Easy Candied Pecans
Don't you love the crunch of candied pecans on a salad?! Most recipes are too sweet for me though (never thought I'd hear myself say THAT!) and they also require standing at the stove stirring for loooong periods of time or else you'll burn the whole batch.
So I did some experimenting and these easy candied pecans turned out DELICIOUS with no refined sugars anywhere!
Easy Candied Pecans
Servings: 4 cups
Ingredients
- 6 Tablespoons butter pastured butter is best
- 4 cups pecans chopped, or 1# pecan pieces — starting with these “Crispy Nuts” is most nutritious — read more at that link (Note: You could also use this same recipe with almonds or walnuts)
- 1 teaspoon sea salt or more as needed
- 6 Tablespoons real maple syrup or more to your own taste, you could also use coconut sugar but I like the taste of the maple syrup better.
Instructions
- Melt butter in a large stainless steel or cast iron pan, add the pecans and salt, and stir for about 5 minutes on medium high heat as they start to get crispy. Don't walk away, these can burn quickly!
- Add the syrup, and keep stirring another 5-10 minutes or so, but this timing depends on how hot you have the heat. If it's too hot it can quickly burn. The point is to get them to crisp up. They do get more crispy as they cool though, so keep that in mind.
- Spread onto parchment paper on the counter and let cool.
- These will clump together as they cool, just break them apart before serving.
- This makes a lot, but keep in mind that quite a few will disappear as you're cooking because NOT taste-testing is impossible.
These easy candied pecans are yummy on any type of salad or just for a sweet snack now and then. Let me know if you love them too!
More you might like:
- These easy candied pecans are great on grape salad!
- A whole list of healthy salad bar ideas with options for everyone, even picky eaters!
- If you're entertaining, the salad bar above is always a hit, as is an ice cream sundae bar! (Again, there are lots of options/ideas in order to please everyone.)
- Converting a walnut hater: Crispy Rosemary Walnuts
