Southern spiced pecans are so versatile. They have a subtle sweetness with a little bit of spice. Serve them as a snack or use them to top your salads. Just promise you will make some!
These yummy southern spiced pecans super delicious. Keep some on hand for a snack, toss them in salads or make some to give as an edible gift. They are perfect no matter how you decide to enjoy them.
For some reason I usually think of spiced pecans around the holidays. It is probably because a former boss’s wife used to make them for our company Christmas parties.
Each place was set with a glass filled with yummy spiced nuts. They were the perfect sweet and salty snack to accompany a cocktail or two.
However, delicious spiced nuts should not be restricted to Christmastime. Lets enjoy them all year long.
Making Spiced Nuts
Luckily this recipe is super simple to make. It only takes 8 ingredients and about a half an hour to make.
Most of that time is hands off, so it almost makes itself. And you can easily tweek the recipe to make them your own.
Start with your largest oven safe skillet. A twelve inch skillet is great if you have it.
Melt some butter and add in your spices and a bit of sugar. Cook it for a minute to help get those flavors going.
Then toss in some pecans and stir until everything is coated in that tasty goodness. All you have to do is bake the pecans at a nice low temperature to set the coating.
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Stir the nuts halfway through to help them cook evenly. This also helps to make sure all of the nuts have all of that good stuff on them.
Storage
Make sure to let the spiced pecans cool completely, then transfer them to an airtight container for storage. You can keep them at room temperature for a couple weeks or more.
For longer storage you can refrigerate or freeze the spiced nuts, but it can affect their texture a bit. They will still work great as a salad topper though.
Substitutions and Alterations
There is something great about spiced pecans, but feel free to use your favorite nuts. Mixed nuts also work great, so use whatever you prefer.
Just keep in mind that the recipe is written for raw unalted nuts. If you are using salted roasted nuts, omit the salt and cut the baking time in half.
Cayenne adds some heat to these nuts, but you can use paprika if you want something milder. They are delicious both ways.
A little bit of sugar helps to add a nice balance to these spiced nuts. You can try using maple syrup or honey instead if you prefer.
More Tasty Ways to Flavor Your Nuts
For a yummy sweet spiced nut, try spiced walnuts. They are sweeter and feature those more baking style spices like nutmeg, cinnamon, and cloves.
Or try making some honeyed pecans. They are so simple, but oh so good!
For a super savory option with a little bit of kick, try making buffalo ranch spiced nuts. They are big savory flavor with a little spice, but not too much.
Southern Spiced Pecans
Ingredients
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
- ¼ cup butter
- 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 cups pecan halves
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300°F.
- In a small bowl, stir together the ½ teaspoon ground cumin, 1 teaspoon chili powder, ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon, and ¼ teaspoon ground cayenne pepperet aside.
- Melt ¼ cup butter over medium heat in your largest oven safe skillet.
- Add the 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar and 1 teaspoon salt. Continue to cook and stir until the sugar and salt are dissolved in the melted butter.
- Remove from heat. Add the 3 cups pecan halves and stir until the nuts are all coated in the butter mixture. Sprinkles with seasonings and stir again to coat evenly.
- Bake for 15 minutes. Stir then return to the oven to bake for another 10 minutes.
- Allow to cool completely before moving to an airtight container for storage.
- Store at room temperature for up to two weeks.
Notes
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It is really easy. I make this every year at Christmas. My husband starts asking for it in September. All of our friends also can’t wait.
Such a tasty tradition!
The sugar and salt did not dissolve in the butter and instead turned to a thick paste. What did I do wrong??
Hmm. I wish I knew. Possibly a little more time over heat would have helped or even just a couple of drops of water to help things dissolve.
wonder if you didn’t do the proper measurements. Not enough butter for the amount of salt and sugar or too much salt and sugar for the amount of butter you measured out.
Have you ever done this recipe with a sugar substitute such as Splenda? Would it still work?
I haven’t, but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work.
Step 2 “… stir together the spices and set aside.” This does NOT include the sugar and salt. Also, ingredients should be listed in order of usage.
The perfect snack and a favorite way to eat pecans for me!
They really are so good for snacking as is or tossing into salads etc.
Thanks for sharing some with us. They were definitely a hit!
They are simple, but oh so good!