Candied Cinnamon Pecans
Sweet, crunchy, and delicious, these Candied Cinnamon Pecans make the perfect sweet snack, or topping for your dessert. Also known as praline pecans, these Candied Cinnamon Pecans add an extra special touch to ice cream, or as a topping for our Pumpkin Spice Brioche Bread Pudding. For a wow factor, combine with our Bourbon Caramel Sauce as a decadent finish to any dessert.
Enjoyed on their own, or as a topping, either way you will love these easy to make Candied Cinnamon Pecans. Whether you like pecan pralines or praline pecans (yes they are different), this delightful candied nut is synonymous with the South and especially with New Orleans. Want to know more about the history of pralines, and the difference between pecan pralines and praline pecans? Read about it in our Blog Comments & Tips.
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RECIPE
(Check out our Step by Step Instructions below the recipe card.)
Recipe updated as of 3/29/22
CANDIED CINNAMON PECANS
Ingredients
Instructions
- Position oven rack in the center of the oven, and preheat to 300°F. Line a baking sheet pan with parchment paper, and set aside.
- In a small mixing bowl, whisk together granulated and brown sugars, sea salt, and cinnamon, and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, add egg white, water, and vanilla. Using an electric hand mixer, mix on low for about 20 to 30 seconds, then increase speed to medium-high, and beat egg white mixture until it becomes opaque, frothy, and soft peaks form (about 1 minute or so). Dump pecans into the frothy egg whites, and quickly toss pecans with a silicone spatula to coat all the pecans. Then sprinkle sugar mixture all over nuts, and toss well to thoroughly coat nuts.
- Dump coated nuts onto the prepared baking sheet, and with a silicone spatula, spread out nuts into one single layer, and bake for about 15-20 minutes. Remove from the oven, toss pecans on the baking sheet, spread them back out in a single layer, and bake for another 10 minutes. Repeat the process, and bake for another 10 minutes. Total baking time will be about 40 minutes (depending on your oven - see Note #1).
- Remove from the oven, and place the baking sheet on a wire cooling rack. Allow nuts to cool completely in the pan (see Note #2). Break apart if necessary and serve.
Notes
- Nuts will be fragrant and crisply roasted when they are done. Do not over bake, as the nuts will burn easily, and will end up with a bitter taste.
- It may take up to 2 hours to cool. The nuts will be cool to the touch and stop crackling when they are completely cooled, so listen carefully!
- Recipe can be made ahead.
- Store completely cooled nuts in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.
- Yields 16 servings (1 ounce per serving).
Nutrition Facts
Calories
221.07Fat (grams)
20.41Sat. Fat (grams)
1.75Carbs (grams)
10.03Fiber (grams)
2.81Net carbs
7.22Sugar (grams)
7.06Protein (grams)
2.83Sodium (milligrams)
136.49Cholesterol (grams)
0.00Nutritional information provided is strictly an estimate and will vary based on ingredient brands and cooking methods.
Step by Step Instructions
PREPARATION
Organize all your tools and ingredients before you begin. Getting all your ingredients in one place at the beginning will shorten your prep time.
STEP 1
Position oven rack in the center of the oven, and preheat to 300°F. Line a baking sheet pan with parchment paper, and set aside.
STEP 2
In a small mixing bowl, whisk together ¼ cup granulated sugar, ¼ cup packed light brown sugar, ½ teaspoon sea salt, and 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, and set aside.
STEP 3a
In a large mixing bowl, add 1 egg white, 1 teaspoon water, and 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract. Using an electric hand mixer, mix on low for about 20 to 30 seconds, then increase speed to medium-high, and beat egg white mixture until it becomes opaque, frothy, and soft peaks form (about 1 minute or so). Dump 16 ounces pecan halves (1 pound) into the frothy egg whites, and quickly toss pecans with a silicone spatula to coat all the pecans.
STEP 3b
Sprinkle sugar mixture all over nuts, and toss well (this will take a couple of minutes) to thoroughly coat nuts.
STEP 4
Dump coated nuts onto the prepared baking sheet, and with a silicone spatula, spread out nuts into one single layer, and bake for about 15-20 minutes. Remove from the oven, toss pecans on the baking sheet, spread them back out in a single layer, and bake for another 10 minutes. Repeat this process, and bake for another 10 minutes. Total baking time will be about 40 minutes (depending on your oven).
