Sweet & Salty Roasted Pecans

These nuts are a game changer, they are flat-out addictive and you will keep coming back for more. I have a number of recipes for roasted nuts, however this one tops them all. They are salty, sweet, crunchy and more importantly, they stay crunchy. They are equally amazing on their own, as a cocktail snack, in a salad or as a topping over some ice cream with salted caramel sauce.

So, consider yourself officially warned and please don’t blame me for not being able to stop eating them.

INGREDIENTS
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1⁄2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
4-5 cups pecan halves
11⁄2 cups water
3 cups sugar
2 tablespoons mild vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
a pinch or two of flaky salt

DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 325º and line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. Next, in a saucepan over medium heat, combine the pecans, water, and sugar. Bring to a simmer and stirring often, cook the pecans for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, combine the salt, pepper and cinnamon in a small bowl and set aside. Then, with a slotted spoon, remove the nuts from the pan, spread them in a single layer on the baking sheets. Using two forks, separate them so they don’t touch each other and have room to bake individually. Then, bake for 20 minutes, or until they turn a deep and toasty brown.

Remove from the oven and cool for 5 minutes. Push the nuts into a mound in the center of each sheet. Then, drizzle each mound with half the oil and half the vanilla extract and toss to coat. Sprinkle each mound with half the cinnamon mixture and toss well to coat them evenly.

Again, spread the nuts on the baking sheets in one layer. Finally, return to the oven for about 10 minutes, or until browned and crisp. Remove from the oven, sprinkle with a flaky salt, such as Maldon and let cool completely before transferring to an airtight container. I bet you can’t eat just one!

Additionally, they make a nice hostess gift. Simple to make, tasty, versatile, addictive…it doesn’t get any better.