These easy candied pecans are so simple to make and taste delicious on their own or topped on a cheese plate! The recipe can be easily adapted for other crispy candied nuts.
I love candied nuts, especially these easy candied pecans. They are so delicious on their own – seriously I eat them by the handful whenever I whip up the recipe. But, they are also awesome as an addition to cheese plates … more on that later.
Are glazed pecans and candied pecans the same thing?
Well, if you are wondering “are they all delicious?” then the answer is YES. But, glazed, candied, and even pralines are all different! The difference is in how you coat them and how you cook them.
- Candied Pecans. These ones will use a mixture of white sugar and an egg white to give that nice little crunch on the outside. These are typically baked.
- Glazed Pecans. The mixture here is usually brown sugar, corn syrup, and butter. These ones are usually made on the stovetop.
- Pralines. Now these are essentially a candy and are very popular in New Orleans! Here is an awesome recipe from The Spruce Eats with some great history on these treats.
I would imagine if you are searching for a recipe for candied pecans, you want to make them. But, I’ve been told that the Trader Joe’s Candied Pecans are incredible!
How to eat these easy candied pecans?
Do you mean other than shoving them in your mouth by the handful? Kidding, kidding. It’s dangerous being a food blogger while pregnant. But, here are some other legitimate ways to enjoy homemade candied pecans.
- On a salad. This is an amazing way to enjoy the fruits of your labor, on a freshly made salad. I love some hearty romaine, apples, feta, and candied pecans with a light vinaigrette. So scrumptious.
- On a cheese plate. We go into depth on this one below. It’s a MUST for your next cheese or charcuterie board.
- For gifting. Since these are pretty shelf staple, they make an awesome gift! Pop ’em in a mason jar with a tightly closed lid and some cute ribbon. They would make an amazing Galentine’s Day gift.
I’d love to hear how you like to enjoy these easy candied pecans so be sure to leave us a comment below to give us some more ideas.
Let’s expand on this cheese board situation though. I used to work for Whole Foods Market and planned all our in-store events. It was actually the best and seriously my favorite job… except for The Beard and The Baker, of course.
While I planned a myriad of events, they obviously all revolved around food. So many of them incorporated cheese plates and I became obsessed with making the best ones.
If you google “what to put on a cheese plate,” I’m sure you will find thousands of examples, but here are my personal tips.
- Have a variety of cheese flavors and firmness. For examples, I usually always have a soft brie, a hard cheddar, and then some semblance of a bleu cheese.
- Add a minimum of one jam. But, two is always better. There will always be fig jam on my cheese plate and then sour cherry is a solid second. My favorite brand is Divina.
- Always have crackers. I know some people put bread on theirs and that’s nice too, but you need a solid cracker to hold your cheese goodness. I love love love raincoast crisps but I also usually have Breton crackers on hand too.
- Bring on the accoutrements. I don’t actually know if that’s the right word, but this is where your easy candied pecans come into play! The crisp from the nuts add a delightful texture to your cheese plate. You can also add dried apricots, figs, or cherries!
- Serve with yummy drinks. You don’t need to pair a cheese board with wine! If you do, my favorites are Chardonnay and Malbec. But, if you want to serve with a mocktail, I recommend this mock sangria!
Here is a full post on a cheese board we made with Duke’s Sausages! If you need more inspiration on amazing cheese plates, here are a few of my favorite accounts: Right Back Spatula, Cheese Board Queen, and TheCharcuteQueen.
Candied Nuts
These easy candied pecans are so simple to make and taste delicious on their own or topped on a cheese plate! The recipe can be easily adapted for other crispy candied nuts.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cayenne
- 12 ounces (3ish cups) whole pecans
- 1 egg white, lightly whisked
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 300 degrees F.
- Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking sheet. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, add the white and brown sugar, ground cinnamon, salt, and cayenne. Whisk until evenly mixed.
- In a separate large mixing bowl, pour in the pecans and add the whisked egg white. Gently toss with a rubber spatula until the pecans are evenly coated in the egg white. Then, pour in the sugar mixture and gently toss around with the rubber spatula until they are totally coated.
- Pour the covered pecans onto your lined baking sheet and spread into an even layer. Bake for about 15 minutes, then remove from the oven and spread around a bit. Then, bake for another 15-20 minutes until the sugar coating is cooked and crisp. They will crisp up a little bit more out of the oven so be careful not to burn.
- Remove from oven and let cool on the sheet until they reach room temperature. Serve immediately or place in a sealed container and store at room temperatue for up to 2 weeks.
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