Slow Cooker Spicy Candied Pecans
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These spicy candied pecans are sweet, spicy, salty and downright addicting. Make them in the slow cooker for an easy, hands-off experience and fill your kitchen with wonderful aromas! They’re great for topping salads, party snacks, and even homemade gifts!
It’s hard to say what’s my favorite part of this recipe: the taste or the smell? Honestly, I’m sure I drove my neighbors insane for a week or so testing this recipe over and over. It’s better than any candle and always gets me in the holiday spirit.
But these candied pecans aren’t just for the holidays, even though they make fantastic gifts, and the only thing better than smelling them is tasting them. These bad boys are amazing on top of salads, or vanilla yogurt with some fruit and a bit of honey, or to add a bit of spice to a snack mix. But they’re also still incredible enough to snack on alone.
If making these as gifts, this recipe fills 10 of these cellophane bags 2/3rds of the way. I tied them up with the supplied twist ties and kraft ribbon. And peep these gorgeous printable gift tags from Saffron Avenue!
Tips for making Spicy Candied Pecans
So I have made this recipe in both a small 2qt and a large 7qt. Only half of the recipe fits in the 2qt, and I found it also took significantly longer to dry – almost 24 hours. Try to use a larger slow cooker with more surface area for this recipe.
When whipping the egg whites, you’ll want them very frothy, but not enough to have peaks. It coats the pecans and helps the spicy, sugary goodness adhere.
And another helpful tip – this is not a “dump” type recipe for the slow cooker. Yes, you can technically throw everything in, give it a good stir, and it will likely still come out okay. But I suggest mixing the spices and sugars together first before coating the pecans. It just gives everything a bit of uniformity, so you don’t have one pecan that’s too sweet and another that’s too spicy.
Like I said, these pecans are addicting. They’re sweet, full of flavor with just the right amount spice – enough to please just about any palette!
Are you looking for more homemade gifts? Check out my recipes for Hot Chocolate Mix and Vanilla Extract. Or you might like some of my other snack recipes, like S’mores Popcorn or Caramel Apple Pretzel Bites!
Until next time. X
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Slow Cooker Spicy Candied Pecans
These spicy candied pecans are sweet, spicy, salty and downright addicting. Make them in the slow cooker for an easy, hands-off experience and fill your kitchen with wonderful aromas! They’re great for topping salads, party snacks, and even homemade gifts!
- Total Time: 9 hours, 5 minutes
- Yield: 10 servings 1x
Ingredients
- 8 cups pecan halves
- 2 egg whites
- 4 tsp vanilla
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 cup brown sugar, lightly packed
- 3 1/2 Tbsp cinnamon
- 2 tsp salt
- 2 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 tsp allspice
- 1/2 cup water
Instructions
- Spray the inside of a large (7qt) slow cooker with non-stick spray.
- In a large bowl, whisk the egg whites and vanilla until foamy.
- Add the pecans and stir to evenly coat them.
- In a separate bowl, mix the granulated sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, cayenne pepper and allspice.
- Pour the sugar mixture over the pecans and stir again to evenly coat.
- Pour the entire mixture in the greased slow cooker and cook on low for 3 hours, stirring halfway through. In the last 30 minutes of cooking, pour in the water and stir.
- Dump the entire mixture onto a sheet pan lined with parchment and arrange in a single layer.
- Dry for 4-6 hours or overnight.
- Break the nuts apart and store in an airtight container until ready to serve.
Notes
tools
- nonstick spray
- parchment paper
- 7 qt slow cooker
- large sheet pan
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 3 hours
- Category: Snacks
- Method: Slow Cooker
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Recipe adapted from Dinner then Dessert
The taste of these is amazing, but even after sitting overnight they are still very sticky. Unfortunately I won’t be able to give them as gifts like this – and pecans aren’t cheap. I have a similar recipe for almonds that cooks for 2 hours on high. I may give these another try doing that.