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Toasted Candied Pecans

Candied pecans with a crunch; a hard candy coating rather than a chewy caramel or sugared praline coating. Perfect sprinkled over ice cream or as a sweet crunchy topping for salads.
Course Dessert, Snack
Keyword Pecans, Snack, Sweet
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Servings 4

Ingredients

  • 1 cup whole pecans
  • ½ cup brown sugar
  • 1 tsp Kosher salt
  • ½ tsp ground cinnamon
  • 2 Tbsp water

Instructions

  • Toast pecans in a skillet, tossing with a spatula or wooden spoon, until fragrant and just toasted but not too brown or blackened. Set aside.
  • In a medium or large saucepan, combine sugar, salt, cinnamon and water.  Cook over medium heat for a minute or two, until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is really bubbling.
    Check the temperature of sugar mixture with a candy thermometer. It should read 300° in order to achieve a crackle coating on the pecans. If the temperature is too low you will have chewy, sticky pecans. (See notes below.)
  • Add the toasted pecans and cook for an additional 3 minutes, stirring to coat the pecans in the glaze.
  • Remove from the heat, and spread the pecans out on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Let the pecans cool completely.
  • Break apart, and enjoy.
  • Try adding a dash of cayenne to the sugar mixture or combine different spices, like cardamom, nutmeg or cloves. It's a very adaptable recipe and can easily be doubled to make larger batches.
  • Toasted candied pecans can be stored in an airtight jar for about one week. A quick and easy foodie gift to take to a host or give for the holidays.

Notes

Hard Crack:
The hard-crack stage is the highest temperature you are likely to see specified in a candy recipe. At these temperatures, there is almost no water left in the syrup. Syrup dropped into ice water will separate into hard, brittle threads that break when bent.
Hard-Crack Stage
300° F–310° F
/148° C–154° C
sugar concentration: 99%
https://www.craftybaking.com/howto/candy-sugar-syrup-temperature-chart