Sweet & Spicy Pecans

Prep Methods/Techniques
Cuisine
Description
Everyone is always happy when I make these pecans. They are completely addictive. I've made lots of different kinds of flavored nuts over the years but I always come back to these. Serve the nuts with cocktails or add them to a salad.

Noted on 2/13/2012

Ingredients
  • 2 tbsp unsalted butter, or plant based butter
  • 3 cup pecan halves
  • 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
  • 2 tbsp pure hot chile powder
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 2 tsp ground cumin
  • 1/4 cup cider vinegar
  • salt, to taste
Method
  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
  2. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the pecans and sauté until lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Add the brown sugar and cook until melted. Stir in the chile powder, paprika and cumin until evenly coated. Add the vinegar and reduce until all the liquid has evaporated. Season with salt.
  3. Spread the pecans on a cookie sheet lined with parchment or a silicon liner. Bake until crisp, about 10 minutes. Cool and then store in an airtight container until ready to serve.
Cook's Notes
Yield
Makes 3 cups
Ingredient Notes
Be sure to use pure chile powder, not a chili powder blend.
I like to use smoked Spanish paprika (hot) instead of the plain paprika. Try it if you like a smokey flavor.
Source/Adapted From
New Tastes From Texas by Stephan Pyles