Spiced Maple Pecans

Just in time for the holidays...these smoky, sweet, and spicy nuts are great to have around this time of year for when folks drop in. Make a great big batch, and you can have them to use as hostess gifts, or just as munchies for you and yours. I have also given these pecans as food gifts at Christmas, and they are great for parties: set out a bowl at your bar and folks will gather around them. Last year the cooking bee made them for our Christmas party with pecans from Leah's mom's trees! The recipe is from one of my favorites: Back to the Table by Art Smith . Enjoy!

Spiced Maple Pecans
from Art Smith's Back to the Table: The Reunion of Food and Family
makes about 4 cups

1 pound pecan halves
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
3 T sugar
2 t ground cumin
2 t sweet paprika
2 t chile powder (I use Mexene, but you can use your favorite brand)
1 t salt
1/8 t cayenne

Preheat the oven to 350. Spread the pecans in a large roasting pan and bake until lightly toasted, about 8 minutes.

Combine the corn and maple syrups. Pour over the nuts and toss to coat well. Bake, stirring occasionally, until the nuts have absorbed most of the syrup, about ten minutes.

Mix together the sugar, cumin, paprika, chile powder, salt, and cayenne. Pour the nuts into a large bowl and toss with a spoon, gradually adding the sugar mixture, until the nuts are coated with the sugar. Cool slightly and break apart any that have stuck together. Pour onto a baking sheet and cool completely.*

*I just allow the nuts to cool in the bowl to avoid dirtying up another pan. Just break them up again once they are cooled.

Comments

[Molly]

I can't wait to try this. I love Art Smith. He lived in Tallahassee when I was there, and he owned a catering company with a friend of my mother's. He is a very nice guy and a great cook. He just opened a restaurant in Chicago now that he has finished his gig as Oprah's personal chef.

[Sorina]

I just made this in a cooking class. It is awesome...