Easy Candied Pecans
- PREP 5min
- COOK 5min
- TOTAL 10min
Thanks to a skillet and the stovetop, you can make this easy recipe in under 10 minutes. You can use it with other varieties of nuts, too. We especially love walnuts and cashews. For an oven-based recipe, try these Oven Roasted Candied Pecans.
You Will Need
2 cups pecan halves, 6 ounces (170g)
6 tablespoons brown sugar (75g)
1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 ½ tablespoons water, or more as needed
2 teaspoons orange zest, optional
Pinch cayenne pepper, optional
Directions
1Prepare baking sheet for cooling: Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
2Make the glaze: Add the brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, vanilla, water, orange zest, and cayenne to a medium skillet. Place the skillet over medium heat and cook, stirring often, until the brown sugar melts into a bubbling sauce, about 1 minute.
3Add the nuts: Stir in the pecans so that the brown sugar sauce coats them. Cook, stirring the entire time, until the pecans look candied and smell nutty, 2 to 3 minutes. As the nuts heat up in the pan, the sauce will slowly coat them and turn shiny. Watch closely as the nuts cook so that they do not burn. If the glaze starts to get thick and grainy before coating the nuts, add a teaspoon or two more water and keep stirring to help the sugar re-dissolve and give you a smooth, even glaze that coats every pecan.
4Cool them: Transfer the candied pecans to the prepared baking sheet and spread them out in one layer. Allow the pecans to cool down and break them up before serving.
Adam and Joanne's Tips
- Storing: Store cooled candied nuts in an airtight container. They will last at room temperature for 1 week, in the refrigerator for a few weeks, and in the freezer for a month, if not longer.
- Salt: ½ teaspoon of fine sea salt makes these taste salty-sweet. If you’d prefer to not taste the salt, reduce to ¼ teaspoon of salt.
- Pecans too sticky: If your nuts are still sticky after cooling, heat your oven to 325°F (162°C) and bake for 5 to 10 minutes to help harden the candy coating.
- The nutrition facts provided below are estimates.