I love candied nuts….love, love, love them.  BUT I do not have them very often, and random factoid about me….I can’t eat cashews or spanish peanuts…they make me seriously sick.  Anywho, back to candied nuts……..So in a moment of perfect kismet….I realized that I had an abundance of pecans and nothing planned for them  What?!!!  It’s fate.  Time for me to try a few candied pecan recipes and pick my fav.  Yes!

First recipe:

Honey Maple Pecans

• 3 Cups Pecans
• 1/2 cup sugar (I did not use the whole 1/2 cup….so I think that 1/4 would be better)
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp clove
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 honey
• 1/4 maple syrup

Preheat oven to 350 degress.  Grab a cookie sheet or a bar pan.  Mix the nuts with the honey and maple syrup.  Lay out on the cookie sheet and roast for 10 minutes.  Mix the remaining ingredients.  Remove the nuts after 10 minutes and when slightly cool add to the dry ingredients and coat with the sugar mixture.

Second Recipe:

Honey Butter Pecans

• 2 cups pecans
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/4 cup butter
• sprinkle of salt
• 1/2 cup of sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a saucepan, heat the butter and honey together…mixing thoroughly.  When butter is thoroughly melted and incorporated into the honey, add in the pecans.  Spread the sticky pecans onto a cookie sheet/bar pan.  Bake in oven for 10 minutes.  Remove after 10 minutes and allow to slightly cool.  Sprinkle with salt.  Allow to cool some more….then coat with the sugar (pic is before the sugar).

Third recipe:

Honeyed Pecans

• 2 cups pecans
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1 tsp vanillla
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup butter

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  In a saucepan – melt together all the ingredients, leaving out the pecans.  Allow the mixture the bubble for a few minutes, then add in the pecans.  Once the pecans are coated, lay them out on the cookie sheet and bake for slightly less than 10 minutes.

Anyone want to guess my fav???

Number 2!  With Number 1 a SUPER close second.  So close that I almost can’t tell.

This was a fabulous experiment.

06/30/2014 UPDATE – Dave decided to weigh in.  His winner is #3.