Homemade Maple Candied Pecans
Roasting nuts at home is so easy and it helps you avoid all of the processed sugars and oils that conventional companies use. Who doesn’t love a roasted nut?! These candied pecans get me excited for Fall and are a fun way to start including some pumpkin spice. Plus, your house is going to smell amazing!
I like to use these as a topping on a special Sunday stack of waffles or give them as a gift. You could also use them on top of salads or other desserts!
Catherine’s Maple Candied Pecans
Vegan, Gluten-free, Soy-free, Dairy-free
3 cups of pecans
½ cup coconut oil
½ cup maple syrup
1.5 tsp spices (I used a pumpkin spice blend)
1 tsp vanilla
Preheat the oven to 300. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a Silpat.
If your coconut oil is solid, you’ll need to first heat it enough so that it is liquid. If the container is microwave safe you can just put it in the microwave for 30 seconds. Otherwise, you can heat it in a pot of water over the stove.
Combine the coconut oil, maple syrup, spices, and vanilla in a large bowl. Add the pecans and toss until coated. There will likely be a little bit of extra syrup in the bottom of the bowl. If so, this will crisp up in the oven and create a little bit of extra lovely “candied” effect.
Scoop the pecans onto the baking sheet and spread them across the pan. They can be touching, but you want to have a single layer.
Bake for about 30 minutes (gently stirring every 10 minutes) or until they are lightly browned and fragrant.
Remove from oven, and allow to cool completely. They will be very soft (and hot!) when you first take them out but will crisp up.
Store in an airtight container.
Why avoid canola oil? More than 90% of American-grown rapeseed is genetically engineered. Whether you care about GMOs or not, it’s going to be heavily sprayed with pesticides which is not good for your health! In addition, canola oil is a trans-fat which is highly inflammatory and increases the risk of heart disease and diabetes. I prefer to use coconut oil in this recipe because I like the taste, but you could also use avocado or macadamia.