Cinnamon Crunch Pecans
Cinnamon Crunch Pecans
Big Girl Pants Shop
Makes 3-4 Cups
15 minutes
40 minutes
Snack
These Cinnamon Crunch Pecans bake up with a crisp cinnamon-sugar coating, a little nutmeg, and just enough salt to balance the sweetness. They're simple to make and delicious scattered over a salad, tucked onto a grazing board, or eaten by the handful. Make a batch to share- or keep a little jar handy for yourself.
Ingredients
- 3-4 cups pecan halves
- 1 large egg white
- 1 tsp water
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ¾ tsp fine sea salt
- 2 ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼-½ tsp ground nutmeg, depending on your preference
- pinch-¼ tsp cayenne pepper, depending on your heat preference
- ¼ cup salted butter, cut into cubes
Directions
- Heat the oven to 300ºF. Line a 10x15-inch jelly roll pan with parchment paper. Cut the butter into four pieces and space them evenly around the pan. Place the pan in the oven to melt the butter while you prepare the pecans.
Note: If using a smaller jelly roll pan, divide the nuts between two pans so they have room to spread out. I used a 10x15” pan for 3 cups of pecans.
- Place 3-4 cups of pecan pieces in a large bowl and set aside.
- In a small bowl stir together the sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and cayenne until well combined. Set aside.
- In a large bowl whisk the egg white and water by hand with a whisk until frothy, about 30 seconds. Add the pecans and stir with a silicone spatula until evenly coated.
- Sprinkle the sugar mixture over the pecans and toss thoroughly, bringing any sugar from the bottom of the bowl into the mixture.
- Carefully remove the pan with the melted butter from the oven. Spread the coated pecans into an even layer on the buttered pan. Bake for 20 minutes and stir the pecans and spread them back into an even layer. Return to the oven for another 20 minutes, watching closely toward the end to prevent overbrowning.
- Let pecans cool completely in the pan. The coating will become crisp as it cools. Break apart any clusters and store in an airtight container.