Sweet and Savory Spiced Pecans Recipe
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This sweet and savory Spiced Pecans recipe makes a delicious snack and is easy to make! Full of herbs and spices like rosemary, cinnamon, allspice, and cayenne, with sweetness from honey and maple syrup, it’s the perfect nibble for parties!
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Spiced Pecans Recipe
The full ingredients list and instructions are found in the printable recipe card at the end of this post. I highly recommend reading the blog post all the way through so that you don’t miss any tips or substitution suggestions; to ensure that you have all the ingredients and equipment required, and to understand the steps and timings involved.
Nuts are something that I really associate with Christmastime. I think it must be from my childhood, when my mum would always put out nut – of all kinds – for us to nibble on.
I remember a basket filled with whole walnuts, pecans, brazils, and hazelnuts in their shells with an impossible-to-use nutcracker to crack them open to get to the nut inside. Or bowls of shelled peanuts or mixed nuts for easy snack grazing.
Pecans are one of my favorite nuts, and these sweet and spicy pecans are perfect for the holidays. A whole host of spices and herbs go into this spiced pecans recipe, which you can easily tweak to your own personal tastes.
They roast in about half-an-hour, and not only smell amazing when cooking, but taste so good too!
Increase the recipe quantities to make a big batch for a party, or make the recipe as-is to nosh on while relaxing with a movie or reading a book.
The spiced nuts will last for 2-3 weeks in an airtight container, so you could make a big batch and have them last throughout the festive period.
What makes these pecans extra special is that you get both heat and sweetness. It’s a crunchy snack that has something for everyone!
Ingredients & Equipment Used In This Recipe
You may already have some of the ingredients for this recipe – the full list with measurements is found in the recipe card at the end of this post.
For your convenience, any specialized or notable ingredients and equipment needed for this recipe have been listed below and linked to Amazon if available online.
- Fresh Rosemary Leaves – if you can’t source fresh, you can substitute for dried herbs instead. 1 tablespoon of fresh herbs = 1 teaspoon of dried herbs.
- Ground Cinnamon
- Ground Cardamom – this is often found in pod form and often used in Indian cuisine. Has a fragrant, herbal, almost pine-like flavor.
- Ground Allspice – not ALL the spices but the dried unripe berry of Pimenta dioica tree. Often used in Jamaican and West Indian cuisine.
- Ground Cloves
- Ground Cayenne Pepper – use as much or little as you can handle. A little does go a long way in the spicy heat department when using cayenne!
- Fine Sea Salt
- Black Pepper
- Honey – buy locally produced honey if you can.
- Maple Syrup – try to use 100% pure maple syrup, as the maple-style syrups are full of corn syrup and flavoring – nowhere near as good!
- Whole Pecans
- Raw Cane Sugar – or other large grain sugar for dusting.
Recipes on The Purple Pumpkin Blog use both cup measurements and/or weighted measurements. American cups and kitchen food scales are handy pieces of equipment to have in your kitchen as it means you’ll be able to make all of the different recipes on my blog! I try to give American, imperial, and metric measurements in my recipes. You can mix cup measurements with weighted measurements, but never imperial (pounds, ounces, pints, etc.,) with metric (kilograms, grams, liters, etc.,).
More Recipes Using Nuts
The hero ingredients in this recipe is the nuts, so here are some more recipes using the same:
More Party Appetizer Recipes
Looking for more party appetizers to serve at your next gathering? Check these recipes out next:
- Brie and Cherry Appetizers with Phyllo Pastry Cups
- Cheese-Stuffed Taco Meatballs Party Appetizer
- Black Bean Salsa Cups Appetizer
How Do I Make Sweet and Savory Spiced Pecans?
Just check out the recipe card below with full ingredients, instructions, and demonstration photos. You can print the card out too (don’t worry, the pics don’t print to save your ink!).
Sweet & Savory Spiced Pecans
This sweet and savory Spiced Pecans recipe makes a delicious snack and is easy to make!
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp fresh rosemary leaves, finely chopped
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground cardamom
- ¾ tsp ground allspice
- ½ tsp ground cloves
- ¼ tsp ground cayenne pepper
- ½ tsp fine sea salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- ¼ cup unsalted butter
- ⅓ cup honey, preferably local
- 2 Tbsp maple syrup
- 4 cups whole pecans
- ¼ cup raw cane or other large grain sugar, for dusting
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4. Line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or a Silpat™ baking mat and set aside.
- Combine rosemary, cinnamon, cardamom, allspice, cloves, cayenne, salt, and black pepper in a small bowl. Stir to combine and set aside.
- Add butter to a small skillet set over medium heat. When the butter is mostly melted, add the honey and maple syrup and stir to combine. Heat for 1-2 minutes or until heated through. Remove from heat and set aside.
- Place pecans in a large bowl and pour the melted butter mixture on top. Add the spice mixture and stir until the pecans are completely coated in both.
- Transfer the coated pecans to the prepared baking sheet and spread into a thin, single layer without overcrowding. Place the baking sheet in the pre-heated oven and bake for 30 minutes, giving the pecans a good stir after 15 minutes.
- Remove from oven and cool for 5-10 minutes. Sprinkle half the coarse sugar on top and stir to combine. Repeat with the remaining sugar and cool completely. Serve immediately or store in an airtight container for 2-3 weeks. Enjoy!
Make It A Meal!
These pecans would make a delicious nibble to nosh on with drinks at a dinner party!
You’ve made the spiced pecans, but what about the rest of the courses? Here are additional recipes to make a full meal!
- Appetizer: How to Cook the Most Amazing Oven Roasted Artichokes
- Main Dish: Dinner Party Worthy Stuffed Beef Tenderloin with Roasted Vegetables
- Side Dish: Parsnip & Potato Gratin
- Beverage: Blackberry Vodka Cocktail
- Dessert: The Most Indulgent Chocolate Fudge Cake Ever!
There are 500+ Recipes on The Purple Pumpkin Blog for you to enjoy – please feel free to check them out too!