Maple Pecans Recipe

It's almost impossible to stop eating these maple pecans! Toss these into a salad, wrap them up as a gift or snack on them all day long.

Maple pecans are a simple treat that I never tire of. We've all received bags of candied or glazed pecans around the holidays. These ones are a little different from the usual brown sugar glazed or candied pecans. Instead, they're naturally sweetened with maple syrup and seasoned with a mixture of cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg. If you like a little spice, add a small pinch of cayenne pepper, too.

Use these pecans to dress up any salad, such as my Apple Pecan Salad, Maple Pear Salad or Sweet Potato Salad. They add a bit of sweetness and a lot of crunch to each bite.

For other holiday food gift ideas, my Flavored Salts, Maple Cinnamon Roasted Cashews or Maple Pistachio Granola. Or pack up a basket of all three - salts, granola and pecans - for an extra-special holiday or hostess gift!

What you need for these maple pecans:

These are the main components of this recipe (affiliate links included):

• Pecans: Start with raw pecan halves. In other words, they shouldn't be either roasted or salted. Raw pecans can be found in most grocery stores. The cheapest prices I've found are at Costco and Trader Joe's.
• Maple syrup: Please use pure maple syrup, not the fake corn syrup version. The taste is drastically different!
• Coconut oil: Coconut oil is a good option for dairy-free and vegan diets. If you don't have coconut oil on hand, substitute with unsalted butter.
• Vanilla: Pure vanilla extract can be found in the making aisle of any grocery store.
• Seasoning: I used a combination of ground cinnamon, ground ginger, ground or grated nutmeg and kosher salt.

Tools you need:

• Baking sheet: Use a large baking/cookie sheet so that the pecans can be spread in a single layer.
• Parchment paper: Line the baking sheet with parchment paper. This makes clean-up significantly easier!

See recipe card below for full ingredients list & recipe directions.

How to make maple pecans:

Making these pecans is an easy two-step process, with only 10 minutes of prep time and about 18 minutes of cook time.

First, stir together all of the ingredients, except for the pecans, in a medium-sized bowl. That includes coconut oil, real maple syrup, vanilla extract, salt, cinnamon, ground ginger and nutmeg. Give it a good whisk.

Add the pecans to the bowl and toss to coat them with the maple syrup mixture. Make sure each nut is well-coated.

Dump out the pecans and any remaining liquid onto a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Use a rubber spatula to spread the pecans in an even layer. Try to avoid the pecans overlapping as much as possible.

Give the nuts a good stir a couple of times throughout the baking time, spreading the pecans into an even layer before returning to the oven.

Once the pecans are starting to toast and get sticky, remove the baking sheet from the oven. Use the rubber spatula to break up any clumps of pecans, then let them cool and dry.

How to serve maple glazed pecans:

These sweet pecans are great for curbing those sugar cravings that hit after dinnertime. A small handful should do the trick!

Here are some other ways to use them:

Gifts:

These make a wonderful neighbor gift or hostess gift at the holidays. A gift made with love! Package up the pecans in a canning jar like I did with this maple granola or in a cellophane gift bag, tied with some pretty red raffia.

Salads:

Sprinkle them over almost any green salad. They're fantastic in my Maple Pear Salad.

The flavors work really well with balsamic vinegar. Make a batch of Homemade Balsamic Vinaigrette and put together a salad with red and green leaf lettuces, the maple roasted pecans, chopped apple and goat cheese.

Toppings:

Break them into small pieces and serve over ice cream or frozen yogurt. We like to serve ice cream with a scoop of warm homemade applesauce and a few pecans over top.

Printable Recipe

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