Spiced Pecans

My husband just purchased several bags of pecans from one of the ladies in his office. Her grandpa shells and packages them, so he could not say no. Here is a great tip for yummy nuts to use as a gift or to enjoy yourself. The holidays are fast approaching so I pulled out my recipes for snacks and found just the one needed to use on the pecans.

I then plan to freeze them until I will need a hostess gift or a thank you gift. Even if you do not get as good a deal as my husband did on the pecans, watch your local grocery ads as nuts go on sale often this time of year.

Here is the recipe which makes approx. seven cups:

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
• 1 and 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 egg white
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground fresh black pepper
• 6 to 7 cups of unsalted nuts of your choice

I have only made these with pecans, but you could use walnuts or natural almonds, or a mixture of the three.

Directions

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F. Spray your baking sheets with a non cook spray or grease your pans lightly with margarine. In a bowl, mix the spices and the sugar. In a good size bowl, beat the egg white until foamy, then stir your nuts into the foamy egg white. Add your spice and sugar mixture. Mix well until nuts are coated.

Spread your nuts evenly between the two pans and bake 25 minutes or until they look a nice brown to you. Take them out of the oven and stir them a couple times during your baking time, so they will brown evenly. When nicely browned, let cool completely before freezing or putting into container to give away.

You can put them in any simple container you have like a vase, cup or mug, wrap in cellophane or wrapping tissue paper and add a ribbon. This makes a great snack for a time you have people over. A neighbor gave me this recipe when we were at a open house she had and served these nuts. This is a great time of year to find spices on sale too. I the ones I needed this morning on sale at Krogers, their brand of spices. Enjoy!

By Bobbie from Rockwall, TX