Candied pecans are pecan halves baked in a crisp, sweet cinnamon-sugar shell. An egg white makes the sugar cling to every curve of the nut, and a slow oven dries the coating until it turns crackly. They are sweet, toasty and a little salty, and the smell from the oven is pure holiday. Eat them by the handful, toss them on a salad, set them out on a cheese board or pack them into jars as gifts.
How to make candied pecans: Mix granulated sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt and nutmeg. Whisk an egg white with vanilla until foamy and toss it with pecan halves. Add the cinnamon sugar and toss to coat. Spread on a lined baking sheet and bake at 300°F for 20 minutes, stir, and bake 20 minutes more. Cool to room temperature.
Why You’ll Love It
- Five minutes of prep. Two bowls and a whisk.
- Baked, not boiled. No hot syrup and no candy thermometer.
- A dry, crisp coating. Not sticky on the fingers.
- Useful. A snack, a salad topping, a dessert garnish and a gift.
- The house smells wonderful. Cinnamon and toasting nuts for most of an hour.
Ingredient Notes
Pecans. Three cups of halves. Whole halves coat more evenly than pieces.
Granulated sugar and light brown sugar. A 1/3 cup of each.
Cinnamon. Two teaspoons, ground.
Salt. Half a teaspoon. It keeps the sweetness in balance.
Nutmeg. Just a pinch, ground. Less than 1/8 teaspoon is plenty.
Egg white. One. It is the glue that holds the sugar on the nuts.
Vanilla extract. One teaspoon, whisked into the egg white.
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup light brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 pinch ground nutmeg
- 1 egg white
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 cups pecan halves
How to Make Candied Pecans
1. Heat the oven. Position a rack in the middle of the oven and heat to 300°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
2. Mix the sugar. Combine the granulated sugar, light brown sugar, cinnamon, salt and nutmeg in a bowl. Set aside.
3. Whisk the egg white. In a small bowl, whisk the egg white and vanilla until just foamy and well beaten.
4. Coat the pecans. Toss the pecans with the egg white mixture until evenly coated. Add the cinnamon-sugar mixture and toss until it coats all the nuts.
5. Bake and stir. Spread the pecans in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes, remove the sheet and stir the nuts, then bake for another 20 minutes. They are done when the sugar coating starts to turn white and the pecans smell like cinnamon.
6. Cool. Let the pecans cool to room temperature. The sugar coating hardens more as they cool.
Why Aren’t My Candied Pecans Crunchy?
Most of the time, the answer is that they are still warm. Candied pecans do not come out of the oven crunchy. The coating is soft and a little tacky while it is hot, and it hardens as the nuts cool. Judge the crunch only after they have reached room temperature.
If they are cool and still not crisp, one of these is usually the reason.
| Problem | Likely cause | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Soft right out of the oven | Normal. The sugar has not hardened yet | Let them cool to room temperature |
| Sticky after cooling | Not baked long enough | Bake the full time: 20 minutes, a stir, then 20 minutes more |
| Crisp in some spots, damp in others | Nuts were piled up | Spread them in a single layer |
| Unevenly browned | The halfway stir was skipped | Stir after the first 20 minutes |
| Crisp at first, soft the next day | Stored while warm, or left uncovered | Cool fully, then keep in an airtight container |
The sign to look for in the oven is the coating. It starts to turn white and dry-looking, and the kitchen smells strongly of cinnamon. A shiny, wet-looking glaze is the goal for stovetop glazed pecans, which are made differently. For these, matte and pale is right.
Tips for Success
How much should I whisk the egg white?
Until it is foamy and loose. You are not making meringue. A foamy white spreads thinly over the nuts.
Why coat with egg white before the sugar?
The wet egg white gives the sugar something to stick to. Toss the nuts in the white first, then in the cinnamon sugar.
Why line the baking sheet?
Baked sugar sticks hard to bare metal. Parchment paper or a silicone mat lets the pecans lift right off.
What rack should I use?
The middle one. At 300°F the nuts toast slowly and evenly there.
Do I separate the pecans after baking?
Yes. Break apart any clusters while they are still slightly warm, or leave them clumped if you like them that way.
How Long Does It Take?
About 45 minutes: 5 minutes of prep and 40 minutes in the oven. Then let the pecans cool to room temperature before you eat or store them.
What Is the Best Way to Candy Pecans?
For a dry, crisp, cinnamon-sugar coating, the oven and an egg white are the way to go. It is hands-off, and it makes a big batch on one pan. Stovetop methods are faster, but they give a shiny glaze and need constant stirring.
Storage
Let the pecans cool completely, then store them in an airtight container. Any warmth left in the nuts turns to moisture in the jar and softens the coating.
What to Serve With It
Scatter candied pecans over a slice of apple pecan cake with caramel glaze or a pecan pie dump cake. On a party table, they sit well next to a cranberry pecan cheese ball. For a tray of sweets, add pecan pie bark, chocolate pecan turtle clusters and pecan cheesecake bars.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why aren’t my candied pecans crunchy?
They may still be warm. The coating hardens as the pecans cool to room temperature. If they are cool and still soft, bake them longer next time.
What’s the best way to candy pecans?
Coat them in a foamy egg white and cinnamon sugar and bake at 300°F for 40 minutes, stirring halfway through.
How do I know they are done?
The sugar coating starts to turn white and the pecans smell like cinnamon.
Do candied pecans need a candy thermometer?
No. They are baked on a sheet pan, and the finish cue is a coating that starts to turn white.
Final Notes
I leave the pan on the counter and do not touch the pecans until they are fully cool, which is when the coating turns from tacky to crisp. If you make them, leave a comment to tell me how they turned out or ask a question.
Candied Pecans
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Ingredients
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup light brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon ground
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 pinch nutmeg ground, less than 1/8 teaspoon
- 1 egg white
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 cups pecans halves
Instructions
- Position a rack in the middle of the oven and heat to 300°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- Combine the granulated sugar, light brown sugar, cinnamon, salt and nutmeg in a bowl. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, whisk the egg white and vanilla until just foamy and well beaten.
- Toss the pecans with the egg white mixture until evenly coated. Add the cinnamon-sugar mixture and toss until it coats all the nuts.
- Spread the pecans in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes, remove the sheet and stir the nuts, then bake for another 20 minutes. They are done when the sugar coating starts to turn white and the pecans smell like cinnamon.
- Let the pecans cool to room temperature. The sugar coating hardens more as they cool.