Note: Nuts will be fragrant and crisply roasted when they are done. Do not over bake, as the nuts will burn easily, and will end up with a bitter taste.
STEP 5
Remove from the oven, and place the baking sheet on a wire cooling rack. Allow nuts to cool completely in the pan for 2 hours (until they stop crackling and are cool to the touch). Break apart cooled nuts, if necessary, and serve.
SERVING SUGGESTIONS
Serve on its own as a snack, sprinkled on a salad, or as a topping for your favorite dessert. For a wow factor, combine our Bourbon Caramel Sauce and these Candied Cinnamon Pecans as a topping for our Pumpkin Spice Brioche Bread Pudding, or on vanilla bean ice cream (photo below). Enjoy!
Notes:
It may take up to 2 hours to cool. The nuts will be cool to the touch and stop crackling when they are completely cooled, so listen carefully!
Recipe can be made ahead.
Store completely cooled nuts in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.
VIDEO
How to Make this Quick and Easy recipe for Candied Cinnamon Pralines (Praline Pecans)!
Blog Comments & Tips
A Perfectly Sweet Snack!
Be forewarned, these Candied Cinnamon Pecans are quite addicting. They are deliciously crunchy and have plenty of flavor without overpowering the taste of the roasted pecans.
Although caramel-like pralines are delicious, they are also cloyingly sweet. We developed this recipe to have less sugar than most candied nuts, and unlike many candied pecan recipes, you can still taste the pecans in our version. Even though these are spiced nuts, we made sure there was only a hint of cinnamon flavor, as no one likes to bite into a mouthful of cinnamon. The results are a perfect balance of sweet, salty, and spiced, these nuts really make the perfect sweet snack.
Also known as praline pecans, our Candied Cinnamon Pecans are delicious and reminiscent of the South. Pralines are simply a confection of nuts and sugar. Pecan pralines are typically combined with butter, and the nuts are bathed and toasted in delicious caramel, resulting in a buttery, sweet, candy coating surrounding every pecan. They are usually a cluster shape (similar to the look of a chocolate nut cluster). The unmistakable texture, look, and taste of Pecan Pralines are synonymous with the South, and especially with New Orleans. Praline pecans are an offshoot of the original treat, on which we based our recipe. Whichever way you prefer it, this candied nut has an interesting history.
Although many of us in the USA associate pralines with New Orleans, this delicious treat actually has roots going back as far as the 17th century in France. There are disputes about the actual inventor, but many believe chef Clement Lassagne was the creator of this candied treat. He was the personal chef to French diplomat César duc de Choiseul, Count of Plessis-Praslin. This now famous Southern treat was later brought to New Orleans by French settlers in the late 1700s.
How do you ensure the best results from our recipe?
Our 4 tips to making great Candied Cinnamon Pecans:
High quality and fresh ingredients. Both your pecans and cinnamon should be super fresh.
Don’t rush the tossing! Take your time to toss, and toss some more. Make sure to coat every nut with the egg white mixture and the spices.
Don’t skip on the tossing during your baking time. Toss and spread out nuts into a single layer, twice during the baking process. This will ensure even roasting and will avoid burn spots, which will make your nuts turn bitter.
Let them cool completely in the pan before breaking apart, serving, or storing (2 hours is a safe estimate). Even though they may not seem hot to the touch, they are still not completely cool until they stop crackling. If you listen closely, you can hear them “talking!”
It’s time to customize and Pimp Our Recipe.
Pimp Our Recipe:
Make it Spicy: Add an ⅛ teaspoon of cayenne pepper. This will give it a hint of spice without overpowering the cinnamon and sweetness of the nuts.
Make it Sweeter: Increase the granulated sugar and light brown sugar amounts to ½ cup each (a total of 1 cup of sugars). This will make them super sweet!
Enjoy and let us know what you think by commenting below, rating our recipes, subscribing, following, and liking us on Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube! Don’t forget to subscribe to get updates on new recipes and tips & tricks.
Happy Cooking!
Mich
Footnote: Remember to toss and spread your pecans into a single layer multiple times during the baking process. This will ensure your pecans are evenly roasted.
Adapted from the Candied Pecans recipe by Allrecipes.com, we’ve adapted this tasty but cloyingly sweet recipe, and balanced the sweetness and spice levels to let the roasted pecans shine through. We also altered the technique, and it resulted in perfectly delicious candied pecans (aka: praline pecans) that are a little healthier and quite addicting!
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