Roasted & Candied Pecan Recipes

It’s the holiday season, and roasted pecans, salted or candied, are perfect alongside a cheese and cracker board or sprinkled on a dish of ice cream.

Roasted Pecans Recipe

Ingredients:
2 cups raw pecans
2 cups boiling water
Salt

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 250 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Soak the raw pecans in boiling water for 20 minutes. Drain.
3. Line a large rectangular baking sheet with a silicone mat.
4. Sprinkle salt evenly and lightly on the baking sheet, then pour the wet pecans on the sheet and spread out in a single layer.
5. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven. Turn oven up to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. When it’s at temperature, put the pan back in the oven, close the oven door, then immediately turn the oven off, and let the pecans sit in the hot oven for an hour.
6. Remove hot pecans from oven and let cool in the pan. They will be perfectly roasted.

Candied Roasted Pecans Recipe

Ingredients:
4 cups raw pecans
2 Tablespoons aquafaba* (or 1 large egg white)
2 Tablespoons water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Salt

Instructions:

1. Blend the aquafaba (or egg white), water, and vanilla extract in a blender till frothy white.
2. Preheat the oven to 250 degrees Fahrenheit.
3. Line a large rectangular roasting pan with a silicone mat. Pour the pecans in the pan, then cover with frothy vanilla mixture and mix to coat.
4. Combine sugar and cinnamon in cup, then pour evenly over the wet pecans, and mix to coat evenly. Sprinkle salt evenly and lightly.
5. Bake for 1 hour, taking out to turn the pecans over every 15 minutes so they don’t stick together.
6. Remove from oven and let cool in the pan.

*Aquafaba is the liquid drained from canned chickpeas and is an excellent egg white replacement in vegan baking.