peppered Pecan Party Pieces

MMmmmmm pecans!

INGREDIENTS:

1/4 cup sugar

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

1/4 tsp cayenne

1 cup pecans

INSTRUCTIONS:

Combine sugar and spices in a bowl until well mixed, set aside. Heat large skillet over medium high heat. Add nuts and gently roast until heated through, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to medium. Sprinkle half of the sugar and spice mixture to the skillet and stir to coat nuts (about 30 seconds). Add second half of spice mixture and cook an additional 30-40 seconds. Working quickly, remove nuts from heat and spread on a non-stick cookie sheet, wax paper, or parchment paper so that nuts are mostly separate (a few clusters is okay, but these get considerably harder once they’ve cooled so you don’t want them to be difficult to eat!). Allow to cool completely. Store in an air-tight container at room temperature for up to a week…not that they’ll last that long!