RECIPES: Spicy Candied Pecans

Pecans are a great high-protein snack food. They add fiber to your diet and contain iron, calcium, vitamins A, B, and C, potassium and phosphorous.

The "candy" in this recipe is actually Grade B maple syrup. I like using maple syrup as a sweetener whenever I can because it's high in the trace minerals manganese and zinc.

In maple syrups, the lighter the color, the more subtle the flavor. Grade B has a more pronounced taste than Grade A. I never use Grade A. I prefer the robust flavor of the darker grade plus I heard it has a higher concentration of minerals although I couldn't find a reference for this.

This recipe calls for a very low roasting temperature, 150 or less degrees. All enzymes are deactivated at a wet-heat temperature of 118 degrees and a dry-heat temperature of about 150 degrees. It is one of those convenient designs of nature that foods and liquids at 117 degrees can be touched without pain, but liquids over 118 degrees will burn. Nature is so cool—we have a built-in enzyme checker!

The buttery flavor of these nuts is enhanced by soaking and slow oven drying (using a dehydrator is even better).

Spicy Candied Pecans

4 cups pecan halves
2 teaspoons sea salt
8 tablespoons maple syrup
cayenne (to taste)
parchment paper

Mix pecans with salt and filtered water (water should cover pecans completely) and leave in a warm place for at least 7 hours or overnight. Drain in colander. Spread pecans on a stainless steel baking pan lined with parchment paper for easy cleanup and place in warm oven (no more than 150 degrees) for 12 hours, turning occassionally, until dry and crisp. Toss dried pecans in bowl with maple syrup and cayenne. Coat evenly. Roast at 150 degrees for another 2 hours.

Store in an airtight container. Delicious on salads or as a snack with cheese.

(Note: Honey can be substituted for maple syrup.)

Comments

[Anne]

You might be surprised, but many people dislike the taste of maple. I don't care for it much but I might give the A grade a try.

[Carla Borelli]

Anne, my mom makes them with honey. I actually like the taste better of hers. But I try to use maple syrup when I can since it has at least some nutrients. I wonder if agave would be a good substitute....
~carla

[jane]

hi Carla,

I love your website. and this candied pecan recipe for salads looks great. I'm always on the hunt for the perfect recipe for this as I've grown accustomed to having pecans on my salads!

quick question about this step: when you say "mix pecans with salt and filtered water...overnight." Are you saying to soak the pecans completely under water? Or do you just wet them enough to have them salted?

Hopefully you have time to answer this!! thanks!

-jane

[Carla Borelli]

Hi Jane! Glad you're finding Local Forage helpful. You raise a good question. I changed the copy to add "water should cover pecans completely". Nuts contain numerous enzyme inhibitors that can put a real strain on the digestive mechanism if consumed in excess. Soaking the nuts (which causes them to begin to sprout) and drying them in a warm oven neutralizes the enzyme inhibitors and makes the nutrients more readily available. This is what the Aztecs did with their sun-dried pumpkin/squash seeds! You can do this to almost any nut or seed and gain the benefits!

[steven]

I like the idea of mixing in cayene. I usually coat the pecans in maple syrup in a pan over the stove. The remove from heat and pour onto a wood cutting board to cool. I am going to try yours. Thanks.

[Carla Borelli]

Steven,
When you do the pecans on the stovetop, if the temp reaches above 118 degrees, you're killing the good stuff. When I do these pecans slowly in the oven, the maple becomes hard (firm might be a better word). There's no dripping. I can store them in a container without all the maple dripping off. I would think that, on the stovetop, you would have to get the temp higher than 118 to get the maple to firm up.

[Maria Atwood]

Hi Carla:
I just posted your great Pecan Pancake recipe to our discussingNT group. This is too good to be true, I'm trying them this week, and just wanted to say "Thanks" for this yummy tasting treat.

Maria Atwood
www.traditionlcook.com