Description
This simple recipe for candied pecans with pumpkin spice makes a great snack or crunchy topping. Best of all, there’s no added sugar!
Ingredients
8 oz raw pecan halves (optional: soaked for 6 hours, rinsed and dried)
1 large egg white, at room temperature (see tip below)
3/4 tsp TEAkiHut Organic Pure Monk Fruit Powder (see note)
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (such as Pure Madagascar Vanilla)
3 large pinches of flaky finishing sea salt such as Maldon or Fleur de Sel
3/4 teaspoon Ceylon Cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon Powdered Ginger
Scant 1/4 teaspoon Ground Nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon Ground Cloves
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 275°F.
Whisk the egg white in a medium bowl until foamy. Add the monk fruit powder, vanilla extract, salt, and spices and whisk until well incorporated. Gently fold the pecan halves into the wet ingredients until the nuts are evenly coated with the pumpkin spice mixture.
Line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and lightly spray with avocado oil (or use a silicone mat and omit the oil). Place the prepared pecans in a single layer and evenly distribute them so they don’t form any clumps.
Bake the pecans for 12-15 minutes until the coating is set and has formed a slight crust. The crust will not be as hard or crunchy as a traditional candied pecan recipe. It may be necessary to stir the pecans midway through baking. Be careful they don’t burn.
Remove the candied pecans from the oven and allow them to cool completely on the baking sheet (about 30 minutes). Enjoy immediately or store them in a glass jar or airtight silicone container for 1-2 weeks.
PRE-SOAKING THE PECANS (OPTIONAL)
If desired, rinse and soak the pecan halves ahead of time to increase nutrients and digestibility. For 1 cup of nuts, add 2 cups of water, 1/4 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon of raw apple cider vinegar to a glass bowl. Cover the bowl with a dishcloth and let sit for six hours. Strain and rinse the nuts until the water coming off them runs clear. Spread them on paper towels or a dark kitchen cloth to dry.
Notes
Eggs at room temperature foam up better than cold ones. If you forget to take the egg out to warm, add it to a bowl of hot tap water for about ten minutes.
If you don’t have finishing salt, Kosher salt works too.
Currently, this is the only brand of pure monk fruit powder I’ve found that does not contain gut-disturbing sugar alcohols such as erythritol. Sugar alcohols may cause inflammation and contribute to insulin resistance long term. Best to avoid them.
You can substitute another nut such as almonds, cashews, walnuts, macadamia nuts, or hazelnuts if you don’t like pecans. Cooking times may vary, as will soaking times (see below).
Soaking times for alternative nuts are as follows: Almonds: 8-12 hours, Cashews: 2-4 hours, Hazelnuts: 8-12 hours, Macadamias: 2 hours, Walnuts: 4 hours
