Candied Pecans (2024)

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This recipe for Candied Pecans has been here on the site for years, only as part of the Butter Pecan Oatmeal recipe. It has always deserved its own post, and now it finally has one! These Candied Pecans are sooo good, and soooo easy and straightforward to make! You likely have all the ingredients in your home already.

Not a fan of pecans? That’s fine! Instead of Candied Pecans, you can make Candied Almonds, Walnuts, Peanuts — the sky’s the limit.

Candied Pecans Ingredients

Feel free to jump to the full recipe, but here are useful notes about the ingredients you will need to make this Candied Pecans recipe:

• Pecans: I opt for bags of pecan halves and pieces. Whole pecans will work fine. I prefer to use un-roasted salted for my Candied Pecans, but roasted or unsalted work fine, too. This is a very versatile recipe, and you don’t even have to use pecans! Swap it out for whatever nuts you want.
• Unsalted butter: I’ve used salted before, and the difference was negligible. Use what you have on hand.
• Egg white, water: These are key ingredients for these Candied Pecans. They won’t ‘candy’ without them. I prefer to use liquid egg whites just for ease, but from two large eggs works beautifully – just make the eggs are large or extra large!
• Light brown sugar, granulated sugar: Dark brown sugar will also work, so feel free to substitute. I can’t speak to any other sugar substitutes.
• Vanilla extract, ground cinnamon: Flavorings! These can be switched up of course if you’d like a different flavor profile in your Candied Pecans, but try them as written at least once! I think you’ll love them!

How to Make Candied Pecans

Full instructions are included in the recipe below, but here is a basic overview of what you’ll need to do, along with some important tidbits to help you make the most of this Candied Pecans recipe:

• Prepare for Candied Pecans. Preheat your oven to 350ºF. Add the stick of butter to a 10-12″ cast-iron skillet and place the skillet into the oven. Leave it there while you prepare the pecans. In a medium-sized bowl, combine the egg whites, water, and vanilla extract. Whisk vigorously until the whites are foamy. A hand mixer might make this easier to accomplish.
• Make the Candied Pecans Glaze. Next, add in the sugar, brown sugar, and cinnamon, and whisk until combined. A thick, syrupy batter of sorts should form. Add your pecans to the bowl and stir to coat thoroughly. Make sure everything is evenly distributed and each pecan is coated. Remove your cast iron skillet from the oven once the butter is melted. Pour your coated pecans into the skillet. Gently toss them to incorporate the butter, then and spread them out into an even layer. Return the cast-iron skillet to the oven.
• Bake the Candied Pecans. Bake the pecans for 45 minutes, removing every 15 minutes to gently stir and turn the pecans so they cook evenly. They will be sticky and kind of wet for most of this time, only really becoming hardened once they cool, but you’ll notice the amount of moisture will reduce toward the end of baking.
• Cool and Enjoy! After 45 minutes, remove them from the oven and let them rest. You can remove the pecans to a baking sheet to cool faster if you like. Stir them every 10 minutes or so to avoid them clumping together, or you can just break them apart with a spatula or your hands later. Store in an airtight container for up to a week. Dassit!

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