Sweet & Spicy Pecans!!

Homegaters!

I was preparing a couple of dishes last weekend and wanted to make something a little extra. I felt like I needed to have something a little sweet, but also a little salty - and then maybe even a little spicy all at the same time. I thought about it for a short while and came up with an old classic of mine:  Sweet & Spicy Pecans!

I had developed this dish several years ago when one of my pals brought me back about 5 lbs of pecans straight from Georgia. I came up with a salty, sweet and spicy coating for those gorgeous pecans and the recipe was a hit. So every once in a while I'll pick up a bag of pecans and make the recipe. When you pop a few in your mouth, you're greeted with a salty, buttery, mapley, spicy taste that forces you to go back and pop a few more in your mouth. It's a pretty quick recipe that your friends and family will really enjoy.

Sweet & Spicy Pecans                                
(serves 4-6)

16 oz bag whole pecans
1/2 stick unsalted butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup dark maple syrup
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp ground white pepper
1/4 tsp salt

Method:

In a sauce pan on medium heat, melt the butter. Add the rest of the ingredients (except the pecans) and continue to cook until the brown sugar has melted down and a smooth syrup has been developed. Add the pecans, toss and coat throughly.

Pour out onto a sheet pan and spread out. Let the coating cool and dry (about 40 minutes). Place in a bowl and serve.

Leftovers (if there are any) can be saved in a plastic storage bag. These keep about 2 days  -  but chances are, they aren't going to last that long.

So there you have it! This will be a hit and might become a go-to staple for you when you need to satisfy that salty-sweet craving.

I hope you try it! So until next week, keep on homegating!